Belles Hamburger Buns

This recipe originated with my Grandmother, who was a camp cook for a summer camp in Montana. She would bake up dozens of these great little buns for the campers and I remember them with great fondness. She wrote down her recipe and since then, I've tweaked and modified it a bit. I now incorporate half all purpose and half bread flour. I find that this makes a "sturdier" bun without adding bulk or heaviness to it. They are light and fluffy, easy to make, they freeze well and you can shape them into anything you like - hot dog buns, sandwich rolls, dinner rolls, or whatever suits you. You can also top them with sesame or poppy seeds, everything bagel toppings, or just brush them with melted butter after they come out of the oven. The tops remain soft, while the bun is strong enough to hold up to the most messiest of toppings!


Today, I made a batch, but made half the recipe into Hot Dog buns. We picked up a package of European "Frankfurters" at Costco.. so this bun will be perfect. It is soft, tender and very ethereal. Yet, with all it's delicate crumb.. it holds up extremely well to a loaded burger with all the trimmings and even a Sloppy Joe.. these buns are beautiful and I've spent the last 5 years perfecting them.. I hope you enjoy them as much as our family does!

This recipe makes 16 rolls.. whether it be hamburger buns or hot dog buns.. get the longer hot dogs though.. these buns are perfect for them! Try the recipe in a New England Hot Dog pan.. use them for Lobster Rolls... oh endless! Oh delish!

Belles Hamburger Buns - Part Deux
Makes 16 Buns

6 ounces lukewarm water
6 ounces of lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
2 ounces butter, softened
2 ounces, sugar
4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
11.5 ounces Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
11.5 ounces Unbleached Bread Flour

For the topping
1 large egg, beaten with 1 TBS water
Your choice of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, the sky is the limit!
or
Brush the tops with melted butter after they are done baking.

Directions

1) To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix to make a soft dough. Knead dough for about 8 minutes on medium speed of the Kitchen Aid using the dough hook. Dough should pass the window pane test.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for an hour, until it's almost doubled in size.

3) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, remove all the big air bubbles with your fingertips, and divide it into 16 pieces - about 2.5 ounces each. I like to divide the dough in half, then half again, and half again.. and so on until you have 16 pieces. If you have a scale, take the time to weigh out the balls.. you don't have to be perfect but close enough.

4) For burger buns, roll each piece into a tight ball and using a floured hand, gently flatten them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten them out and place them about 1.5 inches apart. Put 8 buns on a pan - using two pans. For Hot Dog buns, roll each piece out into a log.. about 8 inches long. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.. about 3/4 inch apart.

6) Cover and let rise until the buns have doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

7) If you want shiny tops or you want sesame seeds or other flavorings on the top of your buns, combine egg and water and lightly brush each bun. Sprinkle topping on immediately. I like to brush a bit of melted butter on the buns after they come out of the oven. This softens the tops nicely.. but it's totally up to you.

8) Bake the buns, one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for about 6 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack.