Light Brioche Bun {Recipe}

I never thought to make my own hamburger buns, but I have been trying to make all of our bread products because it causes me to plan better-plus they are cheaper and taste so much better. I looked up a recipe and I had no idea that it would taste THIS GOOD. The original recipe is from the NY Times Dinning & Wine section, but I found it on a cooking blog I love called Smitten Kitchen. There are very few sites where every single recipe I have tried off of them is actually outstanding, so I am very smitten with Smitten Kitchen.

These buns are not just for hamburger loving meat-eaters though. They could be used to host a grilled Portabella mushroom and other veggies, or other meats and/or treats- so it is not just a burger bun. This is the bun that you won't  want to stop making (or eating). We had an extra bun so I just slathered it with honey and ate it as a treat!  The recipe does take a *little* planning ahead, but the end result will just blow your mind, so it is extremely worthwhile.

Light Brioche Buns (for Hamburgers and Much More)

Time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 4 hours’ rising

1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, unfloured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 8 buns.

Notes: For a very quick one-hour rise put the rising dough in your oven (make sure it is off) and pour the boiling water from the last step of the recipe into a shallow pan on a lower rack (if you have two racks in your oven). Then close the oven quickly and let the dough rise in this sort of greenhouse and you will not need to wait very long for it to double. Then your water is already in there for the last step. I do this for all my bread now since one of my favoirite friends told me this oven greenhouse trick.

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