Hamburger buns

The hubz had been craving a big juicy burger for quite a while, so we decided to make some. We had everything we needed except hamburger buns, so instead of running to the store to grab some, we decided to try making them! It was definitely more work, but also a lot more fun. Besides, we had that monstrous bag of flour just asking to be used.

We looked around the internet for a recipe that we had all the ingredients. We were also looking for something quick since we were hungry and finally settled on this 40-Minute Hamburger Buns recipe. While it did the trick, there are a few things that we plan to do differently in the future. For one thing, the buns were waaay to sweet. It reminded me of those sweet hawaiian rolls (which I love, just not with a burger) rather than a burger bun. So next time, we're definitely cutting back on the sugar. We're also going to do a better job of shaping the buns next time. We're going to make them less ball-like and more bun-like. But overall, it wasn't too bad and homemade burger buns are probably something we'll try again in the future.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

And for our burger, it was just a patty of plain ground beef, some blue cheese, and carmelized onions. Delicious. The leftover buns made great egg salad sandwiches too!