Texas Homemade Hamburger Buns
With summer coming quickly, there are bound to be family cook-outs and picnics. We thought we'd share our winning recipe for homemade hamburger buns. These buns are super soft and extra fluffy, giving your hamburgers the perfect pillow to rest its deliciousness. This recipe uses an initial sponge to add depth of flavor and give the yeast a good head-start.
Texas Homemade Hamburger Buns
Sponge
1/4 cup Texas Milling All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp. Red Star instant yeast, double strong
3 Tbsps. water
Dough
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) softened, unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups Texas Pure Milling All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
Directions
For the sponge:
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sponge ingredients.
Allow the sponge to rest for 15 minutes.
For the Dough:
Add the water, butter, brown sugar, and eggs, mixing until well combined. Whisk together the remaining flour and salt before adding to the liquid ingredients. Mix and knead until the dough is cohesive and smooth; it'll be very sticky at first. If you're using a stand mixer, beat with the flat beater for about 3 minutes at medium-high speed; then scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes at medium speed. It may have formed a very soft ball, but will probably still be sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Lightly grease the mixing bowl or a large (8-cup) measure; round the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl or measure. Cover, and let rise until very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Line a standard half sheet pan with parchment paper. Gently deflate the dough. Divide it into 12 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball. Space the buns in the pan 4X3.
Tent the dough gently with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the pan for 1 hour, until it's nicely puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush rolls with an egg white wash (equal parts egg white and water).
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 190°F on a digital thermometer. Remove the rolls from the oven, and after a few minutes, turn them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm. Store leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Yield: 12 large buns
