Summer is in full swing. Picnics, BBQs, outdoor gaming events… Perfect time to start making your own hamburger buns. What a great surprise it will be for your family and friends when you place those perfect hamburgers straight off the grill onto a homemade sourdough hamburger bun.
I can’t wait to try these out on my guests. I am wanting to try them with our wheat culture (Sourdoughs International South African) and our rye culture (Sourdoughs International Polish). What a great variety of hamburger buns!
Makes 8 Buns
2 cups sourdough culture
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and add the milk, eggs, salt, and sugar. Beat with a fork to mix and add to the culture. Add the flour a cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
Roll the dough out to a ½ -inch thickness and cut with a 4-inch round cutter (a can with the top cut out works well).
Place the buns on a baking sheet and proof at 85°F in a proofing box for 2 to 4 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until browned. Let cool on a wire rack.
You could top with sesame seeds, or onion bits, whatever your taste buds might find desirable. That is the wonderful thing about baking your own items, you can be as creative as you want to be. Kids would love to help you with these also. Happy baking.