Healthier Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

These Healthier Bread Machine Hamburger Buns are made more nutritious by using white whole wheat flour, but they are just as soft and fluffy as the original.

One day, my brother-in-law was craving Red Robin hamburgers, but the family just didn’t have time to go to the restaurant. Fortunately, he is not easily discouraged, so he decided to take it upon himself to recreate the burgers as accurately as he could at home.

He went all out and took orders from every member of the family, asking which burger from the Red Robin menu we would want. He looked up all of the toppings online and went to town. The island was packed full of pineapple rings, peppercorns, cheeses, onion strings, sauces, and vegetable toppings.

The man does not do things halfway.

Since he was doing all of the hard work for the meal, I volunteered to take care of the buns. And, because I’m me, I had to play around with the recipe a bit to make them just a little healthier than normal!

My niece and nephew’s little bodies need all the nutrients they can get to grow up big and strong (and I could use them myself!), which is why I substitute white whole wheat flour into our baked goods whenever I can.

Some recipes can handle all white whole wheat flour, but others really need a mix of wheat and all purpose to keep the fluffy bread texture that I love so much. This is one of those recipes.

How To Make Healthier Bread Machine Hamburger Buns

I really let the bread machine do all of the heavy lifting. Just pour all of your ingredients in that sucker and let it work its magic.

Then comes my favorite part. Take the dough out of the machine, divide it up into the number of buns you want (it makes 6 large buns or 8 smallish buns) and shape them.

It’s my favorite part because I think bread dough might be one of my favorite smells in all of the world. There is something so cathartic about kneading and shaping bread dough.

*sigh*

Ahem, back to the recipe. Then cover the pan with a tea towel and stick the buns in a warm place to rise for 40-60 minutes, until the dough has just about doubled in size.

I like to turn the oven on to the lowest temperature possible, then I turn it off as soon as it is preheated and put the buns in to rise.

When they are all risen, take them out of the oven and preheat it to 400. While it is heating up, whisk up your egg wash and lightly brush it onto your buns. Don’t get too heavy-handed or your buns will sink (not that I know anything about that happening…). Sprinkle them with sesame seeds, then

Sprinkle them with sesame seeds, then bake ’em up until they are golden brown and fluffy, ready to serve.

By the way, I chose the Whiskey River BBQ Burger and I’m pretty sure mine was the best burger of all the burgers. My mouth is watering just thinking about the deliciousness.

I’m thinking I should start slipping subliminal Red Robin hints again.