If you’re feeding a crowd and want an easy way to serve burgers, here’s a great recipe for you! Two huge burgers, sliced like a pie, will yield twelve portions. The buns can be made a day or two ahead (or you can get them done really early and freeze them) so all you’ll need to do is cook those mammoth burgers and slice some veggies. Sweet, huh? You could even cook the burgers ahead and freeze them too; they’d be easy to warm up in the oven.
The Man thought this one up, of course. He’s the burger fan around here. Of course, he thought that each should be sliced into four pieces, not six, but he lost that battle. You know what’s really neat about this idea? The pieces are much easier to eat than a regular burger.
My apologies to Sir Mix-A-Lot for messing with his lyrics. Since we went to the same high school (he was a few years behind me) I know he’d be okay with this. (Okay, okay. Eight years. He’s eight years younger. Are you happy now? Sheesh.) Go, Roughriders!
I used a 10-inch cast iron round griddle for one of the buns and an 11-inch tart pan for the other. Cake pans would work fine too, but I wanted something with low sides so the buns would brown all the way down. Both worked like a charm. In a pinch, just lay your round dough on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
I Like Big Buns (and I Cannot Lie) | Print |
- 4½ cups bread flour (possibly a little more)
- 1 package (about 2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup oil (I used peanut oil, but any mild-flavored cooking oil will work)
- 2 eggs, divided
- Sesame seeds
- Cornmeal (optional)
- Lightly grease two 10-11 inch round pans. Sprinkle with cornmeal if desired. (You may also use parchment instead of the grease.)
- Put 2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. (A sturdy stand mixer with a paddle attachment is best.)
- In a small pot, heat the water, milk, sugar, and oil until very warm - 120-130 degrees. Pour into the bowl with the flour mixture, add one egg and one yolk (reserve the egg white for later) and beat until smooth.
- Switch to a dough hook and add enough remaining flour fto make the dough come cleanly away from the side of the bowl. Slightly sticky is good. Knead by machine for 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 7 minutes.
- Place dough on floured surface, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
- Divide dough into two equal parts. Working with one at a time, flatten with your hand, then roll out into a 9-inch circle. Place in prepared pan and pat firmly to make sure it's evenly thick. Press around the outside edge to make it slope down to the pan (creating more of a dome shape).
- Cover with a towel and let the buns rise for 45 minutes. They won't double in size but will be puffy.
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- Add 1 teaspoon water to the egg white and whisk until foamy. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake buns for 15 minutes, or until the tops are rich, golden brown. Remove from oven and place pans on cooling racks for 5-10 minutes. Lift buns onto racks to continue cooling.
- Slice in half horizontally and fill as desired. (Note: if using the same size pans to cook burgers, use extra-lean meat to avoid shrinkage.)
Top the bottom bun with a burger patty and whatever you like on your burgers. I used cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, mayo, and mustard.
This is a very simple bread recipe and would be perfect for the 4th of July, barbecues, or football games. I might even make this again for Father’s Day and let The Man have one all to himself.
Grab a bib and dig in!
Lorinda
So I don’t know what I did wrong.. mine was very dense and not done like did I over mix it maybe? Or too hot?
Oh no, Mari! I really doubt that you over mixed it. You used instant yeast, right? And made 2 buns? It’s been over a year since I made these, so I’ll make them again tomorrow, following my recipe exactly (that doesn’t come naturally for me, but I’ll do it for you 🙂 ) just to make sure everything is okay. The only other thing that comes to mind is your oven; have you checked for accuracy?
My test buns came out fine. The only thing I would (and will) change is to suggest you may need a little more flour, depending on the size of your eggs, your measuring method, and brand of flour. But otherwise, soft and fluffy – and thoroughly done.
If your kitchen was cold, it’s possible they should have raised a little longer. but if I had to bet I’d say your oven is off.
If you try again, please let me know how it goes!