Meal planning at the last minute can be especially difficult if you also need to account for a dairy free diet. As the late summer turns into fall, barbecues and dinners can be planned at the last minute. That puts extra pressure on trying to buy or cook all of the items and ingredients, and you may not be able to locate or check ingredients for your burger buns. Unfortunately, the viral 2-ingredient bread and buns that took over the internet not too long ago rely on yogurt or other dairy ingredients.
Hypothesis: Buns for your burgers, or in my case, barbecue pulled chicken, can be made at the last minute, without dairy, and still taste delicious.
Method
Recipe resource: https://www.foxandbriar.com/40-minute-hamburger-bun-recipe/
Dairy-free modifications:
None required! This recipe is naturally free of any milk-based ingredients, and uses pantry staples.
Procedures and tips:
Please note: I am making a half-recipe here. The full recipe makes 8 buns.
1. Activate your yeast with warm water, sugar, and oil.
2. Add in an egg (I added 1/2 a whisked egg for the 1/2 recipe), then salt, then flour.
3. After trying to knead for a few minutes, mine seemed really sticky, so I added in about 1/4 cup extra flour.
4. They were still sticky but more manageable, so I roughly shaped them into 4 buns. (Should we make sticky buns in a future post?).
5. The 10 minute rest was perfect for my oven to preheat. Before popping them in, I brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled sesame seeds.
6. After the minimum time in the oven, they were still a little pale, so I baked them for 2 minutes more.
7. Straight outta the oven.
Results
Light, fluffy, tender, but sturdy enough for a pulled chicken sandwich.
I was worried that putting the salt right on the yeast mixture would inhibit the rise, but wanting to be diligent I had followed the recipe, and was surprised with the results.
My taste tester expressed being surprised that these were homemade.
Discussion
The primary hypothesis was supported. The total time from beginning to end was about 40 minutes, and in that time we were able to create burger buns that well balanced tenderness with sturdiness for whatever you might choose as your filling.
Credit to my mother for finding and testing this recipe initially. I had tried them a few times at our family barbecues and kept being impressed that they were homemade. Though my mom had described how quick these were to make, I was skeptical that I could replicate her efficiency and effectiveness. While I certainly cannot do that with most things, this recipe definitely makes it easy to have delicious homemade burger buns without dairy in a flash.
Keep this recipe handy for your last minute barbecues or dinner prep needs, or bake them up anytime! What would you top yours with?
