Hamburger Buns

The Buns:

• 8 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 0.4–0.5 cup water, lukewarm
• 1 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 0.5 tsp. salt
• 1.5 tsp. instant yeast

• 1.5 Tbsp. butter, melted

• 1 egg whisked with 2 Tbsp. cold water
• Seeds

Weigh your flour. Really, a kitchen scale is pretty cheap and well worth having, even in the most cramped of kitchens.

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1–2 hours.

Flour your hands and gently deflate the dough, pulling it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into four pieces—to make smaller buns you can divide the dough into six, eight, or even twleve pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand until it's 2–3" across depending on what you want.

Place the buns at least an inch apart on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them and let them rise until they're noticeably puffy, about an hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 375°F.

Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter. To make seeded buns, brush the egg/water mixture right over the melted butter; it'll make the seeds adhere. Sprinkle the buns with the seeds of your choice.

Bake the buns for 10 minutes, then turn the tray 180° and bake them for another 5–8 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven and brush them with the remaining melted butter; this will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust. If you've made seeded buns apply the melted butter carefully, to avoid brushing the seeds off the buns.

Cool the buns on a rack before storing them in an air-tight container. Use as a base for burgers or any favorite sandwich filling.

Store leftover buns, well-wrapped, at room temperature for a few days or freeze them for longer storage.