40-Minute Soft Wheat Hamburger Buns Recipe Redux!

40-Minute Hamburger Buns Recipe | Taste of Home 

I know I have already blogged about these wondrously, fantastical, magical buns.  As a matter of fact. I haven't bought bread in since I discovered the recipe.  From what I hear it's pretty great, and I have been experimenting with it lately.

We aren't really big fans of white bread in this house so I have been working to find a soft, fluffy wheat bread recipe.  If you have ever baked before you know this is damn near impossible with whole wheat flour, you bread comes out like a doorstop, (at least mine does) no matter what I try to do to it.
So I took this recipe and made some sight alterations.

40-Minute Soft Wheat Hamburger Buns Recipe

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons nice, warm water (not too hot or you'll kill the yeast)
• 1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil or melted butter or coconut oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

 In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. There will be little globs of yeast that have stuck together, don't worry it's cool. Let it stand 5-10 minutes to let the yeast get foamy and happy.

 Add oil or butter, egg, salt and 2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour and the 1 cup of wheat flour to form a soft dough.   (This is where you let the stand mixer to the grunt work) knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes adding in remaining flour as necessary. You want the dough to clean the sides of the bowl, but if you put in too much the dough will be too dry and the so go for smoothness, even slightly tacky is still fine.

Either grease a cookie sheet or use parchment paper to keep from sticking. Immediately divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball, dust lightly with flour if desired, this keeps the buns from sticking to the pan. Place about 3inches apart.

Cover and let rest for 10 minutes for larger, softer, fluffier buns let set and rise a while longer like 20-30 minutes depending on the temperature of your house.  On a warm day it will take a shorter time, on cold day, it will take a while.  Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. I bake these on the top rake of my oven for a  longer time because if not the bottoms will get dark and won't be as soft. Pull off the whole parchment paper with buns intact and let cool (less mess!) or  remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 1 dozen buns.

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