Ingredients
- 275 ml lukewarm (100-110°F) water
- 12 g active dry yeast
- 25 g white sugar
- 600 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs, divided
- 37 g salted butter*, melted
- 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
Equipment
Method
Proof the Yeast
- In a small bowl, stir to combine the warm water between 100-110°F (not too hot or it will kill the yeast) and the yeast. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to proof.
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and make a well in the middle. Add in 2 of the eggs (reserve one for the egg wash), proofed yeast, and (cooled) melted butter.
- On low speed with the dough hook, mix the ingredients until some of the mixture looks like cake batter (most of the flour will be unmixed). Increase the speed to medium until it forms a shaggy dough.
- Keeping the speed on medium to medium-low, knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Remove from the dough hook and roughly form into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours or until doubled in size. This will depend on the temperature of your home - warmer = faster.
Shaping the Buns and Second Rise
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and remove the dough onto a clean countertop (no flour).
- Divide your dough into 10 evenly sized pieces - you can do this by hand or use a food scale to weigh out the dough pieces. My dough pieces were approximately 104 grams each.
- Once you have divided the dough, form each piece into a tight dough ball. Fold the dough in half and then pinch in the sides at the bottom. Place the dough on the clean counter and nudge it towards and away from you gently to seal the bottom of the ball. This may take some practice, but play around and see what works for you!
- Once all your burger dough balls are formed, place them on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Space them apart by at least 1" (they will still be touching) and press down gently to widen the dough ball. This will create more of a burger shape and less of a balloon when risen and baked.
- If you'd prefer your buns not to be touching when they bake and be perfectly round, separate onto 2 baking sheets instead.
- Once the dough balls have been formed and pressed, cover lightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for another 45 minutes to an hour. About 20 minutes before the rise time is up, begin preheating your oven to 375°F.
Baking the Buns
- Once doubled, gently remove the plastic wrap and whisk the reserved egg in a small dish. Using a pastry brush, gently coat the buns in egg wash. This will give it a nice golden brown colour, help the sesame seeds stick, and give it a sheen that is very visually appealing. You can opt to use melted butter before and after baking if that's preferred.
- Sprinkle gently with sesame seeds.
- Place the risen and egg-washed buns onto a rack set in the middle of the oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes, turning around the 15/16 minute mark to ensure even baking. Once they are deeply golden brown, remove from the oven and set the tray on a cooling rack.
Cool and Enjoy!
- Allow the baked buns to cool for at least 30 minutes. Best enjoyed within a few hours of baking.