February

Hamburger

February/USA

Ingredients for the burger buns

(For 10 buns)

90 ml (3 oz)  milk

1 cube of yeast

1 heaped tablespoon sugar (35 g)

500 g flour type 550

80 g soft butter

2 eggs

1 lightly heaped tsp. salt (8 g)

Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Pour 200 ml (6.7 oz) of lukewarm water and 60 ml (4 tablespoons/2 oz) of milk into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Crumble in the yeast cube and let everything rest for about 5 minutes.

After the 5-minute wait, add flour, softened butter, 1 egg and salt. Knead everything using a kitchenaid into a smooth, supple dough. 

The dough should be silky smooth. The longer you knead the dough the better it will be. 

Now cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour. 

In the meantime, line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Now it’s time to shape the buns. Use about 80 to 90 g of dough per bun. 

Sprinkle the work surface with a little flour so that the dough doesn’t stick so much when shaping and the burger buns become nice and even.

Roll the dough portion by hand into an even round ball. Then press this onto the baking paper to form a flat disc about 10 inches in diameter. The ideal size for patties is 11 cm (4.3”) in diameter.

The dough pieces must now rest covered on the baking paper for another 1 hour. This is important for the “fluffiness”.

Take the eggs and milk at room temperature and brush the buns. This is important because eggs and milk that are too cold would “scare” the buns. They will then collapse.

Sprinkle sesame seeds on the burger buns. 

Preheat the oven to 180-200° (356-392°F). Bake the burger buns dough for about 15-20 minutes until they are nice and golden brown.

 

Ingredients for the burger patties

(For 2 persons)

Olive oil

2 red onions, peeled and finely diced

6 wheat flour crackers or 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

500 g lean ground beef (depending on taste it should have a fat content of about 20%)

1 tsp sea salt

1 heaped tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large free-range or organic egg, beaten

1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

10 slices of bacon

In a large frying pan, heat 1 dash of olive oil on low and saute the onions for 10 minutes until soft. Then let everything cool completely. 

Process the crackers to fine crumbs using a kitchenaid, or use 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs.

When choosing the meat, make sure that the fat content is at least 20%. The following beef cuts are excellent for burger patties:

• – Roast Beef / Entrecóte;
• – Rib eye steak;
• – Tafelspitz;
• – Mayor’s Piece, etc.

Cut the meat, cooled to 1-2 C° (33-35°F), into cubes and grind through a 5 mm (3/16 inch) grinding plate.

Brush a baking sheet with oil and set aside. Put the cooled onions in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix everything thoroughly with clean hands. Then, with moistened hands, form four, equal-sized balls from the mixture for the American burgers and flatten them into patties about 2 inches thick. Press another slight dent in the center on the patties. This will reduce bulging during frying. Place on the prepared baking sheet and brush the surface with a little olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

The recipe always succeeds because of the egg and the patties will not fall apart during frying.

Season to taste.

Purists use only ground beef and season the meat only after grilling. With a little practice and the right meat, you can also use just pure ground beef without the meat falling apart.

Preheat the oven and place the bacon on the baking paper. When the bacon is crispy and golden brown, reduce the heat and keep the bacon warm. Of course, this can also be rendered in a pan.

Line a plate with paper towels and drain the bacon on it.

To fry the patties, use a frying or grill pan. Heat this vigorously on high. No matter which way you cook the patties, allow 3-4 minutes per side. 

For a cheeseburger, simply place a slice of cheese on top after flipping the patties.

Now just pile the patties up between the bun halves (buns) with the remaining ingredients and sauce to taste. And now you can enjoy your food.

A small tip:

Mini burgers presented as finger food are a very good idea and a big hit with guests. 

Enjoy your meal