Cracked Wheat Rolls and Homemade Hamburger Buns

I don’t like commercial hamburger buns.  I buy them now and then for the family, but I don’t eat them.  I don’t even care for the ones labeled whole wheat. Lately I’ve been making them homemade whenever we’re having some type of hamburger.  Last night I made some delicious Black Bean Patties (I adapted this recipe from Dara at Cookin’ Canuck and it was so good!).  I decided the guys would have hamburgers, but I was excited to try these vegetarian bean patties!  I saw a bag of cracked wheat in my fridge and thought I’d make some cracked wheat rolls/hamburger buns to go with dinner.  The recipe I chose was found at Allrecipes.  It is a perfect wheaty roll but without too much density that you sometimes get from using a whole wheat flour, though this does have some along with the cracked wheat.

Like all homemade bread, these sure smelled great while they were baking and the wonderful smell perfumed the house all evening!

Cracked Wheat Rolls or Hamburger Buns, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Allrecipes

1  1/4 cups water

1/2 cup cracked wheat

2  1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or one .25 ounce packet)

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/3 cup warm water

2 tablespoons butter substitute (I used Bestlife), regular unsalted butter is fine

1 tablespoon table salt

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup warm milk (I used 2%)

1 cup whole wheat flour

4-5 cups all purpose flour

1 egg—for an egg wash

In a small saucepan, bring the 1  1/4 cups water and the cracked wheat to a boil, turn down to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.  (I spread it out on a plate and it cool down while you do the next step, which takes 10 minutes.

Dissolve the yeast in a medium sized bowl with 1/3 cup warm water and the sugar.  Stir together, then let sit 10 minutes. 

Add the cracked wheat mixture, yeast mixture, butter, salt, molasses, honey, and milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and with the paddle attachment, mix together to combine.  Add the one cup of whole wheat flour and two cups of the all purpose flour.  Mix until well combined.  Clean off the paddle attachment, scrape the sides of the bowl and add the dough attachment to the mixer.  With the mixer going on low speed, add the remaining all purpose flour a little at a time until the dough starts coming together.  After two of the remaining cups are added, let the mixer "”knead” the dough for a minute or so.  If it is still sticking to the sides, add about 1/4 cup more flour, let it mix.  Keep adding a little flour at a time until the ball of dough no longer sticks to the sides.  Let it knead for 8-10 minutes on medium-low speed.  Remove the bowl from the mixer. 

Take the dough out of the bowl and spray it with cooking spray.  Return the ball of dough to the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, dry place for an hour until doubled in size.  Punch down the dough and make 3 ounce sized balls of dough—you’ll get about 15 rolls.  Set them on a baking sheet and cover with a damp tea towel.  Let rise for about 45 minutes.  During the last 20 minutes of rise time, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brush each roll with egg wash.  Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes.  Let baking sheet sit on a wire rack a few minutes.  Remove rolls from pan to wire rack and cool completely. 

Slice open to serve as buns for burgers and sandwiches or serve as rolls.

Here’s the Black Bean Patty I made for dinner with the rolls.  Try out this recipe from Cookin' Canuck.

Between this black bean veggie patty and these cracked wheat buns, it was a great, healthy sandwich!