Do you have a favorite hamburger bun? When we make cheeseburgers at home the buns vary, and indeed, happening across a likely-looking specimen in my travels can provoke cheeseburgers where none was planned.
Tustin’s famous Cream Pan desultorily makes a fantastic hamburger bun, perfect for four ounces of meat. Dean Kim sells his OC Baking Company’s fabulous brioche buns, a familiar conveyance for high-end restaurant burgers, at the Saturday Old Towne Orange Farmers & Artisans Market. We’ll sometimes use the very good, made-in-Garden Grove Maisano’s buns carried at El Toro Gourmet Meat in Lake Forest, since we’re already there procuring the peerless, freshly ground 22 percent with which our burgers are ALWAYS made.
Often, though, I’ll bake buns, using a recipe that years ago gripped the baking foodosphere in a powerful mystique. It’s from a baker who called herself Moomie on the King Arthur Flour Baking Circle online community, though the buns’ fame has gone beyond that—as has Moomie, whose real name is Ellen and whose own website is here. The soft rolls that result are perfect made slider-size, and they’re great for things other than burgers, too—this latest batch is destined for chicken salad sandwiches.
I’ve always used the King Arthur version of the recipe—whose single change over the years was an especially good one, converting to weight as well as volume measurements. (I use weight measurements as much as possible in baking; both are included.) It can be made by hand, in a stand mixer or food processor, or using a bread machine dough cycle. Everything you need, from simple instructions to great step-by-step photos are in this link: Beautiful Burger Buns. Just be warned, there really is something about these buns—don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling under their spell.
Facebook Comments