Big Burger Buns

You might have noticed the large burger buns I used for the gyros burgers. Of course I made them.

Honestly, they grew a little larger than I expected during baking. Next time, I'd make maybe 10 buns instead of 8 from this recipe. Or, if I was feeling particularly petite, I might even make a dozen.

These buns weren't super-humongous, but they were a bit larger than average buns you'll find in grocery stores. They do sell buns this size, though, so it's not like they were ridiculously oversized. Just not petite.

That's sort of an average-sized patty there, and you can see bun around it. Normally, there's be a bit of burger overhanging the bun, right? So, yeah, a little big, but not outrageous.

The nice thing about making your own buns and your own burger patties is that you can make them match, both the quantity of each and the size of each. I guess I was hungry.

As far as texture, these are fluffy without being gummy or squishy. They have enough heft to stand up to the juicy burgers and the globs of tzaitziki sauce that I put on each burger, and they held together nicely without being too dense. 

Big Burger Buns

1 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup ( 3/4 ounce) instant potato flakes
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) bread flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

 In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the water, potato flakes, yeast, and honey. Stir to combine and make sure the honey has dissolved. Set aside until the mixture is very foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the bread flour and egg and knead with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the salt and olive oil and continue kneading until both are well incorporated and the dough is very elastic.

Flour your work surface lightly and turn out the dough. Knead it briefly and form it into a ball. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and return it to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until it had more than doubled, about 90 minutes. Knock the dough down, knead it for a few moments, form it into a ball again, and place it back into the bowl to rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and sprinkle some cornmeal on a baking sheet.

Flour your work surface lightly and turn out the dough. Divide it into 8 pieces for larger buns, or 10 -12 pieces for smaller buns. Form each piece into a ball, then flatten each ball into a disk about 1 inches high. Flatten the center of each disk even further so the center is indented. If you don't indent the centers, you'll end up with very rounded buns instead of the flat tops typical of burger buns.

Place the buns seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. I like to arrange the buns to that the sides will touch when they're baking. I like those pull-apart sides. If you don't like that effect, leave plenty of room between them.

Bake the buns at 350 degrees until nicely browned, about 20-25 minutes. Move the buns to a rack to cool completely. For softer tops, cover the buns with a clean kitchen towel as they cool.


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