Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

i believe it was monday when josh turned to me and asked what i was going to rsvp to the southern food themed dinner party we were invited to this weekend. as usual i started rattling off confections, red velvet cake, pecan pie, kings cake - oh my! mid-thought i was abruptly interrupted with "you need to make your beans". ok, firstly: these are not "my beans" - technically they are ina garten's beans. but this is beside my point.

besides dictating what i will be making for dinner on sunday he put beans on in my brain. and that lead to a production of bean based veggie burgers (via NYTimes health section). we both adore burgers and fries but never have buns on hand, because well that would be weird to have a stash of burger buns at any given time. right? so in the candice world i live in the resolution to this missing buns predicament is to, of-course, bake a small batch (so they are lovely and i have total control of what we ingest -yes i am freakish like that) and then freeze what i don't use for later enjoyment.

i don't yet know how they will be "later" when they are defrosted. but these-are-perfect. perfect. they are soft and fluffy, not in your face but still notable. the honey makes them slightly sweet and the wheat makes them worth your while. i mean, why serve scrumptious veggie burgers with an overpriced, tasteless, self destructive, 2-month old bag of chemical puffs, known as buns? you have to love your burgers enough to give them a good bun.

ps- they are so loved, josh had one hot out of the oven w/ marmalade for breakfast. they're just good eatin'.

WHOLE WHEAT HAMBURGER BUNS

(makes 8-9)

1 1/4c whole milk

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1 1/2c whole wheat flour

1 1/2c AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4c honey

2 tbs sesame seeds

*egg wash made with 1egg and 1 tbs water*

*over low heat warm the milk, do not let it get over 110F - if it does let it cool down to this

*stir in yeast and let sit for 10 minutes to activate

*in separate (large) bowl sift together the flours and salt

*in a small bowl whisk together the egg and honey

*add the milk mixture and the egg mixture to the flour, stir until it is a loose dough

*turn out and begin kneading adding flour as needed for 6-8 minutes to elastic and soft. as always DO NOT OVER KNEAD!

*place in grease bowl, cover with plastic and let rise to double 1 1/2 hours or so

*punch down, divide into 9 equal rounds (about 3.25 oz each), roll into balls and place on baking sheet lined with a slip pad or parchment

*smash the balls down to 3-4" disks, cover and let rise 45 (ish) minutes.

*preheat oven to 350F

*brush the buns with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, place in oven and cook 15 minutes so the tops are a light golden.

*let cool, cut in half down the middle and enjoy!