Light Brioche Burger Buns

Have you ever craved a nice, juicy, non-junk food burger? Have you ever had the ingredients, but not the buns, and then you had to reevaluate your menu? Yeah, I’ve been there, too. It’s happened to me plenty of times. Only this time, I was determined not to be put off by this, so never fear! With this delicious burger bun recipe, your more-than-perfect burger is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. (Granted, it might just be easier to hop in the car and buy the buns, but these are really worth the work and effort.)

Light Brioche Burger Buns

Adapted from: http://www.runs-with-spatulas.com/

Prep time: 20 min

Rise time: 2-4 hours

Cook time: 15 min

Preheat: 400 ̊ F

Ingredients

 
3 tablespoons warm milk (105-115 degrees F)
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

Combine milk, 1 cup water, yeast, and sugar in a glass measuring cup, stirring well. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the top is foamy. In a small bowl, lightly beat one egg.

In the large work bowl of a mixer, stir together flour and salt. Cut in butter until crumbs form. Add the egg and yeast mixture to the flour. Mix together with the dough hook attachment on low. Once combined, increase the speed to medium until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (for those of you without fancy electronics like me, 8-10 minutes if you are kneading by hand). The finished dough may be slightly sticky (add flour if needed, but keep in mind the dough will be stickier than you imagine).

Transfer the dough to a clean work area and into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, flipping once to coat entirely. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.

Remove dough from the bowl and place on a clean work area. Punch the dough down, then let rest for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough equally into 10 sections and shape each into a ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough balls to the baking sheet, spacing them out 2-3 inches. Cover with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray, or a towel will suffice. Let rise for an additional 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, beat together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg wash on top of each bun (be careful that you let the bun collapse). Sprinkle the buns with sesame seeds. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Makes: 10 buns

Barbeque Burger Patties

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 5 min

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

3 T barbeque sauce

½ onion

Garlic

Instructions

Chop onion and garlic. If desired, cook in a frying pan until onions are clear and slightly carmalized.

In a mixing bowl, mix together ground beef, barbeque sauce, onions, and garlic. Separate into four patties and place on a grill (or frying pan) until cooked thoroughly.

Makes: 4 patties

I promise, they are real. I did not get them from the store. It was delicious. My favorite part about these buns is that they have a slight sweetness to them, and you can eat them with anything. I love them with breakfast (and Nutella – I’m a sucker for Nutella). I'm not certain I could ever go back to store-bought buns ever again. (They are also very easy. Time consuming, yes, but simple and easy, so you’ll have to plan this out.)

This was the best dinner I've had in a long while.

According to my friend, my favorite food is pasta.

Recently, I’ve just had a bridal shower in Texas, hosted by my friend’s mother. (My friend wasn’t there because she had gotten married the Friday before, so obviously she was preoccupied.) Everything, from the decor to the food, was decided based on what she knew of me as a roommate in Freshman year.

- The color was purple because it was my favorite color. (Actually, it still is my favorite color, but I had chosen my wedding colors to be yellow, orange, and brown.)

- The food was pasta, because I loved pasta.

This second detail is not quite true; yes, I like pasta. It’s not my absolute favorite, but during my Freshman year, it was the only thing I could cook, and due to my abhorrence and revulsion to Ramon and Easy Mac, I made a white based sauce (flour, butter, and milk) with any kind of meat, cheese, and spice I could put my hands on, mixed in with various types of noodles at least three times a week.

With that as my main staple of a meal, of course it would look like my favorite food was pasta.

Since then, when pasta got a little boring, I started to branch out. Even on a college budget, I managed to find ways to buy food and cook interesting things.

And now, since I’m getting married, I’ve had a recent wake-up call: things ain’t gonna be as cheap as they used to be. Housing is more expensive; cooking for two costs a lot; not to mention, we don’t have anything in our new apartment. Can’t afford a bed? Yeah, good luck in the eating department.

Fortunately for me, there are coupons (milk on sale!) and substitutes for buttermilk (1 cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar: easy!) As long as I’ve got those two for friends, we won’t starve, even if we don’t get a good night’s rest.