Sifted Artisan Burger or Sandwich Buns by The Grainwright
Now is the perfect time to ditch grocery store buns, and bake a batch of these delicious burger/sandwich buns. The lightly enriched dough made with Janie's Mill Sifted Artisan Flour and potato is soft and fluffy, yet sturdy enough to hold together until the last bite. This recipe takes only a few hours from start to finish, so you'll be enjoying freshly baked buns in no time!
Bun Recipe by James Bridges, formerly of The Grainwright, and now with Haymarket in Louisville, KY. As a former chef, James has an ongoing love affair with food, which means that he connects with farmers and millers to get the best possible ingredients to work with!
James Bridges (baker) and Harold Wilken (farmer and co-owner of Janie's Mill)
Yield: Makes 8 large buns (approximately 100g each)
Ingredients
For the dough:
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3 cups (360g) Janie's Mill Sifted Artisan Bread Flour
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1 1/4 cup /10 fl oz (300g) whole milk
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4 tablespoon (56g) butter
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2 tablespoon (40g) light amber honey
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3 teaspoon (9g) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (see Baker's Note #5 below)
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2 teaspoon (7g) instant dry yeast (see Baker's Note #3 below)
For the egg wash:
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1 egg
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1 tablespoon water
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A pinch of salt
Equipment
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Half sheet pan (18"x13") or cookie sheet + baking parchment
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Large mixing bowl
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Small bowl
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Saucepan or microwave safe container
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Danish dough whisk or silicone spatula
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Whisk
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Cooling rack or stovetop
- Stand mixer (optional - see instructions below)
Instructions
1. Measure the milk, honey, and butter (cut into pats) into a saucepan or microwave safe container and gently warm the two together until the butter melts. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly for 5 minutes.
2. While cooling, measure all dry ingredients into a large non-reactive bowl, then use a whisk to combine and form a well in the middle.
3. Pour your milk, honey, and butter mixture into the well, and combine wet and dry ingredients with a Danish dough whisk or spatula until there are no clumps or dry bits. Remove dough from bowl and knead on countertop or work surface until you have a soft, smooth and supple dough (about 10 minutes).
4. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and allow to proof somewhere warm until it doubles in size. (See Baker's Note #2 below for details on proofing time.)
5. Once doubled, punch down and remove dough from bowl to your work surface, then divide into 8 equal sized portions.
6. For shaping, lightly flatten each portion, then fold the edges up and press down into the center all the way around until you have a loose ball. Turn the ball seam side down on the work surface, then place the palm of your hand over the top of it and gently move the dough in a circular motion to tighten up the ball.
7. Once balled, space the dough balls about 2" apart on a parchment lined half sheet pan (18" x 13") or cookie sheet to proof. The best place to proof is in the oven with the light on with a pan of hot water on the shelf below. Proofing in the oven means you also don't need to cover the sheet with plastic wrap, which can stick to the dough. Proof until the shaped balls double in size again and are jiggly when you lightly shake the sheet.
8. Remove sheet and water from oven and preheat to 350°F conventional / 325°F convection (fan assist).
9. While the oven is heating, combine egg wash ingredients in a bowl and whisk to a smooth consistency and set aside. Once the oven comes to temperature, brush the tops of the buns with egg wash, then bake immediately for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops are golden to light chestnut brown.
10. Remove from the oven and place the sheet on the stovetop or cooling rack to cool for a few minutes. Leaving the buns on the parchment, carefully remove the baking sheet until buns are completely cool before serving (about 20-30 minutes).
Instructions for Optional Stand Mixer Method
1. Combine all dry ingredients except butter in the bowl of a 3-5 quart stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, then mix on lowest speed while slowly pouring cold milk and honey into the bowl until dough fully comes together. Add butter in pats to the bowl and mix on medium speed until you have a soft, smooth and supple dough (about 8-10 minutes).
2. Cover bowl to proof, then follow steps 5-10 above.
Baker’s Notes
1. All US/volume measurements are estimates. For greater precision, use a kitchen scale and metric measurements.
2. Proofing times are variable depending on dough temperatures. If you don't have a probe thermometer, check your dough after 30-45 minutes to see if it has doubled in size. If you have a probe thermometer, this is what you are looking for: The ideal final dough temperature for this recipe is 76-78°F and ideal proofing temperature is 78-80°F. If the dough and proofing environment for first and second rise is warmer or cooler, then rise time will be shorter or longer respectively.
3. You can use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, but this should be bloomed in liquid first and should be used only with the hand kneading method. Simply add the yeast to the warmed milk and butter mixture while it cools before adding that to the dry ingredients.
4. If you don't have potato flakes you can substitute potato flour (1/2 cup) or mashed potato (3/4 cup) instead. If using mashed potato, allow to cool fully before adding to dough and reduce the amount of milk used to 3/4 cup (6 fl oz or 185g).
5. If using Morton kosher salt or table salt, use 2 teaspoons instead of 3.
6. You can make these buns a day or two before you need them, and they will keep well in a sealed bag or container at room temperature. They also freeze well on the day of baking, and can be kept frozen for weeks if sealed well to prevent freezer burn. Simply thaw at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before using.
Theme and Variations
Here are a few points of inspiration and adaptation:
This is a very versatile bun dough which can be seasoned differently depending on what you are serving the buns with. For instance, when at The Grainwright, we did custom buns with Old Bay seasoning for crab-cake burgers, and ones with dill seed topping and mild chili pepper flakes such as Aleppo or Ancho for buttermilk fried chicken sandwiches.
You can experiment by adding 1-2 teaspoons of various seasoning blends to the dry dough ingredients before mixing and/or using different seeds or seed blends on top.
Posted on June 20 2022