I've made these in the past and can't remember the site I got the recipe off of, but the same basic recipe seems to be on a lot of sites - just google fast hamburger buns and it's one that takes 2 tablespoons (yes TB) of yeast and less than an hour from start to finish. Well, mine take a little longer since I make to 2 small balls of dough for each bun, flatten them very flat, flour them well, then stack (2 each bun) and let rise for about 20 minutes so they separate easily after being cooked. I made two batches today...the first I didn't use an egg wash. They are delicious but not as gorgeous as the ones in the picture that did get that egg wash - makes a huge difference in presentation!
They don't come out perfect, but as you take that first bite you really don't care LOL. They are the size or a little bigger than a store bought bun and so so so so so so so so so so so so so much better tasting! To make them is faster and much cheaper than a trip to the store....each recipe gets me about a dozen. It works well with whole wheat - I used no white flour at all in these and they rose very well. The same recipe works with hot dog buns....just shape differently.
We used some of them with the homemade vegan chickpea burgers I made a week or two ago...oh and the awesome fennel pickles.
The burgers I start with some kind of bean/lentil and add tons of spices/herbs, limited salt, various flavors depending on my mood - you can lean towards a mexican spicy flavor, asian with some ginger and sesame, or italian flavors, etc...whatever sounds good. I usually add some nuts and/or seeds and a little olive oil when grinding up the cooked beans/lentils. Some fat has to be in it to keep it from being too dry - so choose a heart healthy fat! Onions and bell peppers are good with any of the flavor combinations - I partially cook them to get out extra moisture and then grind keep the crunchy to a minimum. Sun dried tomatoes work well with some - make sure they get reconstituted in a little water and ground up well (save the tomato water to add to the mixture if it's too dry or use it to flavor a sauce for the burger). It usually ends up being a throw what you got into the pot kind of burger and hasn't disappointed yet! There really isn't a need for any specific recipe other than limit the liquids until you see what consistency you get with everything else. If it's too runny - add some kind of nut or whole grain flour - doesn't have to be a wheat flour. Chilling the mixture before making patties helps a lot. Use an ice cream scooper to get uniform sizes. I drop them directly onto a pan lined with unbleached parchment paper and flatten them gently with the back of the scooper and they end up looking like a store bought burger - without all the extra icky crap! Bake until firm but not dry. Freeze them using the parchment to keep each separated so they don't end up frozen together. Take out and warm as needed....easy and so yummy. Lots of preparation, but it makes a ton of burgers so it's not something that has to be made each time you want it, is very cheap, is so healthy and you control what goes in them.
The fennel pickles....just sliced up fennel, pickle cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, lots of garlic and some onion, used the fennel fronds as some extra flavor, ...added salt, vinegar, water, organic cane sugar, cayenne and I think that's all lol....they turned out amazing! I did heat the liquids and sugar/salt before adding to the vegetables. They are refrigerator pickles since they were not properly canned. I may never buy pickles again.
