Whole Wheat Slider Buns

Sliders are so fun. I mean teeny tiny burgers... what's not to love? 

I decided to go with whole wheat to make them a little healthier and just to see how the texture would be different than with AP flour. Turns out they are pretty close in texture and taste with my usual version. You could easily do a 50/50 blend of AP and whole wheat if you wanted to as well. Start with the whole wheat flour and then go from there. This makes 18 - 20 slider buns (or 8 - 10 regular sized buns) but can be easily doubled if you like. 

Whole Wheat Slider Buns

Ingredients

1 cup hot tap water

1 Tbsp active dried yeast

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

3 - 4 cups whole wheat flour

Topping

egg, beaten

sesame seeds

Directions

Stir the yeast into the hot tap water, set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. 

Whisk together the butter, egg, sugar, and salt. Whisk into the foamy yeast. Stir in 2 cups of flour and then continue to add flour, a little at a time, until non-sticky dough is formed. 

Knead an a lightly floured work surface for 2 - 3 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and place somewhere warm to rise for an hour. 

After dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide into 18 - 20 equal sized balls. Place on cookie tray lined with parchment paper. 

Cover and with a tea towel and set somewhere warm to rise for another hour. When you hit the 45 minute mark, preheat the oven to 375. 

Using a pastry or basting brush, brush the tops of the buns with the beaten egg and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns at 375 for about 15 - 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. 

Let cool on wire rack. Cut buns in half horizontally. 

If you are using them to make sliders: be sure to form your hamburger patties just a little larger than the bun as they will shrink during cooking. (I get 9 patties from 1 lb of beef)

You can also use these slider buns to make non-beef sliders...

Deep fried prawns with fried carrot and onions for example.

So cute.

Nothing beats homemade bread/buns. You can use this recipe to make full sized hamburger buns if you like. I just think sliders are so much more fun. Perfect for the kidlets. 

Make a double batch and freeze half for later! Making bread is great way to keep busy indoors and it makes your house smell INCREDIBLE!