Onion Buns

Soft fluffy buns studded with onions.  Great for sandwiches, burgers, or all on its own.

Submitted to YeastSpotting 1/13/14

When I was a kid, my dad would occasionally buy onion buns.  These were always such a treat any sandwich tasted so much better on an onion bun.  Now that I'm an adult I try to make all of the bread I eat so it's been a while since I've had an onion bun.  Once I finally perfected the basic bun in Best Burger Buns I immediately thought about turning it into an onion bun.  With a little thought and some help from many other recipes I finally did it.  These buns turned out fantastic.  They are soft and fluffy and full of onion flavor.

Ingredients:

401 grams all purpose flour
249 grams water, luke warm
192 grams onion, diced
40 grams butter
28 grams dry milk
36 grams sugar
8 grams salt
6 grams active dry yeast
*1 egg slightly beaten for egg wash

Saute the diced onion, in a little butter or oil, until soft and translucent.  Set aside to cool until it reaches room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the barely warm water (about 100 degrees F, it should hardly feel warm to touch).  Stir in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Allow to sit for 15 minutes until it becomes frothy and active.

To the yeast add the flour, onions, butter, dry milk and salt.  Stir on low with the paddle attachment for about 1 minute until ingredients combine and form a sticky ball.  Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 6 minutes, adding more flour if necessary, until dough becomes elastic and is very soft and tacky but not sticky (it should just clear the bottom of the bowl).

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for about 90 minutes until it has doubled in size.

Cut the dough into 12 pieces of about 80 grams each and gently shape into balls stretching the dough over the top and pinching underneath to develop surface tension.  Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on a non stick or parchment covered baking sheet.  With the flat of your hand gently press down on each ball to slightly flatten.  Brush with *egg wash and cover with plastic wrap.

Preheat oven to 400F and allow buns to rise (at room temperature) for 30 minutes until they have puffed up.

Remove plastic wrap and again brush with egg wash, sprinkle some dried minced onion on top, and bake for 12-15 minutes (rotate pan(s) half way through for even baking) until golden brown.

Cool for about 15-30 minutes, slice, and enjoy.

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Best Burger Buns

Soft and fluffy burger buns that don't fall apart or leak.

Submitted to YeastSpotting.

I prefer making home made bread when possible.  I've been making homemade buns and rolls for a while but they always are a little tough.  When I want a bun I like it to be soft and tender (almost like store bought but better).  With this recipe from Utter Epicure I have finally made the best burger buns.  These buns were used for my Asian Pork Burgers and are great as sandwich rolls too.

Ingredients:
(only slight modification from original recipe--I used fast acting yeast instead of instant)

310 grams warm water
8.5 grams active dry yeast
47 grams sugar
500 grams all purpose flour (I have used bread flour too with good results)
50 grams butter, at room temperature
35 grams powdered milk
2 teaspoons salt
egg wash
sesame seeds

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the warm water (about 100F) with the yeast and sugar.  Let sit for about 15 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly.  Next add the flour, butter, dry milk, and salt.  Stir with the paddle attachment until ingredients come together and form a ball.  Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 6 minutes, adding more flour or water as necessary, until it just pulls from the bottom of the bowl.  Dough should be very soft and tacky but not sticky and it should be elastic.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, rolling to coat on all sides with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size

Divide the dough into about 12 pieces of 80 grams a piece.  Shape into rounds, stretching the dough over the top and pinching underneath to develop surface tension.  And lay out on parchment lined sheet pan(s) or a good nonstick pan.  When dough is on the pan gently press down to slightly flatten the rounds and brush with egg wash.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30-60 minutes until the buns have puffed (make sure to preheat your oven to 400F).

Uncover the buns and brush again with the egg wash, then sprinkle on sesame seeds, if using.

Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes.  Rotate and switch the pans from top to bottom about half way through baking for even browning.  Allow to cool 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy.

Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

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