Our household is a big fan of burgers: we can keep patties in stock in the freezer, but keeping good quality buns on hand is a bigger ask. We eventually broke down during the pandemic and decided to make our own. We thought it couldn’t be too far a stretch from the sourdough we were making. And, thankfully, it ended up that these were far easier. Which meant we could whip up a batch of these every burger night without too much fuss.
Recipe Courtesy of King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
3/4 to 1 cup (170g to 227g) lukewarm water*
2 tablespoons (28g) butter, at room temperature + 3 tablespoons melted butter (for topping)
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups (418g) All-Purpose Flour (King Arthur if you have it)
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Method
Mix the water, 2 tbsp butter, egg, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl or in a stand mixer. Mix until a smooth, soft dough is formed.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours. It should nearly double in size.
Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 roughly equal balls. Shape each into a ball and then press the dough down evenly to create a 3” flat oval.
Place the 8 flattened buns on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Let rise for approximately 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Before baking, brush the buns with 1.5 tbsp of melted butter.
Bake the buns for 15-18 minutes or until golden.
While they are still warm, brush the buns with the remaining 1.5 tbsp of melted butter.
Cool buns on a rack and enjoy!