My first food post! Well, not really true because I posted something about the origin of borscht not too long ago. However, this post is a little different because I will be posting a recipe here for coconut milk hamburger buns. :) Read on aliens!
I have been craving for a good hamburger for quite some time, aided by the memory of soft, springy buns baked in in my family's bakery years ago (I'm not saying when or how long otherwise you'd all be able to guess my age! :P). I grew up as a restaurant kid back in Lautoka. My days after school would be spent there, on weekends I get up around 5.30 am with my late grandmother, head to the market before visiting our restaurant. Once in the restaurant, I'd be left on my own so I'd traipse down to our bakery in the back to help out - not because I was made to, but because I wanted to.
My uncle and I baked great stuff, from lamingtons, meatpies, fluffy sponges to the great hamburger bun. One of my favourite snacks after school was a steak and onion burger. And see, this is where my problem lies today, not with the steak, but with the bun. There is no best burger bun out there, everyone has their own preference but I personally dislike those with chewy crusts, made even worse when they are toasted. The filling may be great, but the crusts just ruin the whole burger enjoyment experience for me. And I'd rather avoid those flat, dry and chockful-of-preservatives MacDonalds' or Tesco buns. At the same time, I wanted a recipe which avoided milk and butter but would still create a versatile bun that not only served burgers, but would be a nice snack on its own with a bit of jam and a cup of tea (yeah, this is the English in me, or the Fijian influenced by colonial times). So, with a little bit of thought I came up with the coconut milk hamburger. :) Since I write recipes mainly for my benefit, I hope the instructions are clear. Otherwise, let me know and I will try to clarify.
These buns are soft, fluffy and yummy. One of my favorite ways of eating them is to spread a little butter and have them with tea. :)
Coconut milk buns
Makes: 12 sliders/ 10 hamburgers/ 8 large hamburgers
Ingredients:
For the dough
For the egg wash:
Instructions:
Set 1/2 cup of flour aside. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of sifted flour, salt, yeast, sugar and olive oil. Stir with a whisk, then add the coconut mixture, followed by the egg. Mix by hand in one direction only to incorporate all the liquid into the flour. You'll have a soft and sticky mass, and a floury skin. That's fine, as long as your dough is soft, you know it's moist.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. I use the quarter turn technique where I fold the top part of the dough towards me and then push out with the heel of my palm, before giving it a quarter turn and repeating. Sometimes I do 2 folds. :P Your sticky mass of dough should become smooth and elastic as you continue kneading. If it's too sticky, slowly add some of the remaining flour. If it's too dry, incorporate a little water, a teaspoon at a time until you achieve that smooth and elastic consistency. As soon as you feel your dough gain that smooth and elastic consistency, knead for about another 2 -3 minutes or 30 - 40 times and stop. Over kneading causes your bread to become chewy.(Tip: If you stretch out a small piece of dough between your hands and see a translucent skin, your dough is ready).
Sprinkle a few drops of oil in your bowl, swipe your dough in it until it's covered in oil, cover with a damp towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled or more in size. This can take anywhere between 1 and 2 hours.
Remove the risen dough and place onto a clean surface. If you have a wooden surface like I do, then you'll have to lightly flour it. Press dough into a small rectangle, then divide into 12, 10 or 8 pieces. Roll the pieces of dough into balls and place them no more than an inch apart in a tray, covered with a baking sheet or parchment paper. The balls will expand and touch each other, before rising upwards. It will also prevent crusts from forming around the sides. But if you prefer your sides to be brown, then by all means, place the balls further apart. Cover with oiled plastic wrap, place in warm place and let rise for another hour until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Carefully apply egg wash to the dough, and sprinkle sesame seeds if desired. I did! Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until they are light golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped. Allow them to cool and enjoy!
My uncle and I baked great stuff, from lamingtons, meatpies, fluffy sponges to the great hamburger bun. One of my favourite snacks after school was a steak and onion burger. And see, this is where my problem lies today, not with the steak, but with the bun. There is no best burger bun out there, everyone has their own preference but I personally dislike those with chewy crusts, made even worse when they are toasted. The filling may be great, but the crusts just ruin the whole burger enjoyment experience for me. And I'd rather avoid those flat, dry and chockful-of-preservatives MacDonalds' or Tesco buns. At the same time, I wanted a recipe which avoided milk and butter but would still create a versatile bun that not only served burgers, but would be a nice snack on its own with a bit of jam and a cup of tea (yeah, this is the English in me, or the Fijian influenced by colonial times). So, with a little bit of thought I came up with the coconut milk hamburger. :) Since I write recipes mainly for my benefit, I hope the instructions are clear. Otherwise, let me know and I will try to clarify.
These buns are soft, fluffy and yummy. One of my favorite ways of eating them is to spread a little butter and have them with tea. :)
Coconut milk buns
Makes: 12 sliders/ 10 hamburgers/ 8 large hamburgers
Ingredients:
For the dough
- 1/3 cup coconut cream and 2/3 cup water, warmed and mixed thoroughly. Liquid must be warm before adding to flour mixture.
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups of sifted, all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 10 grams of instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten (room temperature)
- sesame seeds
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 4 tbsp of water
Instructions:
Set 1/2 cup of flour aside. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of sifted flour, salt, yeast, sugar and olive oil. Stir with a whisk, then add the coconut mixture, followed by the egg. Mix by hand in one direction only to incorporate all the liquid into the flour. You'll have a soft and sticky mass, and a floury skin. That's fine, as long as your dough is soft, you know it's moist.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. I use the quarter turn technique where I fold the top part of the dough towards me and then push out with the heel of my palm, before giving it a quarter turn and repeating. Sometimes I do 2 folds. :P Your sticky mass of dough should become smooth and elastic as you continue kneading. If it's too sticky, slowly add some of the remaining flour. If it's too dry, incorporate a little water, a teaspoon at a time until you achieve that smooth and elastic consistency. As soon as you feel your dough gain that smooth and elastic consistency, knead for about another 2 -3 minutes or 30 - 40 times and stop. Over kneading causes your bread to become chewy.(Tip: If you stretch out a small piece of dough between your hands and see a translucent skin, your dough is ready).
Sprinkle a few drops of oil in your bowl, swipe your dough in it until it's covered in oil, cover with a damp towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled or more in size. This can take anywhere between 1 and 2 hours.
Remove the risen dough and place onto a clean surface. If you have a wooden surface like I do, then you'll have to lightly flour it. Press dough into a small rectangle, then divide into 12, 10 or 8 pieces. Roll the pieces of dough into balls and place them no more than an inch apart in a tray, covered with a baking sheet or parchment paper. The balls will expand and touch each other, before rising upwards. It will also prevent crusts from forming around the sides. But if you prefer your sides to be brown, then by all means, place the balls further apart. Cover with oiled plastic wrap, place in warm place and let rise for another hour until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Carefully apply egg wash to the dough, and sprinkle sesame seeds if desired. I did! Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until they are light golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped. Allow them to cool and enjoy!