Ranch Hamburger Buns

So a few months ago I found a website chock full of new and unusual bread machine recipes. I bookmarked it and have gone back to make a few. There are still oh-so-many to try. I think sometimes of doing a separate bread machine blog, a brownie blog, a cookie blog, etc. But there is only one of me and that kind of thinking is too big. Back to the topic at hand.

"Ranch Hamburger Buns" caught my eye on the alphabetical list. Sounds like there's no way around that being good. Plus we hadn't had hamburgers for dinner in ages; homemade buns was a great excuse to change that. The ranch flavor comes from a packet of ranch dip mix, and since you don't use it all in the buns, just throw the rest in with the meat as you make your burgers (along with breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning, Worcestershire, whatever else you love in there.)

These guys are straightforward. Make the dough in the machine, shape them into rolls, rise again and cook. Turned out my rolls weren't exactly uniform; some were smaller, some larger. But it actually worked out even better that way. I created my hamburgers in different sizes to match - some smaller, some larger - and so the small ones were just the right size for my 3 and 5 year olds. They actually loved having mini burgers. And me? I loved having another winning bread machine recipe!

Ranch Hamburger Buns (print recipe)

1/2 cup water, 70-80 degrees F

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 egg

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder

4 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tablespoon dry ranch salad dressing mix

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 cups bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. In bread machine pan, place the ingredients in order suggested by machine manufacturer. Select dough setting. Check dough after five minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons water or flour if needed. When the cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly greased surface.

2. Cut into 12 pieces, then shape each into a round ball. Place in greased jumbo muffin cups or in 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 35 minutes), then brush buns with an egg wash mixture of 1 slightly beaten egg and 2 tablespoons water.Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees F or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Makes 12.

Recipe from recipegoldmine.com