Whole Wheat Buns

Just Being Thorough



So what if I’m a little bit obsessive? Alright, obsessive and compulsive. But I’m not anal. Or, at any rate, I’m not obsessively and compulsively anal. Grinding my own pork and baking my own buns merely reflects a very reasonable desire for well-prepared food. After all, it’s not as though I made my own bacon -- at least this time.

I had an urge for a pork burger, which meant I needed a bun. I don’t have anything against ordinary, store-bought buns, but having formulated an idea for what I hoped would be an exceptional burger, something more seemed to be called for. So I spent a couple of hours over a couple of evenings looking at recipes and thinking about what sort of bun would be best. That's not compulsive. It's just being thorough.

Right off the bat I knew the bun should be partially whole wheat. Partially whole wheat because I wanted the nuttiness but

When you get to fifty-two food becomes more important than sex. ~ Prue Leith

I didn't want a heavy bun and that meant I needed white flour too. Then it occurred to me black pepper would be a nice pairing to the whole wheat as a backdrop for the pork. But something else seemed called for. I pulled open my spice drawer and stood staring at the jars until the garlic whispered, "me! Me!" Of course the garlic didn’t really whisper. It spoke in a very matter of fact tone as garlic always does,.

My first effort was too heavy. The flavor was great, but the buns were too dense. So I made another batch. This is not obsessive. As I said, I was just being thorough. This time I used less flour producing a moister dough and the result was a lighter and more airy bun. Still substantial, but not overly so.

And the only reason I made the mayonnaise was because I was out of Hellman's. It's not as though I made the mustard too -- at least this time.

Black Pepper & Garlic Buns

1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter -- melted
1 c white whole wheat flour
2 - 2 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c warm water
1 c warm milk
1 ea egg

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, yeast, pepper, garlic powder, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of all purpose flour. Add salt and mix in.

Mix in milk, water, and butter at low speed. Switch to dough hook and finish blending. The dough should be moist and sticky, add just enough additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, to have dough clear the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium and knead for eight minutes.

Scoop dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times then form into a ball. Place the dough in a bowl sprayed with cooking oil, spritz top with oil, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk – about 1 hour.

Gently deflate dough, scoop onto a lightly floured surface, and fold a few times. Shape into a roll about 12 inches long, cover with plastic, and allow to relax for about five minutes. Divide roll into 8 equal pieces – this is best done by cutting roll in half, each half in half, and then each quarter in half.

Shape each dough segment into a ball by rolling between your cupped palm and the work surface. Flatten each ball into a disk about 4 inches in diameter and arrange on parchment on a baking sheet. Lightly spritz tops with oil and cover with plastic. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. In the meantime, heat oven to 400F and place rack in center position.

Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush tops of buns with egg wash and baked for 15 minutes. Rotate rack front to back and continue baking 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown.

Allow buns to cool before slicing.

Note: The dough will smell strongly of garlic when you make it but will tone down to a reasonable level during baking.

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