i will never again use store bought hamburger buns

so i love bread..a lot.  when i was a kid my parents used to by loaves of french bread from homeland/albertson's/food pyramid/who knows what it is now, and i would eat one...a whole loaf...by myself...for lunch.  not sure what it is because most breads don't really have a strong flavor but there's something about the smell and texture that just makes me want to eat lots and lots of bread.

anyway, i found this recipe on pinterest and i hate the store bought hamburger buns so i decided to try it out.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
• Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

so i added the full 3 1/2 cups of flour and my dough was still suuuuper sticky, i think i ended up adding another 1/2 cup (at least) but it was still pretty tacky.  i didn't want to add too much and make them tough so i just did the best i could with forming the rolls.  instead of a greased baking sheet, i just used a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  i was actually able to form 15 rolls although a couple are somewhat smaller (i blame the sticky dough).  

also, i have a gas oven which tends to heat pretty unevenly.  i set it to 400 and after 5 minutes, a couple were pretty browned on top.  and by that i mean they were burned black on the bottom (fortunately they didn't actually taste burned).  and of course the majority, while fully cooked on the inside, hadn't had a chance to brown on top.  

the buns ended up being really fluffy and tender, so much so that at first i was worried about how they would hold up against a hamburger patty.  but after i let them cool and cut them in half they seemed like okay.  they have a really simple and sweet flavor-i really like them but i could see some people finding them a bit plain.  i think this is a really good base recipe to modify into some really flavorful rolls.  

this recipe was so simple and easy-i think it actually took me less than 40 minutes!!  i'm definitely not going to be using store bought hamburger buns anymore!!