Homemade Hamburger Buns - Whole Grain & Light

I like hamburger buns that are light, fluffy, and (as you can see above) covered with sesame seeds.  That describes several of the store-bought kind, but most of the time they are made with white flour, have preservatives, and in any case are not fresh (which is when any bread tastes best).  You can get fresh whole grain hamburger buns at some bakeries but they are expensive.  Not to worry though, you can make them yourself and they taste better and are better for you than the store-bought kind.

Here's how to make your own fluffy whole grain hamburger buns:

• 2 cups Water - luke warm (for a protein and flavor boost you can alternatively use the whey left over from making kefir cheese or yogurt cheese)
• 1 Tbsp Yeast - heaping
• 1/2 cup Sugar or your favorite sweetener (this feeds the yeast)
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil (I like olive)
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 cup White Flour
• 4.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup Gluten (available at your health-food store and sometimes called Vital Gluten--this is important for fluffy whole-grain breads) if you don't use gluten at least half your flour should be white flour
• Sesame Seeds

Stir the oil, the yeast, and the sugar into the water.  Add the white flour, the gluten, and three cups of the whole wheat flour and stir in well.  Add the final cup of whole wheat flour and work it in with your hands.  Knead the bread as best you can (it will be sticky), leave it in a lump in the bowl, spray it with oil spray, and leave it to rise until double.

Of course the alternative is to get a Blendtec Mix 'n Blend, toss all the ingredients in and mix it for a couple of minutes, then hit the "Auto Knead" button.  By the time it stops it has worked up the gluten sufficiently and you can skip the first rise (go right to forming the buns).

Spray a large cookie sheet (or use parchment, or better yet a silicone baking sheet, to line it).  Pour a layer of sesame seeds onto a small bowl or plate.  Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and using plenty of flour on the counter fold the outside edges of each piece in on itself until you have a tight smooth ball.  Then, holding it by the dough in the place you've been folding into, lift it and place it smooth face down into the sesame seeds.  With the palm of your hand press the dough down into the sesame seed until you have a flat disc.  Arrange all these discs on the cookie sheet evenly spaced in 3 rows of 4 buns.  Press each bun down with three fingers to flatten (see photo on left above).  Place in a slightly warm (but OFF) oven with the light on where you can raise the buns.  When they are double in size and have spread into each other (see photo on lower left above) bake them in a 350 degree fahrenheit oven for 25 minutes.  Take them out and, while they are still hot, spray their surface with a light mist of spray oil to keep them soft and shiny.

There are best served fresh.  Cut them in half length-wise and serve with your favorite burger.  Try them with my veggie burger or any other sandwich you might fancy.  Fresh homemade bread is so much better than store-bought and that is especially true of hamburger buns.  Try them out!