100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns {freezer friendly - makes 15 buns}

Becca here with a recipe I was thrilled to discover!  We enjoy eating the occasional hamburger at home, but the healthier hamburger buns can be quite expensive, and still have a few questionable ingredients.  This recipe was the first one that we've really loved!  I doubled the original recipe, and use it to make 15 hamburger buns.  We eat some that day, and I freeze the rest, unbaked, in 2 separate bags so they're ready to set out to rise and bake later.  This dough is very, very easy to work with, and makes a nice soft, but sturdy (and tasty!), bun.  Be sure and slice them, as you should all homemade bread products, with a serrated knife so you get a nice clean cut.  I've described the steps in pretty great detail, but the buns really do come together quickly, the hands on time is quite minimal, and they are SO tasty!!  I make these into a nice dinner portion hamburger bun for a nice 'normal' sized hamburger, without a ton of extra bread left on the edges without meat, as you can see above (these are pictured on a half sheet sized baking sheet).  If you're wanting restaurant sized hamburger buns, I would divide the dough into much larger portions.  The dough should double in size from what you started with, so use that to gauge how big you want them to be.  Baking time will just be a minute or two longer.  Enjoy!

100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
{freezer friendly - makes 15 buns}

1 1/2 cup warm tap water
6 teaspoons yeast
4 Tablespoons honey
4 Tablespoons melted butter
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
5 - 6 cups whole wheat flour (I use organic hard white wheat I mill)

In a large mixer bowl, combine warm water and yeast, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  (Mixture should be starting to bubble at this point if your yeast is good!)

Add honey, melted butter, eggs, and beat until smooth.  Add 5 cups of the flour and salt and beat until smooth.  Add remaining flour (generally up to 1 additional cup, 6 cups total) until the dough is smooth and workable, not sticky.  Knead (I let the mixer do this part with a dough hook!) for 6 minutes.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Roll dough into a log type shape and cut into thirds.  Divide each into desired number of buns; I divide each third into five, one for each member of my family.  Quickly form them into a bun shape (this doesn't have to be perfect, they're going to rise quite a bit & get a nice smooth dome on them!).  Place the number you're going to bake today onto a greased cookie sheet.

*I prefer to freeze this dough raw, and let it rise & bake 'fresh' the day we'll be eating the buns.  Place buns that you'll be baking another day into freezer bags, squeeze as much as as possible out, and place into freezer.  See below for finishing instructions from the freezer.

Let the buns rise in a warm spot about an hour; they should double in size.  If it's a particularly cool day, I put my oven on the 'warm' setting (100 degrees) for a few minutes, then turn it off and let them rise in there. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Enjoy!

*From the freezer, remove bag of frozen buns and let defrost in the refrigerator overnight.  Place buns onto greased cookie sheet, and place into warmed (I heat mine to 100 for a few minutes, then turn it OFF) oven for about an hour, or until dough has doubled in size.  (the dough shouldn't start to 'cook' or change color much at all, your spot is TOO warm it that happens, move them somewhere a bit cooler :) Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

And, because I know everyone always loves a good 'inside' shot, here's what one looks like cut open :)