There is nothing like a homemade bun to put your veggie burger inside! Fluffy and soft on the inside, crisp on the outside with a beautiful golden glaze. Exercise your inner baker - your stomach will love you!
Ingredients
For the Buns
1½ cup warm water
1 (7g) packet of instant yeast
1 tbsp. vegan margarine
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp. brown sugar
3 cups plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ - 1 cup strong white bread flour
For the Baking Soda Bath
7 cups water
⅓ cup baking soda
For Glaze
3 tbsp. vegan margarine
Coarse Pink Himalayan Salt
Instructions
Whisk the warm water and yeast together in a large bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes.
In the meanwhile, melt the tbsp. of butter and whisk in the sugar and the salt. Pour into the yeast mixture.
Slowly mix the plain flour, 1 cup at a time with a wooden spoon. Add ¾ cup of strong white bread flour, stir again. If the dough is still sticky add another ¼ cup to ⅓ cup. The dough should bounce back if poke with a finger.
Knead your dough on a lightly floured surface for 3-5 minutes and form into a ball. place in a lightly oiled bowl cover with a kitchen cloth or cling film and place in a warm place for 1 hour*.
Once doubled in size, punch down in the bowl and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a sharp knife to cut into 9-10 equal pieces. Shape into balls.
Pre heat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 and line 2 baking sheets.
In a large pot, bring the 7 cups of water and ⅓ cup baking soda to a boil. Drop 2 dough balls in the boiling water at a time for 20-30 seconds, then with a slotted spoon let the excess water drip off and place on the baking sheets with a few inches apart. Repeat.
With a sharp knife, score an X on the top of each bun. Melt the margarine from your glaze and brush each bun with it. Sprinkle over the salt.
Place in the oven for 23-26 minutes until a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Serve warm or keep in an airtight container. Use within 2 days. They can also be frozen.
Notes
* I preheat my oven to 200F, then turn the oven off and place my dough inside with the door closed to prove.
Recipe by The Hungry Herbivores at https://www.thehungryherbivores.com/how-to-pretzel-buns/