Hamburger Buns made EASY!

photo by SMW

I must be losing it, losing my mind that is.  A month ago I, gasp, left my purse in the cart at the grocery store.  Today I left all my purchased groceries in the store.  Uhuh, I just walked out of the store purse in hand all happy that I had paid for bags of food and then left them there!

What's in my brain?  Straw?

That's not all.  I forgot to buy hamburger buns.  This has become a given- I always forget 1-2 items on my list, usually the most essential parts of a meal.  Yep, I'm good that way.

Since I refuse to retrace my tracks back to the store, I decided to make buns from scratch- the bread kind.  I have made whole wheat ones before, which are just as easy as these pure white ones.  Today we wanted white and fluffy hamburger buns.

photo by SMW

I only had a little crumb (I'm gluten free, rats!), man, are they good?!  Almost melt-in-your-mouth-bread-good! These would work for sliders at a football party just perfect.

Can I impress upon you that it was EASY? As in baby easy.  Five min. of assembly and stirring and then leave it, shape it, leave it, bake.  While you pick up kids from school, let the dough rise.  Then unpack backpacks.  Interrupt that for a second with shaping the dough into little buns, then go back to backpack and lunch bag duty.  By that time, the oven has pre-heated and you're ready to bake.  This is the perfect time to start frying up the hamburgers themselves.  See, no time at all is involved in these buns.  And they cost pennies!  Like change in your pocket, my friends. Enjoy some yummy rolls, and maybe add some hamburger meat to them :)

 Beautiful Burger Buns

   adapted from a King Arthur flour recipe

     yield: 8 buns

1 c. warm water

2 T. sugar

1 T. yeast

1 t. salt

1 egg

2 T. butter, melted

3 1/4 c. flour

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle the sugar & yeast over the warm water; let sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt, egg, and melted butter.
• With the mixer running on low, slowly stir in the flour, a cup at a time until a soft dough is formed. Knead the dough in the mixer for several minutes.
• With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a rough ball. Coat the inside of the mixing bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough ball back into the bowl, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled. Divide into 8 pieces and form into rolls or buns.
• Let rise on a greased baking sheet for 30-40 minutes. If desired, brush with melted butter or egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds or dried onion flakes.
• Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until light brown on the tops. Cool on a rack.