Beautiful Burger Buns¶

Beautiful Burger Buns

Serves	Total Time
8 buns	2.5 to 3.5 hours

Ingredients¶

Buns¶

3 ½ cups (420 g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp (198 g) water, lukewarm
2 Tbsp (28 g) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 ¼ tsp table salt
1 Tbsp (9 g) instant yeast

Butter glaze¶

3 Tbsp (43 g) butter, melted; divided

Seed topping (optional)¶

1 large egg white, whisked with 2 Tbsp cold water
Sesame seeds, or the seeds of your choice

Cookware¶

large bowl or stand mixer
baking sheet
parchment paper (optional)
rack

Instructions¶

Step 1¶

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

Step 2¶

Cover the dough and let it rise until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.

Step 3¶

Gently deflate the dough and divide it into eight pieces (about 100 g each). Shape each piece into a ball.

Step 4¶

Flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand until it's about 3" in diameter.

Step 5¶

Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until noticeably puffy, about an hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Step 6¶

Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter. To make seeded buns, brush the egg white/water mixture right over the melted butter and sprinkle with seeds.

Step 7¶

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter for a satiny crust.