Homemade Hamburger Buns

I think bread making in general is one of those basic skills that every wannabe homesteader tackles at some point or another. I know that, for me, it was a long road with many failures before I finally got it right. It was really almost laughable. I couldn’t get a dough to rise to save my life! But once you figure it out, once you know the feel of a good dough, the possibilities are endless! Here’s a really easy hamburger bun recipe that I’ve been using for years. It yields 12 buns, which is great for a larger family!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 T. butter
• 1 T. white sugar
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 5 1/2 c. all purpose flour (feel free to sub in a few cups of whole wheat flour!)
• 1 envelope of dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T. water

(BIG T = TABLESPOONS. little t = teaspoons).

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, combine the first 5 ingredients. Stir to combine so that the sugar doesn’t just settle to the bottom. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat to cool until lukewarm. A temperature of about 105 degrees F to 110 degrees F is good. Any hotter and it could kill the yeast.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the flour and yeast. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until the dough starts to pull together. With your hook attachment, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes (if you’re just learning the art of bread making, I recommend kneading by hand on a floured surface. It helps you get familiar with the way everything should feel). You can stop kneading when the dough feels smooth, not too sticky, and when you poke it, it bounces back at you a bit.  Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp towel to rise for 1 hour OR until the dough has doubled. The doubling of the dough is more important than the time. So if it takes longer than 1 hour for it to double in size, that’s okay. Patience. ;)
• Punch down the dough and divide into 12 portions. Make tight balls by pulling the dough down around itself and pinching at the bottom. This helps the gluten develop ---> good texture. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let them rest for about 10 minutes, and then press down to flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Cover once again with a damp towel to rise for about 40 minutes OR until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix egg yolk and water in a small bowl and brush onto the buns. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They’re done when they have a nice golden brown color and they sound hollow like a drum when you tap them with your fingernail.
• Now slather those babies with some butter and enjoy. I mean … wait patiently until the burgers are done grilling and make sure you share.

(Original Recipe Source)

I've linked this post over at: Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways