The perfect hamburger buns

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 200 ml water, warm
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 cube of yeast, fresh
• 35 g sugar
• 8 g salt
• 80 g butter, soft
• 500 g flour (type 550)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 handful of sesame seeds for sprinkling

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 40 minutes

First, put the warm water and milk in a bowl, mix in the sugar, and crumble in the yeast cube. Let the dough stand for 5 minutes. Then add the flour, salt, an egg, and softened or melted butter. Knead everything by hand or with a hand mixer until you have a silky, shiny, and smooth dough. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. Then you form the buns from the dough. I use 90 grams of dough per bun. This is enough dough for 10 hamburger buns, which are the perfect size for patties with a diameter of 11 cm. Roll the dough in the palms of your hands into an even, round ball and then press this onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper to form a flat disc with a diameter of 8 to 9 cm. The more evenly you shape the dough discs, the better the finished bun will be. Let the buns rise for an hour. Meanwhile, whisk one egg with 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of milk. Once the buns have risen, brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the buns in an oven preheated to 200°C (top/bottom heat) and bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Then let them cool on a wire rack. Notes: It’s important to use fresh yeast. Dried yeast simply doesn’t rise as well, and the buns won’t be as fluffy. You can also use oregano, Parmesan, and olive oil instead of sesame seeds!