Sometimes we ourselves can only appreciate our biggest accomplishments. This is the case with my recent attempt to make brioche hamburger buns to use with the pork barbecue that we smoked this past weekend. Picture me jumping up and down, pointing at the loveliest risen dough you could ever imagine, and B.O.B. Bob staring at me as if I had finally gone and lost my mind completely. After all, it was only a matter of time before Brenna finally sucked all the sanity out of my body. Perhaps I was a little giddy, maybe even a tad bit crazed, but only because I have never had a positive experience with anything containing yeast before this most precious of all days. It seems that pigs had finally taken to the skies in flight, because after many years of disastrous attempts, I had finally succeeded in making fluffy, light, and delicious bread. I’ve had some pretty horrendous bread and cinnamon rolls pass through my yeast-challenged hands, and they always found their way straight into the trash bin. Bad bread is bad bread, there’s not too much you can do to correct the problem. After finally having a spectacular success making these buns, I’m excited to try baking every bread recipe I encounter on Pinterest. I just can’t decide where to begin. Sourdough French Bread, Iced Raspberry Danish Braid, or Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls all seem like great possibilities. B.O.B. Bob, God bless his sweet little heart, has decided that now that I know how to make hamburger buns, we will never have to buy them at the store again. Who’s done gone and lost their mind now?
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 3 Tablespoons Warm Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons & 1 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs, Divided
- 3 Cups Bread Flour
- 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Melted Butter
Directions:
- In a glass measuring cup, combine warm water, warm cream, yeast and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Beat 1 egg in a small dish; set aside.
- Add the flours, salt, onion powder, and butter to a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients for 2 minutes on low speed.
- Add the yeast mixture and beaten egg. Increase the speed to medium-low, and mix for 10 minutes.
- Coat your hands with a little bit of olive oil, and then remove the dough from the bowl. Roll the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl after you have coated the bowl with olive oil as well.
- Cover the bowl with a damp dishtowel and let it rise in a warm area of your kitchen until it has doubled in size. This may take anywhere between 1 and 3 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the risen dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a smooth bun shape, and then place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet 2 to 3 inches apart from one another.
- Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area of your kitchen for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, placing a pan or dish with an inch of water inside of it, on the lower rack of your oven to create steam.
- In a small dish, beat the remaining egg with a splash of water. Use a pastry brush to coat each bun with the egg wash.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool completely.
Suggestions:
- Warm means warm; not cold, and not hot. If your water and cream are too hot you will kill the yeast, and if they are too cold they will not activate it.
- Feel free to use milk in place of heavy whipping cream. I only had non-fat milk on hand, and decided to use cream instead.
- Here is a tutorial on “How to Roll Rolls.”
- The original recipe I was following suggested using a paddle attachment for your stand mixer. I started out using it, but found that it did not really do the job, so switched to the dough hook attachment instead.
Improvements:
- After brushing the buns with egg wash, sprinkle them with sesame seeds, dried minced onions, or poppy seeds before baking.
- During the last 5-minutes of baking, sprinkle the top of each hamburger bun with finely grated cheese.
RECIPE ADAPTED FROM: Light Brioche Hamburger Buns from The Clever Carrot
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 3 Tablespoons Warm Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
- 2 Tablespoons & 1 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs, Divided
- 3 Cups Bread Flour
- 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Melted Butter
Directions:
- In a glass measuring cup, combine warm water, warm cream, yeast and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Beat 1 egg in a small dish; set aside.
- Add the flours, salt, onion powder, and butter to a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients for 2 minutes on low speed.
- Add the yeast mixture and beaten egg. Increase the speed to medium-low, and mix for 10 minutes.
- Coat your hands with a little bit of olive oil, and then remove the dough from the bowl. Roll the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl after you have coated the bowl with olive oil as well.
- Cover the bowl with a damp dishtowel and let it rise in a warm area of your kitchen until it has doubled in size. This may take anywhere between 1 and 3 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the risen dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a smooth bun shape, and then place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet 2 to 3 inches apart from one another.
- Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area of your kitchen for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, placing a pan or dish with an inch of water inside of it, on the lower rack of your oven to create steam.
- In a small dish, beat the remaining egg with a splash of water. Use a pastry brush to coat each bun with the egg wash.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool completely.
ORIGINALLY POSTED 07/08/2014
