Hamburger Buns!

I've been continuing to try my hand at all things yeasty, and my latest adventure was making homemade hamburger buns. They had great flavor (as they should with melted butter brushed across their tops), but were a little flat for Darrell's liking--although that's more of an issue with the process than the recipe. Plus the recipe as I made it make twelve buns, which was definitely more than we needed. Next time I going to try making fewer buns, and we'll see if that helps make them puffier. And maybe I'll be more patient while they rise too.


(yes, I cut my corn off the cob. I hate picking stuff out of my teeth)

Homemade Hamburger Rolls
(borrowed and slightly modified from here)

2 tbsp butter, softened
1 large egg
3 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp instant yeast
3/4 - 1 cup warm water

3 tbsp butter, melted (not needed until end)

In a large bowl, combine yeast with 3/4 cup of the flour. Let stand for a few minutes. Mix in the 2 tbsp butter, egg, flour, sugar, and salt. Knead until dough is soft and smooth, adding additional water if necessary to incorporate all of the dry ingredients. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and add the dough to the bowl, turning to coat.

Cover and let rise until doubled, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and press lightly to deflate. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and flatten the ball into a disk about three inches in diameter.

Let the rolls rise for an hour, or until noticeably puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375*. Once they've risen, brush the tops with half of the melted butter.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden in color (I think mine only needed 12 minutes). Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and brush with the remaining butter. Cool.

Darrell had the brilliant (and yes, unoriginal) idea to throw our buns on the grill to toast them slightly, and they were super good that way. Like I mentioned, ours we're a little flat, and since I haven't had a chance to try this recipe again I'm not sure if it's because I made them too small, flattened them too much, or didn't let them get puffy enough. I'll just have to do things a little bit differently next time--and there definitely will be a next time with this recipe!