Make the Best Burgers Ever with Homemade Burger Buns

Everyone loves fresh baked, homemade bread. And burgers are an American favorite. Put the two together and you'll have the best burgers ever. It's easy to make your own hamburger buns. You can bake them in the oven or mix up the dough at home and take the dough to the party to bake your buns on the grill.

Take any bread mix. Be adventuresome and consider a bread with some flavor: one of our tomato breads or Sour Cream Onion or a rye bread or maybe Fully Loaded Baked Potato Bread. (We make mixes specifically for rolls and buns and they are a little richer than bread mixes but these will do just fine.)

Mix the bread according to the package directions or recipe. If you are using your bread machine, set the machine on the "dough" setting so that the machine will mix your bread for you, let it rise and then beep when it is time to bake. If you are making bread the old-fashioned way, let the bread rise in an oiled bowl as you would for other bread recipes.

It's easy to form the rolls. One loaf is the equivalent of eight nice-sized hamburger buns. Use a sharp knife to divide your dough into eight or more dough balls according to the size of your recipe. Form round rolls as if you were making dinner rolls. Place them on a greased sheet and flatten them with the heel of your hand. The elasticity in the dough will cause the dough to spring back. Let it rest for a couple minutes to relax and then press it down again. You may need to press the dough balls a third time to get them flat enough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let them rise again until doubled.

Fancy up your buns with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Mix one egg and one tablespoon of water together to make a wash. Just before baking, brush the wash on the buns with a pastry brush and then sprinkle the seeds across the tops of the buns. The egg wash will put a glaze on your buns and hold the seeds in place.

You can bake nearly anything with a covered grill. The heat rises and circulates in the covered area just as it does in your oven. The heat source can be charcoal, gas, or even wood. We prefer gas because it is easier to control and does not impart a smoked taste to the bread. Since it is hottest near the flames, elevate the bread even if you have to improvise. In our grill, there is a secondary shelf for baking potatoes and such and that works perfectly for baking bread.

Grills tend to not circulate the hot air as well as ovens. To keep the bottom of the bread from burning, place one pan beneath the other and a wire rack between the pans to create space for insulation.

The trick to baking buns on the grill is controlling temperature and time. If your grill comes equipped with a thermometer, you've got it made (though outside temperatures and winds may impact how well your grill retains heat). If you have a thermometer, just heat to 350 degrees. If not, guess. After a few experiences you'll have it perfect and we bet that the first batch off the grill will be just fine.

Your buns will probably bake in 15 to 20 minutes. An occasional peek to see how your bread is doing as it nears completion is okay.

And here are few tips to help you along the way:

- Bake your rolls before the burgers. They can cool while you cook the rest of the food. Burning grease in the bottom of the grill makes the temperature harder to control and the soot can stain the bread.

- If you are letting your dough rise outside where the temperature may be less than indoors or where breezes may swirl around the dough, consider using a large food-grade plastic bag as a greenhouse. Simply slip the bread dough--pan and all--inside the bag, inflate it slightly, and close it. If the day is cool, set the bag and the bread in a sunny warm place to capture a little solar energy.

- If your buns are baking faster on one side than the other, turn the pan 180 degrees part way through the baking time.

- The tendency is to burn the bottom of the buns. Place the buns as far away from the flames as you can even if it means elevating the buns.

We hope that you have fun baking bread outside this summer. We do know that you will be the envy of the neighborhood, campground, or park.