A Good Hamburger Bun Recipe

Photo: Kevin Scanlon for The New York Times

I am looking for a good hamburger bun recipe.  I haven't tried this one out, but I am going to give it a shot today and then report back. 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012612-light-brioche-buns

Here are some comments on the above recipe.

Comment 1: A pretty straight forward recipe, but it needs to be stated that this is supposed to be a very sticky dough. You SHOULD have some difficulty handling it. If mixing by hand, three stretch and folds during the bulk fermentation will further develop the gluten and makes the dough much easier to handle and shape later - it's worth the extra time hovering over the dough. The buns hold up incredibly well under a juicy patty and plenty of condiments

Comment 2: Great! My mixer with dough hook worked well for this. The dough is so moist that if I hadn't known that I'd measured correctly, I might've added more flour. Since it was so sticky, I had to dip my fingers in water to check the elasticity and also when shaping the dough into balls. They are big, so I could easily make ten. Finally, I baked them on an insulated baking sheet which may be why the bottoms didn't brown at all while the tops were fine, so I'll use a regular baking sheet from now on.

Moiya also suggest looking up Chef John's hamburger bun recipe.

Here is a second suggestion from Moiya:

Best Brioche Hamburger Buns

 

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  35 mins

Yield: Eight 4-inch to 5-inch burger buns

 

Total Rising time: 2 to 4 hours
Recipe from the New York Times via Comma Ca restaurant, Los Angeles

 

Ingredients:

 

Step 1

 

• 1 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons warm milk
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2½ tablespoons sugar

Let rise for 5 minutes

 

Step 2

Cut butter into the flour and mix the whisked eggs in afterwards

 

• 1 large egg  
• 3 cups bread flour
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Let rise for 2 hours

Roll out dough and use a round cutter to make the size of bun that you want.

• 1 egg – beat and add 1 Tblsp. water to egg –for egg wash

 

Brush the egg wash on to the rising buns and sprinkle with black or white and/or poppy seeds.

• Black and white sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds (optional)

 

Directions:

1. In a measuring cup, combine one-cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. In the mean time, beat one egg.
2. In a large bowl, combine both flours with the salt. Add the butter to the flours and salt and rub into the flour using your fingers or a pastry cutter, making crumbs, like you would a pie dough. Stir in the yeast mixture and beaten egg until it forms a dough. Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter or board. and knead, scooping the dough up, slapping and turning it, until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. (You may also use a stand mixer for this, eliminating the need for a bench scraper - but bread that's hand kneaded is always better in my opinion). You want the dough to remain slightly tacky, as the more flour you add, the tougher they will be when baked.

3.       Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.
4.       Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper or sharp knife, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

5.       Set a large pan of water on oven floor. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash, then brush on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds ( I used both sesame and poppy seeds. Try a little sea salt too!), pressing them in gently to adhere. Bake, turning the sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. These can be frozen, then placed in a freezer bag for up to 2 to 3 months, When ready to use, let thaw at room temperature and heat or toast slightly, if desired.