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!
Tags: 2012, h\amburger rolls
I so want to try these, May have to cut the sugar back alittle bit. T. doesn’t like them to sweet. Thank you for sharing the recipe you got some nice looking buns and they shore look so good.
Happy New Year to you and Bernie!! Your buns look great!
They do look so delicious and a nice golden brown. I have never made buns, maybe it will be one of my goals for 2012….to make my own buns, bread, rolls, etc. Your meal sounds yummy. I had family here yesterday, so am spending this first day of 2012 here by myself on the farm with all the animals.
Blessings to you both!
Charlotte – We don’t like sweet burger rolls either, and the 1/4 cup sugar had me a little concerned at first too – but they were not sweet. You could probably safely cut the sugar in half, but I wouldn’t go much less than that. The sugar and yeast help it rise very quickly. They were really good!
CottonLady – Happy New year to you and the critters, too! I hope you have a wonderful 2012 – and I hope you make some rolls/buns/bread for yourself. Sooo yummy
Thank you for your blessings. They mean a lot to me.
wow! look at those buns!
Nice buns there Penny!
I’ve heard some good things about King Arthur recipes…will have to check into them. We want to start making more of our own bread instead of buying it…but just haven’t gotten there yet. It will be nice to have a grown up size kitchen with some room to work – in the house we’re renting it’s like the kitchen was an afterthought. And it’s huge compared to the one in the apartment we had.
Happy, happy New Year to you both and all the critters!
HAPPY NEW YEAR dear you and bernie……..
the buns look brill, how come yours turned out all perfect and the same size lol x
Hey, you got some nice buns there! I will mention the recipe to my wife, but I don’t think she will allow me to post pictures of her buns on my site. Have a great New Year! Thanks for the recipe.
Hey, nice looking buns. They look yummy. Hope you and yours have a happy and healthy 2012. Give the pups a hug for me.
Happy New Year. The buns look yummy. Give the pups a hug for me.
They look great! Buns is one thing that’s on my long list of recipes to try.
I have tried quite a few bun recipes – yours has been my favorite so far. I must confess these were so delicious we just ate them and they never did make it to a sandwich….