Hamburgers & Buns

Since it's BBQ season here in the northern hemisphere, I figured it was past time to break out a hamburger recipe. I remember my mom making hamburgers as a kid, shaking and squeezing ingredients into a large bowl, deftly mixing everything, then shaping the patties with sure, swift movements, hands moving smoothly around and around. I make them the same way, though my patties always seem to have rough edges. I've received many compliments on my hamburgers and upon reflection and comparison with other recipes I think the secret ingredient is the ketchup. You totally need ketchup. In the patty, on the patty and as dip for the burger. One of my friends buys sugar free ketchup from the U.S., but I like the regular variety.

As for buns, I've tried out a new recipe today since I love those hamburger thins that you can buy. It wouldn't be The Cookery if I hadn't tweaked it, so I made some substitutions based on what I like. The President's Choice ones have a nutty chewy texture, so I added some oats to try to replicate that.

Hamburgers

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef or bison
1 tbsp. ketchup
3-4 good squirts of Worcestershire sauce (though I was out. Damn! I used soya sauce instead)
1/4 - 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I was out again! I used oats instead)
1 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 egg

Directions:

Dump everything in your mixer and stir until just combined. Using wet hands, take a handful at a time and shape into patties. This recipe should make 6-8 depending on how thick you want your burgers.

Cook or freeze individually, wrapped in parchment or wax paper.


Hamburger/Sandwich Thins (Whole grain)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. warm water
1/8 c. sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
1 egg
2 tsp. oil
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. quick cooking oats
1/4 c. lightly pulsed flax seed (to open up the seed)
2 tsp. whole flax seed
1 1/2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Mix water, yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add egg and oil and beat lightly.

In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well then add half of the dry mixture to the wet. Let rise 30-45 minutes.

Once risen, add the remaining flour mixture and knead in your mixer for 5 minutes. I ended up having a screaming toddler situation, so it ended up being more like 10 for me. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Weigh it and divide by 16 (mine worked out to just about 2 ounces per bun).

Spread parchment paper on two cookie sheets. Watching your scale, and working with wet hands, shape one bun at a time. One recipe mentioned using a 4 inch biscuit cutter as a guide then smooshing the dough to fit, but I just slapped it on the cookie sheet and spread it around. The edges weren't as pretty, but it worked well.

Once you have all 16 rounds on your sheets, let rise for another 30-45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350F, with the racks in the middle and bottom third positions.

Once risen, poke a few holes in each round using a wet straw or a wet chopstick. If you want fluffier buns, omit this step. Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Let cool on sheets. They'll seem really thin, but they're solid. Cut in half for buns.

And here's the final product! We had leftovers for another meal and it was just as good the second time. Yummah!

Suzanne's Flax Bread

There are so many different types of bread out there and this recipe is a sure-fire success. It's now a stand-by in my kitchen since it's so easily adaptable and convenient. The dough rises either overnight or all day, making it perfect to fit into any schedule. I usually make the dough in the morning and bake it at night since by the time evening comes and the kids are asleep I'm ready to go to sleep myself. I used to do all this baking/cooking during Mister M's nap times, but now having two children, I find that I have to be willing to do everything while he's awake since otherwise I'd never get anything done. He's been fascinated by the mixer for a while (he has my old littler one to play with, unplugged of course), so now we do my baking together. It takes longer, but resolves the whining-child-at-my-feet issue I was having.

My sister came out to visit when I had the new baby and she loved this bread so I'm re-naming it for her.

Suzanne's Flax Bread
Makes 4 loaves

Ingredients:

4 c. warm water
1/2 tbsp. traditional yeast
2 c. milk (I use homo)
3 c. whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. honey
10-12 c. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. ground flax seed

Directions:

Mix water and yeast. Stir to dissolve, then add milk. Stir in the whole wheat flour, it'll be quite lumpy, but don't worry about it. Add your honey and stir, then add about 4 cups of the all purpose flour and mix until it becomes a smooth batter.

Add the salt and oil, mixing after each addition. Add the flax seed and another 4-5 cups of flour. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth and elastic dough. I've done this both by hand and in my mixer, it works well either way.

Place in a large lightly oiled bowl to rise. During the summer I let it rise on top of my fridge, but in the frigid Canadian winter I put it in the oven and leave the oven light on for some warmth. Let rise overnight or 8-12 hours, whatever is most convenient.

Punch down dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife cut the dough into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time, leaving the others covered with a towel, shape dough into a loaf and place it in your pan. Leave to rise 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. Bake loaves for 10 minutes, then turn down temperature to 375F without opening the door. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate pans and bake for another 20 minutes. Loaves should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Brush tops with margarine, but wait until mostly cooled to slice.

This makes great toast because it's nice and dense without being too heavy. No huge airpockets for your peanut butter to melt into. Sorry I don't have a photo, I'll take one next time!

ETA: Found a photo of the dough before I put it aside to rise.