Buns for any night of the week

I'm usually more of the slow food, make it from scratch kind of cook, lingering in the kitchen and trying out ridiculously complex recipes. I try to take my time and enjoy it. My brother is rolling his eyes right now and scrolling down to count the number of ingredients in this recipe. But I'm not keen on the thirty-minute meal just for the sake of speed. I know, I know. None of us have enough time. So this is my answer to that: A forty-minute home-baked hamburger bun to dress up a weeknight burger. It really is easy enough and worth it to do any night of the week.

Weeknight hamburger rolls
Adapted from TasteofHome.com
Makes 8-10.

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

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 8-10 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.

The original recipe said for a dozen buns, but they were a bit small for the burgers. I'd go for a little bit bigger depending on the size of yours. You could also dress these up with an egg wash before baking and a sprinkle of sesame or poppy seeds. They are uber light and fluffy -- delicious!