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 wheat buns we found in the store so much I gave up eating a bun with my burger altogether. Who wants a beautifully grilled burger sandwiched in tough, dry bread? Not me. 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, surely hamburger buns were something I could conquer. (It was 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 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. 😉
You can use this same recipe to make Sprouted Wheat Sliders for party sandwiches too!
Cut and ready for a juicy burger from the grill.
These Sprouted Wheat Burger Buns have a rich flavor, soft texture and present beautifully with black and tan sesame seeds with Rave reviews from the family!
- 2 cups water 110-115°
- 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast [1- (1/4 ounce) package]
- 1/4 cup honey
- 5 1/2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour (at 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
- 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 1/2 cups total), mix 5-6 minutes in a stand mixer or by hand--dough will be "shaggy" and sticky as compared to white flour dough. On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, knead dough to form a soft ball.
- (If using a stand mixer, a paddle attachment can work better than a dough hook.) Because the dough can be tacky, use a pastry knife to help the dough release from the counter rather than adding more flour, which will make the dough heavy. Switching from flour to oil on your hands can help too.
- Once the dough can 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 hour, or until nearly doubled. (The oven, with the oven light ON is a good place to let the dough rise if the room is cool.)
- With oiled hands, punch down dough and divide it into 16 pieces (approximately 3 oz. each) on a lightly oiled surface (a kitchen scale is helpful to make sure they are even).
- 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 if in a drafty room (otherwise leave uncovered), and let rise for about 30 minutes, or almost doubled in size. (Because the dough can be a little sticky, avoid using terry cloth or microfiber cloth towels, which can "grab" the top of the dough.)
- Just before placing in the oven, brush the buns gently with the beaten egg white on all exposed sides, sprinkle with sesame seeds. For a matte finish, brush with melted butter.
- Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven until golden in color, about 15 to 18. Cool the buns on the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely. Slice once completely cooled.
The egg wash helps the seeds to stick and give the buns a shiny crust. Brush with melted butter for a soft, matte finish. The weather and type of flour can have an impact on the feel of the dough and how tacky it feels. Avoid adding a lot of extra flour to the dough to make it more manageable. Instead, use a pastry knife to scrape and lift it when kneading or switch to an oiled surface and oil for your hands to manage the dough.
For high altitude, it may take less flour and a shorter rise time, closer to 5 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.
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Jason says
If you have the nutritional value of the hamburger buns, will you please share it? Thanks, and these look delicious.
Joyce says
Hi,
these buns look great. i have just started to bake with a sourdough starter. do you think I will be able to use it instead of the yeast and if so how much? Thank You Joyce
Judy Purcell says
Hi Joyce, that’s a great question. Here are a couple of helpful sources: The Fresh Loaf: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5569/converting-recipe-uses-instant-yeast-sourdough-starter-recipe and Cultures for Health: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-adapt-any-recipe-become-sourdough-recipe
Let me know if you try it!
Cassie says
I know about the benefits of sprouted grains but for right now I have whole wheat flour, would this substitute produce the same results?
Judy Purcell says
Hi Cassie, regular whole wheat flour should be a fine substitute. I have found every type of flour to be slightly different (red wheat, white wheat, sprouted, stone ground, fine ground), but overall, all whole wheat flour benefits from allowing time for the flour to absorb the liquid (like waiting the 20 minutes after the first addition of flour), as well as allowing a longer rise time if needed. If you have any other questions, do let me know, and please tell me how you liked them. 🙂
Brandi says
Hi, this recipe looks great, but unfortunately I can’t have honey or butter. Any suggestions for substitutions? Thanks!
Judy Purcell says
Hi Brandi,
You can try using coconut oil, just reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon in place of the butter. Do you have an allergy to honey or are you avoiding sugar all together? If it is specifically honey you cannot have, try coconut palm sugar as a substitute. If you are avoiding sugar, Xylitol (wood derived) can be a good substituted for sweeteners. Of course, you can leave the sweetener out all together — the honey helps activate the yeast and most people like a little sweetness in rolls or hamburger buns to differentiate from regular bread — but it is optional. Hope that helps. 🙂
Claire says
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter? I don’t eat butter and finding a sprouted wheat burger bun recipe is hard enough, but finding one without butter is nearly impossible lol
Judy Purcell says
Hi Claire, that’s a great question. I have noticed that butter and coconut oil are not always equal in baked goods. Although I haven’t made a batch with coconut oil to know for sure, in my experience, coconut oil if subbed one to one can produce a heavier result. I think it’s why it works great in brownies while not so great in cookies. Anyway, I would reduce the amount to just 1 tablespoon. Please let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Joanna says
These are my new favorite “bread” recipe!! So flavorful and soft and go perfect with anything and everything :)) Thanks for sharing!!
Cupcakemom777 says
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!
Judy says
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! 🙂
sportsglutton says
Great buns Judy…can I say that? Seriously though I can already see one of my gluttonous burgers being sandwiched by this bread. Delish!
Judy says
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.
Raymund says
I hope I have the patience in making one of this soon, I always buy my buns but this certainly had inspired me
[email protected] says
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/
Pure Complex says
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
Karen says
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
Judy says
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!