My hubby’s favorite hamburger buns from the grocery store, are those onion ones with the poppy seeds. They are a must-have for him whenever I make burgers! But they’ve gotten wimpier and wimpier lately, and just don’t seem to have the stamina anymore to hold up to a good burger like they used to.

They’re just too full of air now, and get squishy and soggy until you’ve got a nasty wet mess of a bun. Soggy bottoms are not my kind of fun.

So when I was planning on making some burgers for last Sunday, after checking the forecast and seeing what a gorgeous day it was going to be, I decided to thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough, and just see if I could come up with a nice, simple, easy version myself.

I love playing with Rhodes Frozen Bread Dough, as it’s easy, fun, and produces hamburger and hot dog buns that are good-sized, sturdy, and hearty enough to hold up to about anything you can pile onto them! Plus, you can shape them into crazy-fun edible party centerpieces, too! See my spooktacular Halloween creation here!

 

(*Pic was taken after forming, topping and rising).

 

 

Since it’s just the two of us, I decided to just make 3 buns, and used the rest of the bread to make a short braided loaf. But you can make either 6 hamburger or hotdog buns, or a loaf of bread, or a mixture of whatever you need.

I almost sautéed some onions for this, but I was afraid they’d burn in the oven after being topped on the buns and baked. So, that might be a future experiment. 😉 At the last minute, I decided to just try dried minced onions and see how that would work out.

They really worked well, and provided a nice hearty onion flavor to boot! I simply put some in a bowl, added a little water, and let them sit until softened and rehydrated. (Which only took a few minutes).

I then got out some powdered garlic powder, as fresh garlic has always burned in the past. I don’t care for blackened garlic at all. I also added another layer of onion for a stronger taste of onion with onion powder, and sprinkled them nicely with seasoned salt and lots of poppy seeds. They were looking and smelling pretty awesome already!

*Be sure to use an egg wash before adding the toppings so that everything will stick on better, and give your buns a nice golden color after baking, too.

 

 

They aren’t perfectly round, and don’t look like the store-bought at all, but that’s how you know they’re homemade, right? 😉 They smelled sooooo good baking!!! And wow were they ever tasty!!

 

 

Nothing burned and they really took on a gorgeous color!! And since we were having soup first and would be enjoying the braided bread with that, I popped these buns, (after cool), into a freezer bag, sucked out the air with a straw, and popped them into the freezer until needed. Did I mention how well this bread freezes? 😉

 

 

These could not have worked out better! They slice in half easily with a sharp serrated bread knife, and they also toast beautifully on the inside when grilled!

They were the perfect consistency to hold our burgers! Not hard and chewy, nice and tender on the inside, and no soggy bottoms! 😉

So the next time you’re looking at wimpy buns at the store, remember this easy trick to make them at home. SO much better, and you can make as many or few as you want. Be sure to pick up some bread dough tonight so that you can make some for the weekend! GREAT for burgers, pulled barbecued pork, beef or chicken, french dips, subs, sliders, or any sandwich you can dream up! It also makes a fantastic loaf of bread, too!

Just have fun and enjoy!!

 

 

How we enjoyed them!…

These buns went perfectly with my
Brat Burgers with Horseradish Cheese,
Whole Grain Mustard, and Buttery Garlic Grilled Onions!
I brushed them with the extra butter
and grilled the insides until nicely toasted! SO good!!

 

 

 

And we very much enjoyed sopping up every last drop of my
Creamy New England Clam Chowder II
with the braided loaf that I made with the rest of the dough!
Heavenly!

 

 

 

Yield: 6 buns

Easy Garlic Onion Poppy Seed Buns or Braided Bread

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Ingredients

• 1 (1 lb.) loaf frozen bread dough such as Rhodes, thawed overnight
• egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbl. cold water).
• 2 tsp. dried minced onion that has been hydrated with about 2 tsp. water
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/2 Tbl. poppy seeds

Instructions

The night before, spray frozen bread loaf with a little butter flavored no-stick spray, wrap with plastic wrap, and pop into the fridge to thaw overnight.

The next day, slice dough crossways into 6 pieces for buns, or 3 strips lengthwise for bread. For buns, roll doing into balls pinching cut sides closed and pinching bottoms together. Place pretty side up onto sprayed baking sheet. For bread, braid the 3 strips pinching ends together and tucking underneath.

Spray prepared dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place into oven with light on to rise. Let rise for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until almost doubled. Remove from oven during last 15 minutes and preheat oven to 350ºF.

While oven is preheating, make egg wash, and brush each bun (or braided loaf) well. Sprinkle evenly with the seasonings in order as listed.

When oven is fully preheated, bake buns (or bread) until golden brown and crispy on the outside, and when tapped sound hollow. About 20 minutes. Bread may take 22. Just watch so that you don't over bake them and burn the bottoms.

Remove to wire rack to cool. Snap off any crusty cooked egg wash edges around the bottom if needed, and store airtight on the counter, or freeze.

Notes

*Since it's just the two of us here, I made 3 buns for burgers, plus a partial loaf of braided bread that we enjoyed with my clam chowder! You can also make hot dog buns if you'd like.