Friday 26 June 2009

Homemade hamburger buns

As you might have figured out by now I am a huge fan of grilling. I think I could grill no matter season, and I have met Americans who grill outdoors even though they have to dig in about 4 ft of snow to find the grill! Those hamburgers where by far the second best hamburger I have ever tasted! Thank you, the Lehman family in Muncie, IN.

This is how much I love hamburgers. HA!

The best hamburger I ever tasted was at the local YWAM base in my hometown. I was on a work experience in 9th grade and I helped at the local elementary school. In the class where I helped out was a little American girl. It became my task to take care of her, and help her communicate with her peers, she knew very little Swedish and they knew very little English. As a thank you for helping her in school, her parents invited me over to the base, where they lived, for a BBQ. They made me American hamburgers and I can remember they were YUM! I don't know what they put in them to taste like a little piece of heaven, but they were truly divine.

Hamburgers is such a great thing to throw on the grill for a quick dinner that still tastes delicious. I hate the hamburger patties you can buy in the supermarkets over here, they are so thin and I don't know what they put in them to make them taste like... paper. I love making my own hamburger patties, and with the weekend being just a few hours away I am planing what to eat on Saturday and Sunday. I have to plan for Sunday (lunch and dinner), as all stores are closed on Sundays, which leaves no room for whims of inspiration and creativity. Extremely annoying!!!! Or maybe this is where my cooking skills really are put to the test?!
We're having hamburgers this weekend. Surprised?

As I said I tend to make my own hamburger patties, but I tend to buy the hamburger buns. I hate them almost as much, if not more, than I hate the store-bought hamburger patties. The buns here are DRY! So, to celebrate the good weather (25° C in the shade), and to stay out of the sun for a couple of hours - I'm too far from the ocean for my liking, I am making my own hamburger buns today. Found the recipe in MAISON MAT & VIN.

Before I set them to rest a second time... they grew enormous in those 45 minutes.

This is how they came out. YUM!

Hamburger buns
Makes 8 huge buns. I suggest you make 10-12 smaller buns

550 g flour
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3.6 dl lukewarm water (37° C)
25 g fresh yeast
1 egg 2 tbsp milk
sesame seeds

1. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and butter.

2. In a seperate bowl, dilute the yeast in the lukewarm water. Set to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Pour the liquid into the flour mix and kneed for a good 8-10 minutes. (You can do all this in your Kitchen Aid or similar device, if you're luck to have one. OR you can do as me and use the hands God gave you).

4. Cover the dough with a cloth and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour.
5. Divide the dough into 8 (or however many you decide to make) equal parts, and roll each part into a ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly.

6. In a glass, or small bowl. Mix the egg and the milk. Using a brush, or the back of a spoon, brush the egg mix onto each ball of dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover with a cloth and let stand for another 45 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 225° C. Bake the buns for 30-35 minutes.

8. Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

From my experience these buns do not freeze very well, they become too dry! So you should really try and eat them that same day or any time during the next couple of days.

4 comments:

Susanne said...

Intriguing.

Anonymous said...

Hi Angelica! I didnt know you had youe own food corner:) Really cool! Those hamburger buns look amazing! Did they taste as good as they look?

Angelica said...

Hi! Yepp, this is my very own food corner :) Glad you found me. To be honest with you, I haven't tried them yet. I had planned on trying them as soon as I made them ,but I got distracted, and they are now in the freezer.
If you're in Skien you could come try them out with me this summer!!

Elizabeth said...

They look perfect - well done!