Written by Heather Zubiate
ven before I started on my journey toward
wellness, I have pursued the perfect hamburger bun recipe.
Why? Well, I love to bake, and even before being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I have known for quite some time that commercial baked goods aren't all that good thanks to all of the processing and nasty chemicals such as glyphosate laden grains, preservatives, rancid oils, etc. that are in them. And to be honest, the commercial buns are darn near the texture of --cotton? No. Ugh...that abysmal blasphemy known as "Wonder Bread?" Yeah...like that. I remember an episode of 'Good Eats' where Alton Brown was lamenting this very thing in regards to sandwich bread, and he did something I have always wanted to do. He took a loaf of that "bread" and treated it like it deserves to be treated. In utter disgust he crumpled it up like a traffic ticket -- a badly written paper! You get the picture. It was thrilling and very satisfying to watch. Anyway, through the years I have tried many recipes, but I think I have finally found "The ONE"! And it's all thanks to the tangzhong.
Tangzhong
Eh-- a tang what's it? Yeah, I know, don't even ask me how to pronounce it. I probably butcher it by saying, "tang - zong," but oh well. All I'm really concerned with is how to make it, and all I know is that this amazing little "water roux" makes for an amazingly fluffy and moist bun that doesn't disintegrate when you put a juice burger on it. Couple that with a healthy sourdough starter, and organic ingredients, well this is one of those win/wins you can't afford to pass up. I have since learned that you don't have to use water, you can use milk, which I do in this recipe for flavor, or as I understand it, you can use any liquid. As long as it is a ratio of 5 parts liquid to 1 part flour by weight or volume. In most of my recipes I use volume, and no I'm not following the ratio in this one. So if you want to just use 10 Tbsp. of milk. And if you want to weigh it out, for this recipe that would look like 90 grams (roughly 7 Tbsp.) of liquid to 18 grams (about 2 Tbsp.) of flour. As you can see, weight and volume aren't the same. Isn't baking so "sciencey"? The resulting paste will be a little thinner than the one I use in this recipe, but since I haven't tried the correct ratio, I don't know if there is a marked difference in the end product. I'm still learning too, that's life. I have adapted this recipe from another one, so I could say, they didn't use the right ratio, yet it still works. See? Baking is a little more forgiving than one would suppose. In other recipes I might go into more depth with information about this bread baking secret weapon, but for now, let's get started!
"But I can't make bread!"
Yes you can! You just "knead" to practice! Ha ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Seriously, everything in this life that requires skill takes practice. Like walking, tying your shoes, riding a bike...see? If you can do those things, then you CAN make bread. It may take a while, but don't give up, you can do it! "What will I do with the failures?" That is a VERY good question. Just make croutons, or Melba toast, or bread crumbs, bread pudding, or french toast. See? No more excuses. In no time at all, you will be making your very own nutritious and gourmet looking hamburger buns that all your friends and family will be begging for! To help ensure success, I always advise reading through any new recipe to make sure you will have all of the ingredients, and to help you get familiar with the procedure. Here we go!
Tangzhong Instructions
Place all ingredient into a small sauce pan and whisk until smooth, turn on the heat to med. low and whisk. When you feel it start to thicken, turn off the heat and keep whisking until it is the consistency of paste. Set aside.
Place all ingredient into a small sauce pan and whisk until smooth, turn on the heat to med. low and whisk. When you feel it start to thicken, turn off the heat and keep whisking until it is the consistency of paste. Set aside.
Bread Instructions
Fit a stand mixer with a dough hook.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, place all the ingredients and mix on "1" speed until the dough comes together. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl and be slightly sticky. If it's too dry then add a little milk. If it's too wet, then add a little flour until the dough only sticks to the bottom of the bowl as it's mixing.
Knead on "2" speed for 10 min. or knead by hand for 15 min. or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces ( a scale helps) and roll into balls.
Flatten into 4" disk with the edges thinner than the middle.
Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving 1/2" between buns.
Brush with oil and cover with a dry towel.
Place in a warm spot to rise until double in bulk. This can take anywhere from 3 to 9 hours depending on room temp. and dough temp. and the strength of the starter.
When the buns are double in bulk, turn on the oven to 375*F and gently brush with egg wash. (This gives them a nice shine, and provides glue for seasonings.)
Sprinkle with "Everything" seasoning, or your favorite seed.
Baking Tip! Adding steam via a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven, or spritzing the oven with water from a water bottle to create steam will help with the rise immensely.
Bake on the middle rack for 15 min. and turn, then bake for another 10 to 15 min. until the buns are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing in half.
Place in a bread bag, or air tight container. They can be frozen.
Fit a stand mixer with a dough hook.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, place all the ingredients and mix on "1" speed until the dough comes together. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl and be slightly sticky. If it's too dry then add a little milk. If it's too wet, then add a little flour until the dough only sticks to the bottom of the bowl as it's mixing.
Knead on "2" speed for 10 min. or knead by hand for 15 min. or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces ( a scale helps) and roll into balls.
Flatten into 4" disk with the edges thinner than the middle.
Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving 1/2" between buns.
Brush with oil and cover with a dry towel.
Place in a warm spot to rise until double in bulk. This can take anywhere from 3 to 9 hours depending on room temp. and dough temp. and the strength of the starter.
When the buns are double in bulk, turn on the oven to 375*F and gently brush with egg wash. (This gives them a nice shine, and provides glue for seasonings.)
Sprinkle with "Everything" seasoning, or your favorite seed.
Baking Tip! Adding steam via a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven, or spritzing the oven with water from a water bottle to create steam will help with the rise immensely.
Bake on the middle rack for 15 min. and turn, then bake for another 10 to 15 min. until the buns are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing in half.
Place in a bread bag, or air tight container. They can be frozen.
Print The Recipe Here
|