Buns, baps, rolls and wraps… we're not good at them. There's a hierarchy in our kitchens that places the patty on a pedestal and relegates the bap to the role of cursory vessel.
But what good is the finest steak or fattest sausage if you're planning to sandwich it between two halves of a bland, doughy roll? A burger is nothing without its bun – great bread won't just serve as a container or a neutral backdrop for its filling, it'll enhance it by bringing a flavour all of its own. The delicate brioche rolls below, for example, with a very slight sweetness and rich golden crumb, sit perfectly with good hotdogs and caramelised onions. Who says bread has to play second fiddle to its filling?
Chickpea and cumin seed baps
Chickpeas and spice are mashed into the dough for these baps, lending them a bold, earthy flavour that goes particularly well with falafel, beanburgers or even spiced lamb. You could play around with different beans or pulses if you want, but the joy of these, for me, comes from the mellow nuttiness of the chickpeas.
Makes 12
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp olive oil
400g can chickpeas (240g drained weight)
300ml lukewarm water
480g strong white flour, plus extra, to dust
7g instant dried yeast
1 tsp salt
1 Fry the cumin seeds in the olive oil for barely a minute (any longer and they may become bitter). Drain the chickpeas into a large bowl, add the oil and cumin seeds and mash until no whole chickpeas remain. Beat in the water.
2 In a separate bowl, combine the flour and yeast then stir in the salt. Add these dry ingredients to the chickpea mixture, bring together with your hands then knead for 10 minutes, building elasticity and reducing stickiness in the dough. Leave to rise in a covered bowl at room temperature for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
3 Shape the dough into 12 rolls and arrange them in a baking tin so that they're closely spaced (within 2cm of one another), but not touching. Let them rise, preferably loosely covered with a piece of clingfilm, for around 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
4 Dust the risen rolls (they should now be at least 1½ times their original size, and just about touching one another) with flour and bake for 25 minutes.
Brioche hotdog buns
Baking is all about metamorphoses – flat, sticky batter to featherweight cake; mucus-like egg whites to crisp meringue – but there are some that stand apart from the rest. Brioche is one such culinary miracle, rising to a light, buttery bread despite being perhaps one of the most decadent doughs ever to grace the baker's oven. It's an impressive sleight of hand indeed – to slip an entire block of butter into a bread without leaving so much as a trace of heaviness or greasiness – but anyone can make good brioche with a little patience.
Because yeast works slower in an enriched dough – one made with butter, eggs or sugar – you'll notice that brioche isn't a quick bread to make, so isn't ideal for impromptu meals. It needs a couple of hours to get going, then a long spell in the fridge before being shaped and starting its final rise. This doesn't need to be an intensive process, though: only half-an-hour or so is hands-on, with plenty of time in between to slot in your everyday tasks. Simply start the dough the evening before you need the finished buns.
Makes 12 brioche buns
450g strong white flour
3 tsp instant dried yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
130ml milk
4 large eggs
250g unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
1 Combine the flour and yeast in a large bowl, before stirring in the salt and sugar. Very slightly heat the milk over a low heat until barely lukewarm. This is particularly important if the milk is fridge-cold: the yeast already has to battle with a block of butter before it can get to work – it needs a little warmth to help it along. Whisk the slightly warmed milk together with the eggs and add all this to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
2 Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put the dough back into the mixing bowl and add the butter a third at a time, squeezing it in with your hands. It will feel like trying to mix oil and water at first, but after some mixing (which, with the slippery, supple dough, is surprisingly therapeutic) you'll soon find itOnce all the butter has been worked in, you'll be able to tip the dough back out of its bowl and knead for a further 5 minutes.
3 Place the dough in a large, covered bowl to rise at room temperature for 2 hours or so – long enough to double in size. Now gently press down the risen dough to deflate, cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm to prevent the dough from drying out, and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or as long as 18.
4 Prise the chilled dough from its bowl. Divide into 12 equal portions and roll each of these into a long hotdog roll shape. You'll want to roll them a little thinner than might seem right: they'll expand widthways as they rise, so if you shape them too fat at this point and they'll end up more like baps by the time they've risen. Grease a large baking tray and arrange the buns on it. Cover lightly with greased clingfilm and leave to rise for 1½-2 hours at room temperature – until the buns have almost doubled in size. It's important not to rush this stage: you'll find that thanks to their high butter content and spell in the fridge, they'll rise far slow. Towards the end of the proving time, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
5 Beat the egg and milk together, then brush the tops of the risen buns with this mixture to glaze them. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
