Homemade Hamburger Buns

About a year ago, I came across the idea of homemade hamburger buns. My first thought was , "No kidding? You can make hamburger buns?"

Well, someone can make hamburger buns. But that someone wasn't me. Not for lack of trying. All the recipes that exclaimed, "You'll never need another recipe for hamburger buns!" never quite worked out for me.

Until now.

I was browsing the gourmet burger section of a blog, and there was a link to a burger bun recipe. It was quick and easy and I also wanted to try their veggie burger recipe, so I thought I might as well give it a try.

They turned out great! I swapped out the white flour for white wheat and a bit of vital wheat gluten. And an added bonus, they were much faster than most of the burger bun recipes I have tried.

And another bonus...the veggie burgers turned out great too.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:
2 TB active dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 TB warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp kosher salt
3 1/2 cups (or less) white wheat flour
2 TB vital wheat gluten

Instructions:

Pour warm water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast on top.

Gently stir in oil and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes to activate yeast.

Add the egg and salt. Add the vital wheat gluten and enough flour to make a nice, soft dough - start with 3 cups, and add more a tablespoon at a time. I used less than the 3 1/2 cups called for.

On a floured surface, knead dough until it begins to feel smooth and elastic, about three to five minutes.

Immediately divide the dough into eight pieces, and shape each into a ball.

Place dough balls on greased baking sheets, leaving plenty of room for them to expand.

Cover dough with a clean towel and let rise about 10 minutes in a warm place.

Bake rolls in a preheated, 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden.

Cool on racks and serve with your favorite hamburger or veggie burger.

*Adapted from Divine Dinner Party*