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.