Tara's Homemade Hamburger Buns

Ok, you might think that making homemade buns is too much work when you're throwing together a burger, but it's SO worth it.  Plus, if you mix the dough while getting ready for work, you can throw it in the fridge, and it will slowly rise during the day.  When you get home from work, shape the buns, let rise once more, bake and serve.  Not so hard after all!

You Need:

1 T. yeast
1 c. warm milk
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. warm water
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
4 1/2 c. flour

NOTE:  I love my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  It makes mixing and kneading dough so easy.  I can let it knead while I go do something else, and it always turns out good.  However, this can all be done by hand with great results.

Whisk together the yeast and sugar in a bowl.  This makes sure the yeast doesn't get wet then stuck to the bottom of the bowl.  Add the warm milk and water to the bowl.  It should be a bit warmer than lukewarm, but not much.  Too hot will kill the yeast.  Wait about 5 minutes until the yeast makes the milk foamy. 

Add the salt, shortening, and 2 cups of flour to the mixture, and mix until mostly incorporated.

You'll notice there is a picture of Dough Enhancer.  I bought this at a Basic Living store and lots of health food stores sell this.  It helps the gluten in the dough develop and creates a lighter, fluffier, better bread.  If you use it, add 1 Tablespoon of it to the dough now.  If not, don't worry about it.

Add the two eggs and mix into the dough. 

Add the rest of the flour.  Mix in the mixer until fully incorporated.  This is where I turn my KitchenAid to a medium-low setting and knead for about 6-7 minutes.  If you do this by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  It is a sticky dough.  Knead for about 6-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. 

Cover the dough in a bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled.  It will look like this when raised:

Isn't that pretty? 

Punch the dough down.  Spray a cookie sheet AND YOUR HANDS with cooking spray.  Roll 1/3 cup pieces of dough to form a ball, then place on the cookie sheet.  Slightly flatten.  Repeat until the dough is used up.  I ususally get about 12 rolls.

Cover and let raise again until doubled (about 30-45 minutes).  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

Cool and serve with hamburgers.  For this meal, we did the hamburgers, Macaroni Salad, and Fruit Salsa with chips. 

I couldn't wait to take a picture before I took a bite!!!  A fine welcome for summer!