Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

I've made hamburger buns a couple times.  And they usually don't turn out that great.  Figured I'd try again now that I'm getting the hang of this bread baking thing.  I found a link (again) on my SIL's blog for some whole wheat hamburger buns from Baking Bites.  They sounded good and looked fairly simple.  They were really easy to make.  Of course there is rise time.  But in terms of active time it was very minimal.  These turned out pretty well.  Not nearly as dense as some I've made.  But still not light and airy like the kind you buy.  I guess they weren't really meant to be that way.  I just tasted a bite of one yesterday.  It was good.  But I think next time I might add a touch more sugar.  They were a little on the bitter side for me.  Both Justin and Rebecca loved them!  They ate them with barbeque (recipe to follow).  We'll use them later in the week when we have black bean burgers too.  I'm anxious to try one.  The only real down side is that this only made 6 buns.  We'll use them all this week.  If I make them again I'll double the recipe so some make it to the freezer :)  And I'll keep searching for that perfect hamburger bun recipe.  But I'm glad I tried these.  And so glad I'm getting better at making bread!!

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

2 cups whole wheat flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 cup water, warm (110F)
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/4 cup wheat bran
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
scant 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Combine 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup water and the yeast in a large bowl and stir well. Let it stand, covered, for 1-3 hours (time is flexible here...mine sat for about 4 hours), until nice and bubbly. This “sponge” will probably puff up, too. This is fine.

Stir the remaining flour, wheat bran, brown sugar and salt into the sponge. Add extra flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding extra flour as necessary to prevent sticking, for 6-8 minutes or until elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours (mine rose for about 3 hours).

Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Shape into rounds and flatten (so they’re approx. 3/4 inch thick) onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover rolls with a clean dishtowel and let rise for 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375.

Bake rolls for 19-20 minutes, until browned. They will sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing (I sprayed the tops with a little butter spray right after they came out of the oven to soften the tops.

Makes 6 burger-sized buns.