Homemade Hamburger Buns {Dairy and Soy Free}

When my good friend first told me that she made her own hamburger buns I thought she was nuts!  Who has time for that????  Then one really cold afternoon I was scrambling to come up with an easy dinner with an empty refrigerator and pantry.  I have a freezer full of grass-fed hamburger and the easiest option was to make hamburgers for dinner.  However, I was not about to pack two kids plus their bulky winter coats down to Kroger to buy just hamburger buns. The day was still early, so I made my own using a recipe I found in the book The Homemade Pantry.  As per usual I had to alter the recipe to accommodate food allergies.  The hamburger buns turned out amazing and my whole family LOVED them!  Since that wintry day I have made them multiple times.  I slice then freeze the extra.

I promise that these are easy!  However, they do take some time as they dough has to rise twice.  So make sure you allot enough time, at least 3 hours total (20 minutes to mix together, 2-2.5 hours to rise, and 20 minutes to bake).

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
3 TBS almond milk
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 TBS honey
2 large eggs, beaten
3-3/4 to 4 cups organic all-purpose flour, plus additional for counter
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 TBS coconut oil

In a liquid measuring cup combine warm water (about 100 degrees F) with almond milk, yeast, and honey.  Let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).

In a large stand mixer, whisk together flour and salt.  Add in coconut oil and beat until combined.

Stir yeast mixture into flour mixture using the stand mixer with a bread hook.  Then add in beaten eggs.  Add additional flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  (I have consistently used 4 cups of flour.)  Knead using stand mixer and bread hook for several minutes.

Spray a glass bowl with cooking spray.  Transfer dough to glass bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for at least one hour.  Dough should double in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Dust counter top with flour.  Place dough on counter.  Cut dough with a sharp knife into 8-12 equal parts.  Roll each part into a ball, tucking the loose edges under the ball.  Place on the lined baking sheet.  Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise again for about 1 hour.  Note- If your kitchen is really warm it may take less time. The idea with this rise is to get them the right size to hold the hamburger.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Fill a metal pan (DO NOT USE GLASS!) with water and place on lower rack.  

Bake buns for about 20 minutes.  Tops will be golden brown.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.