While I love fall, I have a strong dislike of holiday decorating. The worst part is that I have a closet full of decorations that I put up every year like clock work when my oldest was little. Then I had my second son and things got a little less fun. Now I am lucky if I get the table top tree up for Christmas. I always make big holiday meals and my table looks great, but decorations annoy me. I think they look great in other people's houses. In mine they spell dust, sifting through closets, and generally too much effort. I don't mind the putting up as much as the taking down. One of the funniest memories I have growing up was my dad wrapping yards and yards of christmas lights around a wrapping paper tube to put away. After the 10th one he just threw the rest away and decided to get new ones the year. My mom got mad and decided that we wouldn't decorate the next year. Instead of being upset, my dad and I remember it as the best Christmas ever since we were always the ones that had to do all the decorating and putting away. Luckily my kids are happy with lots of food and just one decorated table top tree. I am happy that it literally takes seconds to put everything away after the holidays. So at Halloween my house won't be the one with the decorated pumpkins, ghosts, and witches. It will still be full of laughter, fun, and food just with a little less decorating than the other houses.
I try to make everything I can from scratch, including almost all breads and baked goods. For years I tried to find the perfect hamburger bun recipe with mixed results. I found one that was quick, but the shape and texture just weren't perfect. Then about a year ago I tried a new recipe and loved it. It was perfect and I have been using it ever since. Here is the recipe, it makes the perfect buns!
Adapted from the Food Network.
Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup warmed milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 large egg yolk, room temp
- 5-5 1/2 cups bread flour
- Heat the milk and 3 tablespoons butter on the stove, just until the butter melts.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the 1/2 cup warm water and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter.
- Add the salt, sugar, egg, and egg yolk.
- Stir to combine.
- Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water.
- Wait until it foams (about 5 minutes) and then add to the bowl.
- Add flour until the dough comes together.
- You may not need the full 5 cups.
- Turn dough onto the counter and knead for 5-8 minutes.
- Adding more flour (or warm water) as needed (you want a soft, but not sticky dough).
- Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours (or until double in size).
- Punch down dough, re-cover bowl and allow dough to rise for another hour.
- Punch dough down once more.
- Make dough into 10 pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball.
- Cut each ball through the center (like you would if you were cutting a bun to place a hamburger within) into two pieces.
- Place the two pieces back together (the same way they were before you cut them) and pinch the seam close.
- Tuck the pinched seam under the ball.
- Place the finished bun on a parchment lined baking sheet and slightly flatten the bottom.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- You should end up with 10-12 total buns.
- Cover and allow the buns to rise for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- After rising brush the tops of each bun with melted butter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Brush the buns once more with butter.
- This recipe may seem daunting at first with all the steps, but it really isn't. Once you have made it once it is very easy and it takes me less than a 1/2 hour of actual work.
- If you have a bread maker the steps up until the second rise work great in a bread maker. I normally use my bread maker on the dough cycle to prep bread, it's so much easier.
- If you have instant or bread maker yeast, you can skip the step of proofing the yeast in water. I just combine my yeast with the flour and then add it to the wet ingredients. I only proof my yeast about once a month to make sure it's still active.
- These also make great sandwich buns, so don't just limit yourself to burgers!