Carrying on with the barbecue vibe, this past weekend the husband and I decided to tackle something dirty this weekend – a big fat juicy burger! Now making a burger patty is simple enough in itself, beef, season, shape, cook. Easy.
However, I wanted to get my bake on and attempt to make the “perfect” burger bun. Too many times have I eaten a burger where the bread hasn’t been strong enough to stand up to the filling, disintegrating into mush and the whole burger turning into a sloppy mess. However, at the same time, the bread can’t be so crusty that it just crushes the burger. Who knew so much thought goes into junk food?
The bread rarely get to be the star of the show, they’re merely a vehicle for the filling. Yet these buns are soft but have enough chewiness to make them interesting yet not fight with the meat of the burger.
I turned to the doyenne of break baking Mr Dan Lepard and found these babies, which were inspired by the legendary Hawksmoor. I was slightly freaked out by the use of custard powder (yes, that’s right custard powder!) – I didn’t have any in stock at home so I used just cornflour and a pinch more sugar and they turned out perfectly. I suppose these buns are a take on a brioche bun, the custard powder taking the place of egg? The are crowned with an golden egg wash and they come out looking almost too perfect!
Once cooked they have a form, chewy exterior and a soft interior which carries all of the meat juices and any condiments well without going soggy.They’re robust too – we crammed a lot into these bad boys and the buns can stand up to anything you want to pack into them!
The husband exclaimed it as being “the best burger I have eaten”. High praise indeed! I was cynical about how much of a difference a bun could make but you’ve got to try it for yourself – I’d love to know what you think!
Awww, this looks so fantastic, well done!! =)
That is a great looking bun. Nicely done. thanks for sharing.
What beautiful buns! (Well that sounds inappropriate…)
Ha ha thanks! I think they’re great