Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Buns. Buns. Buns. Buns. Bunnnnnnnnsssssss. I think I would rather starve than go on the Atkins diet because I am so in love with all things bread. Maybe that's a problem, but maybe it's not. I'm a full believer in most foods moderation-wise & I figure, if we're going to splurge on something scrumptious like a hamburger or heck, a veggie burger, then why not go way over the top & make a hearty bun? Go big or go home people.

I've been testing out a few bun recipes for a couple months now & have been pretty disappointed with most of my results. I've always struggled in the bread/bun/roll department, mostly because you are supposed to do things like take the temp of the water, or wait exact amounts of time before adding certain ingredients. I'm not that good at following directions anyways, but once you start telling me when I should do them, too, things go downhill quickly.

Luckily this recipe is pretty much fool-proof (although I totally screwed it up the first time, thinking that the recipe made 6 bun halves instead of 6 bun pairs, so we ended up having GINORMOUS burgers that night & had bun hangovers in the morning). Plus, they are wholesome & hearty & they freeze like champs, so you can whip up a big ol' batch & enjoy them for all your summer cook outs.

I especially like how each bun is uniquely shaped. No bun is the same- each one a special ball of wheaty goodness with a cripsy, yet flakey crust. You're seriously gonna love these buns.

Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water, divided
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions
Mix the sugar, 1/2 cup warm water & the yeast i& set aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to froth, indicating the yeast is alive & well.

Sift all the flours, salt, & baking soda. Knead on low speed in a stand mixer or by hand for about 5 minutes, trickling in 1 cup of water until you have a dough that's smooth but slightly sticky. Add the oil & continue to knead until the oil has been absorbed by the dough, about 1 more minute.

Now place in an oiled bowl, turning over once to coat all over with oil, cover with a kitchen towel, & set aside for 2 hours until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough & divide into 6 balls

Shape them into smooth balls. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, at least a couple of inches apart. Flatten the tops slightly with your fingers, & let the buns rise for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 370. Place the buns in the oven & bake 25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Holy Cow! A Vegan Blog