Fresh Hamburger Buns

I got a bread machine for my birthday a few months ago. I figured I'd pull it out once or twice a month and make some bread. Boy, was I wrong. I use this thing at least twice a week. White bread, wheat bread, half-and-half bread, breadsticks, rolls, buns, Italian loaves; I make it all. We actually stopped buying bread from the store over a month ago.

There is just something so amazing about taking some flour and water and yeast and turning it into bread. If you don't have one, I highly suggest you try to get your hands on one. And when you do, come right back here and make these hamburger buns.


These are perfect for my Very Veggie Quinoa and Bean Burgers.

Hamburger Buns
Makes 8 buns

What I use:

• 1 c. warm water (60 seconds in my microwave gets the perfect temp - you want it to be around 110 degrees F)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/4 c. oil
• 3 c. flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, white whole wheat, or any combination of the three)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• Sesame seeds
• Butter

How I do it:

1. Sprinkle the sugar in your bread machine's bread pan.

2. Pour the water on top and let the sugar dissolve.

3. Sprinkle the yeast over the sugar water and let it sit until it foams up, about 10 minutes.

4. Add the oil, then the flour, then the salt.

5. Set your machine for "Dough" and let it go.

6. When the machine is done, turn your oven to the lowest temperature.

7. Take the dough out of the machine, lay it down on a lightly floured surface and gently punch it down.

8. Knead the dough 5 or 6 times.

9. Use a sharp knife and split the dough into 8 equal pieces. (If you're crazy like me, you can bust out your kitchen scale and weigh them to guarantee equality - they should be about 3 ounces each.)

10. Turn the oven off.

11. Take each bit of dough and roll it into a ball.

12. Place them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

13. Flatten each dough ball with your hand so it's a flat disc.

14. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the milk on the top of each disc.

15. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

16. Place the baking sheet in the oven until the dough has almost doubled in size. Do not open the door! (Timing varies here depending on which flour you used - white will be ready in about 30 minutes, wheat about 50 to 60, and a 50/50 blend of the two will take about 45 minutes.)

17. Turn the oven to 350 degrees F with the dough still in the oven.

18. Once the oven reaches 350, set your timer for 10 minutes.

19. Check the buns for an internal temperature of 190 degrees F.

20. Remove the buns from the oven and move them to a cooling rack.

You can freeze baked buns for later if you have leftovers. Thaw overnight in the fridge.