Sprouted Wheat Burger Buns – Golden from the Oven
The thought of Sprouted Wheat Burger Buns might stir memories of disappointment, if not a solemn vow of, tried it, and not going to spend six dollars on hockey puck bread again, thank you. I disliked the sprouted buns we found in the store so much I gave up eating a bun with my burger all together. Who wants a beautifully grilled burger sandwiched in tough, dry bread? Not me, I assure you. I am not one of those people who will eat something just because it is good for me it has to taste good too.
I missed having good buns for grilling season—burgers, BBQ chicken, pulled pork—brushed with butter and toasted right on the grill with crisp edges and a soft interior. Since having consistent success with my Sprouted Wheat French Bread recipe, surly hamburger buns were something I could conquer. (I had a “why not?” moment.) Looking for inspiration on-line, Beautiful Burger Buns from King Arthur Flour presented the best springboard for a basic recipe.
As it turned out, it was some of my best baking yet. They were so soft and so delicious, we buttered and ate them before they could even cool. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t ever been tempted to butter and eat a hamburger bun from the market. More than a blank slate to throw a burger on, these buns have a rich flavor, soft texture, and present beautifully with black and tan sesame seeds. Rave reviews from the family sealed the deal—our daughter mentioned she wouldn’t have known they were sprouted whole wheat.
I just love it when good for you food tastes this good! So good, you may just grab the butter and forget the burgers. 
Cut and ready for a juicy burger from the grill.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water 110-115°
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4-5 cups sprouted whole wheat flour (try Whole Foods or order on-line)
- 2 tablespoons butter -- melted
- 1 whole egg
- 1 whole egg yolk
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 whole egg white -- lightly beaten, then reserved
- sesame seeds or poppy seeds -- optional
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Mix the yeast and honey with the water and let yeast soften for 5 minutes. Mix in the butter, egg, egg yolk, salt, and half the flour until smooth. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (up to 5 cups), mix 5-6 minutes in a stand mixer or by hand--dough will be sort of shaggy and sticky, as compared to white flour dough. On a floured surface, with floured hands, lightly knead dough to form a soft ball.
- Oil a bowl with olive oil, place dough in bowl and turn over so that oiled surface is face-up.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel, and let it rise in a warm spot (above 70°) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until nearly doubled in bulk. (The oven, with the oven light ON is a great place to let the dough rise if the room is cool.)
- With oiled hands, punch down dough and divide it into 8 or 16 pieces on a lightly oiled surface (a kitchen scale can be helpful to make sure they are even). 8 will make extra large buns, 16 will make medium sized buns.
- Shape each piece into a round, smooth ball, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and flatten with the palm of the hand to about 3" across (it helps to have oil on your hands when flattening the buns), it is okay if the buns touch when flattened.
- Cover with a lightweight smooth towel or tented aluminum foil, and let rise for an hour to an hour and a half, or until doubled in size. (Because the dough can be a little sticky, avoid using terry cloth or microfiber cloth to cover the buns, as it can "grab" the top of the dough.)
- Just before placing in the oven, brush the buns gently with the egg white on all exposed sides, sprinkle with sesame seeds. (Seeds are optional. The egg wash helps the seeds to stick and give the buns a shiny crust. Brush with melted butter for a soft, matte finish.)
- Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven until golden in color, about 15 to 18. Cool the buns on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, slice and serve, or freeze.
Notes
For high altitude, less flour and a shorter rise time is needed, closer to 4 cups of flour and one hour to rise. Yeast breads can be sensitive to humidity, so the amount of flour will vary. When ready to set to rise, the dough should be soft and workable by hand, yet still a little tacky to the touch without floured or oiled hands.
Steve Martin’s “I would like to buy a hamburger” scene from The Pink Panther seemed appropriate for the occasion. Just click the link and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvpikUEIaLI&feature=related
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
The Nourishing Gourmet Pennywise Platter Thursday
The Healthy Home Economist Monday Mania
Real Food Whole Health Fresh Bites Friday
Wow! I can’t wait to try these. I have tried baking breads with sprouted flour and they always turn out doughy in the middle no matter how long I bake them. I have been wanting to try again and this is the perfect recipe to start with.
Thanks
I know exactly what you mean about sprouted grains producing doughy results. These turned out perfect for me. I am at high altitude, baked products here can be temperamental due to dry or humid conditions. I would love to hear how they turn out for you!
I LOVE wheat buns.. and they are always so hard to find when you go tot he supermarket. So I am grateful to find this recipe. Thanks for sharing this with us
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-march-13-2012/
I hope I have the patience in making one of this soon, I always buy my buns but this certainly had inspired me
Great buns Judy…can I say that? Seriously though I can already see one of my gluttonous burgers being sandwiched by this bread. Delish!
Jed, that was funny. I thought of your tri-tip burger when I made these. I may have to do a burger round up one of these days.
I tried these and they turned out really well. I used a bit more flour than listed so they were not sticky. Thanks for the recipe! BTW, if you have a dehydrator you can sprout your own wheat and then dehydrate it. Then grind it. That’s what I do and it saves a lot of money!
Hi, thanks so much for letting me know that you tried them, the feedback is so helpful! Yes, I do have a dehydrator and I have sprouted, dried, and ground grain at home. For us, we really do not eat grains all that often, so I was okay with purchasing the flour as I need it. However, you are so right–it is far less expensive to purchase the grain and do it yourself.
I am so pleased you liked the buns!