Sometimes it’s easier to make bread than to buy it.
You may not agree with that statement.
But fresh, hot bread out of your oven in about 40 minutes? With NO rise time?
If you’re not with me on that, I don’t know if we can be friends.
And you haven’t tried Cheesy Beer Bread.
I happened upon this recipe out of necessity.
Dramatic? Nothing is too much when it comes to my bread.
I was bound for Cooking Club at AD’s. The theme was Tried and True Recipes, and I whipped up a batch of my Chicken Burgers with Portobello, Edamame, and Red Onion. I had purchased some slider-style buns, and wasn’t thrilled with them, but none of the buns looked good at the store.
Well, guess who the slider buns did look good to.
Tazewell is such a good dog, but when I have carbs in the house on the counter – which is rare – and I’m out of the house, he can’t help himself.
Scratch that, he does help himself.
I mean, I can’t blame him. The only difference between us when it comes to bread on my counter is that I walk on two legs and can reach it more easily, and have opposable thumbs and don’t have to rip though the plastic with my teeth. Not that I wouldn’t if I had to.
Bread. <3. Tazz <3 <3.
Soooo, I was in need of some buns and didn’t have a ton of time. I thought I would do an internet search to see if there was a no-rise bun option. I found one and gave it a whirl, and it went well! But the recipe made a TON of buns, and they were a bit sweet for me – I prefer whole wheat and grainy buns, so all-white flour and a quarter cup of sugar was a bit much.
I played with the recipe a bit, subbing in some whole wheat flour, and halving the sugar. I then halved the entire recipe. I rarely need 12 hamburger buns, but I know what to double when I do. An egg wash and some sesame seeds for brown, shine, and effect. Voila.
Here they are in action:
- 1 T active dry yeast (note: this is more than one envelope, measure it out!)
- .5 c + 1 T warm water (110° to 115°)
- 2.5 T vegetable oil
- 1 T brown sugar (heaping and packed)
- 1 egg white
- .5 teaspoon salt
- .5 c whole wheat flour
- all-purpose flour (have 3 cups on hand, you won't use it all)
- 1 egg + 1 T for egg wash
- sesame seeds (optional)
- In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the oil and brown sugar. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. The yeast should get a little foamy, but don't worry if it doesn't.
- Add the egg white, salt and the whole wheat flour. Stir with a wooden spoon.
- Add enough white flour to form a soft dough. When it gets hard to stir with a spoon, turn the dough onto a clean, floured kitchen counter. Very floured. Like half a cup of flour on the counter.
- Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic, incorporating more flour if you find sticky spots. This should take about 3-5 minutes. {I sometimes get bored after 2. It's fine.}
- Cut or tear the dough in half (I use a bench scraper or the back of a chef's knife). Cut each half into 3 pieces, for a total of 6 pieces.
- Form each of the 6 sections into a ball. I like to smooth the ball on the top by pulling the wrinkles and folds to the bottom of the roll. Place the dough balls evenly spaced on a baking sheet lined with a silpat. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 425.
- Mix the egg and 1 T water together with a fork.
- Using your fingers, glaze the buns with the egg wash. Be careful to not use so much that the egg drips and pools around the bottom of the bun. {It will cook more like eggs than egg wash!} Just use a thin layer. I find that a silicone brush is too hard to control here.
- After glazing each bun, sprinkle with sesame seeds. I like to use one hand for the egg and one for the seeds.
- Let the buns rest for another 2-3 minutes.
- Bake for 8 minutes and check. They shouldn't take more than 8-10 minutes, and will be done when they brown on top.
Adapted from: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/40-minute-hamburger-buns
Mine wee doughy after 10 minutes cooking – covered & kept going a bit
These are the best and easiest buns I’ve made. Loved it. Made as written and was exactly right. No hard bums here. Lol
The flavor was good but they were too hard. In addition to the .5 cup whole wheat flour how much white flour do you add. I added 2.5 cups white which is obviously too much. Thanks
Hi Anna!
I have not made these in a while but will do so this weekend and let you know!
Becky
Hi Anna,
I was able to replicate the too-hard roll. I recommend 2 cups total flour, not counting whatever they absorb when you are kneading them by hand.
Hope your next batch it great!
Becky
The flavor is fantastic, but the rise time is always closer to 40-45 minutes (even in the oven set on bread proof).
I don’t understand how you get them to rise in 5 minutes plus resting 2-3 minutes unless it takes you 35 minutes to glaze them.
Hi Erin,
These are “no-rise” rolls, so there is no rise time, just the 5 minutes of resting time.
I am not sure what math you are referring to… the prep work takes me about 30 minutes and then they bake for about 10 minutes. Your time may vary!
Becky
Can bleached white flour be substituted, whole wheat flour is super expensive and hard to get locally
Sure, you can use all purpose flour.
Fantastic hamburger buns. My husband and I really enjoyed these.
Great hamburger bun recipe!!!! So easy