Beef Burger and Buns

I had a bit of time on my hands and left over beef mince so I thought, why not make some burgers for dinner? So in between waiting for the pizza dough to proof, I made up some burger buns. I've never made burger buns before, and after scouting around I decided to try this recipe from King Arthur Flour.

Firstly combine all the ingredients in a mixer until a smooth dough forms. Next time I will try adding a little more water as the dough was on the dry side, and I think it can also benefit from more kneading (probably around 20 min with the hook attachment on the mixer). Then let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume. (around 1 hour, or more in colder conditions)

Divide into 8 portions, flatten and let it rest for another hour until it has doubled in volume. When the the hour is nearly up, preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Brush the buns with some melted butter just before it goes into the oven.

When its done, it should have be golden in colour.(and smells pretty good as well)

(Optional) If you like your butter, then brush some more melted butter on the buns to give it a slightly glossy and buttery crust.

This is what the buns look like after the butter has been absorbed into the crust, gives it a nice colour. Buns done, now onto the patty!

Just combine all the ingredients, then form into circular patties. I used to make patties with breadcrumbs as I read in recipes, but this time I didn't have any on hand, but it held together quite well without it. (Bread crumbs help bind the patty together, but can also dull the taste slightly. You can substitute the oregano with your favourite herb, eg. parsley works quite well as well. If you like your patty to be more cheesey, add more cheese to the mixture. Also use regular mince, not lean mince to keep the patties more moist. Layer on a tray and refrigerate until needed. One thing I will do differently next time is to make the patties thinner and flatter, as it will shrink when it is cooked.

Pan fry patties until they are firm, turning once only. (Approx 5 min each side, but depends on the thickness of your patty)

As you can see they have shrunk quite a bit, so next time I will make them larger and flatter.

Butter the bread and pan fry until brown and crispy. Then assemble with your favourite ingredients. (I used lettuce, tomato and grilled capsicum) This burger was a little out of proportion due to the patty being too small! (Slight fail)

Second round I flattened the patty more to fit the bun, yay! As a side I also used up the left over lettuce, tomato and feta (from the pizza) to make a salad. Just toss in a little olive oil and your favourite dressing.

Burger Bun Recipe
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour)
(Print Friendly Version Here)

Ingredients (Makes 8 Buns)

• 1 cup warm water
• 3 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 2 tbsp butter (for brushing)

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in mixer and knead for 20 minutes.
2. Rest and cover in a warm area to rise until double the volume. (~1 hour)
3. Divide into 8 and shape into round portions
4. Rest and cover in a warm area until double the volume. (~1 hour)
5. Brush with butter and bake for 15 min at 180 degrees, or until top is golden brown
6. (Optional: Brush again with butter)
7. Spread buns with butter and pan fry until crispy.

Beef Burger Patties
(Print Friendly Version Here)

Ingredients (Makes 8 Patties)

• 750g regular beef mince
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup grated tasty cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well and form into 8 flat patties
2. Rest in the fridge until needed
3. Pan fry patties on medium to high heat with a little oil until sides are brown and  turning once. (around 5min each side)
4. Rest for a few minutes before assembling.