Is there anything that smells better than warm bread coming out of the oven? I seem to be on a bread kick lately, and I’m going to keep it going with these babies.
In the small town where I live, whole wheat hamburger buns are hard to come by, and when you do find them, the ingredient list is full of stuff I wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole. Luckily, these are simple to make and taste awesome. I use them for burgers, french dip sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, or even just to eat with a smear of real butter.
If you are eating them with burgers, cut them in half and butter them, then put them on the grill for a couple of minutes next to the burgers. They get all crispy and toasty. Oooh, baby!! Best ever.
I like to put cornmeal in the pan to keep them from sticking.
A quick word about flour. My family is still not too sure about this whole wheat thing, and I have found that the regular whole wheat flour creates bread that is too dense for their tastes. I have found that if I use white whole wheat flour, it is finer and much better for my picky eaters (..ahem… Marquis). White whole wheat flour is ground from hard white winter wheat, which is why it has a different texture. This one is the kind we usually buy.
I love a big, fresh, salad with my burgers. I’m not sure there is anything that tastes more like summer!
What’s your favorite thing to put on a bun?
- 1-1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 heaping tablespoon raw honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I like the white whole wheat flour)
- Butter for brushing tops
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- In a large bowl, whisk together water, yeast and honey. Allow to sit until the yeast gets foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour and combine well.
- Knead in the remaining flour ½ cup at a time until you have a sticky but firm dough.
- Allow dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Divide dough into 6 to 8 pieces, depending on the size you need your buns to be. Form into balls and place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
- Allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
- Top with a delicious burger with all the fixings!
i grind my own wheat… it makes a finer flour than those I can buy AND it ends up MUCH cheaper. The finer flour makes whole wheat stuff not so dense. Hard wheat goes on sale at Macey’s pretty often, and I keep a stash of both red and white wheat. Also, adding some dough enhancer (some kind of acid), vinegar, lemon juice, or other acid helps whole wheat somehow. AND I really, really like Vital Wheat gluten as well. It keeps my wheat bread softer for longer.
Good advice Amber, thank you! A wheat grinder is definitely on my wish list. Grinding your wheat right before using also helps preserve so many more nutrients!