Spring buns
Hamburgers is one of the languages of love in North America. Due to spring, the Earth month and everything blossoming I got inspired to transform my Flower buns in some green hamburger buns.
For the past few months, I’ve been spending time learning and playing with various doughs, feeling at one with them in all their presentations. Many years ago, I have the idea that bread dough should be like clay and that it would be ready for me to shape. The reality is different; dough bread can vary as much as the types of bread we can make.
In this recipe we will make the simplest buns, which can be used for sandwiches, burgers or paninis. The key ingredient here will be spirulina and patience.
So, let’s start!
What you need
● Mixer
● Bowls
● Tray to bake
● Whisker
● Scale
Ingredients
● 500g All Purpose Flour. I like to use Caputo “00” Chef’s Flour
● 2 tbs spirulina
● 350g lukewarm water (between 105F to 115F or 38C to 41C)
● 7.5g active yeast
● 25g white sugar
● 6g brown sugar
● 35g olive oil
● 5g salt
● Sesame seeds or any kind of ingredient that you want to use to sprinkle on top
Process
Beforehand, heat some water and make an infusion with the spirulina, similar to making a tea, and then use a cheesecloth to strain the water*. Meanwhile, you can prepare your mixer machine and all the ingredients you will need. - In this step, you can make as much infusion as you want, but make sure to set aside 350g of infused water that we need for the recipe.
You've got the color now! - It’s time to start with the bread: when the water is lukewarm, add both the sugar and water to the mixer bowl and mix. Then, add the active yeast and let it sit for a few minutes until you see some bubbles forming.
Add the olive oil and mix with a whisk, then add the flour and start the machine at speed 1. Slowly add the salt and let it mix for 10 to 15 minutes.
When the dough is ready, and in this case looks like clay but a bit wet, transfer the dough to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a towel, and let it sit for an hour or until it doubles in size.
Have your tray ready, along with a bowl of water and your seeds. It’s time to form the buns! Carefully remove the dough from the bowl and divide it; in this case, I made 9 balls of 100g each. After forming the bun, wet your fingers and gently pass them over the top of the bun, then add the seeds. Another technique you can use is to wet the bun with your fingers and then roll the bun in the seeds on a plate.
Place your buns in the tray and let them sit for about an hour and a half, then bake them at 360°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Notes
● When your buns are chill, place them in a plastic container or a plastic bag for a long shelf life.
● You can use herbs, seeds or any kind of ingredient that you want to sprinkle.
● You can add other spices to this recipe for extra flavor, ex. you can add 1 tsp of garlic powder or onion powder.
● If you are using a home oven I recommend to bake for 10 minutes and then move the tray for the other 10 minutes.
● Olive oil is my best recommendation for this recipe.
● *This is how I did it, but you can also choose to keep the spirulina in your recipe. It depends on you and how strong you want the flavor.
● Extra tip: you can make some purple croutons for your salad!
