Happy New Year, Everyone! May 2012 bring you good health, much laughter, and more happiness than you can handle!
2011 was a blur for us. We had some very happy times. And some very, very sad times. But every year that we live through is a good year, and I hope 2012 will be gentle on us and leave us all with many happy memories.
On this first day of 2012 Bernie and I woke up early and got a boston butt in the smoker. And then I got some black eyed peas with ham, some homemade BBQ sauce, and some collard greens simmering on the stove.
We planned to shred the boston butt when it came out of the smoker, and make some nice BBQ sandwiches for our meal.
And what’s a nice BBQ sandwich without a good bun, right?
I’ve only used one burger bun recipe for the past few years, and we were fairly happy with it. But when I saw the burger buns my friend Mary Ann made, I had to ask her for the recipe. And she told me she used the recipe from King Arthur’s cook book.
I love me some King Arthur, and Mary Ann’s burger buns were looking pretty awesome, so I just had to give the recipe a try on this first day of 2012.
And man, oh man, am I ever glad I did.
Just take a look at my awesome buns!
You want to make these. Trust me, you really want to make these. For burgers, for sandwiches, or just for eating. They are that good!
And I’m gonna tell you how to make them.
Straight from King Arthur himself – adapted a little by me.
You’re gonna be happy you made these. I promise!
Note: For best results, weigh your ingredients. If you use measuring cups, you may need to add a little more flour or water to get a smooth, slight soft dough)
Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups (13 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I didn’t use KA flour – don’t tell!)
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1) Combine and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.
2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk.
3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3″ across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until noticeably puffy.
4) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.
Yield: 8 large buns.
These were the best burger buns I’ve ever made. They are quite large, and in the future I will divide the dough to make 10 buns instead of 8.
I was a little nervous putting my buns out there for everyone to see. But now I’m thinking this may become a New Year’s tradition around here 
Happy New Year, everyone! Show me your buns!
