I love burgers but sometimes I don’t really want to commit to just one. It’s a giant burger! What if I want ketchup and mustard to start but then half way through I’m like, damn, I wish this was BBQ sauce. Well, this is where sliders come in. You can get the whole burger experience, but you can change it up for a varied meal. These buns come together quickly and easily and can even be standard dinner rolls. Double duty. The best kind of duty amiright.
I really don’t have a long, drawn out blogger recipe post for these buns. I wish I did. Ad revenue! Alas, I’m a terrible blogger. I turned on Ads about six months ago and I’ve made a total of…wait for it…$24 in ad revenue. If you’re a social media manager and want a client that will work for high fives, hit me up. I need your help. Cuz, I’m truly awful at this, but I make great food and my pictures are alright.
Enough of all that. Here’s the recipe and a little bit of info on how to get the most from your buns.
This recipe is vegan! Surprise right. Vegan blog and all. The recipe really doesn’t change much when veganized. You use a milk for the liquid because it adds some protein and other things which give the buns more flavor and color than water alone. You need oil so that the buns are soft and not dense like bread. Can you skip the oil? Sure. But, your buns won’t be pillowy soft. The oil, AKA fat, inhibits gluten from forming a tight network. Pizza dough has a high gluten content which makes it chewy. Dinner rolls or these buns should be soft and airy and melt in your mouth. So, don’t skip the fat. You’re eating a slider folks. Enjoy it.
Just like fat, a soft bun needs some sugar. (I’m totally laughing while I think about that). Sugar does two things: helps to inhibit gluten strength and retain moisture. It’s not so much that the buns will be sweet, because there isn’t that much sugar in total, but it is enough to weaken the gluten. If you’ve ever had someone’s “healthy” dinner rolls or buns and they are dry and tough it’s probably because they skipped the sugar and fat.
Slider Buns
Equipment
- 9×13" baking pan or a Lloyds 10×14" pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened oat milk (could other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 packet, not Dry Active)
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons avocado oil or melted vegan butter (room temperature shortening works too)
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a sauce pan or in the microwave. It should feel like bathwater, not above 105°F. Stir in the yeast and let it sit while you prep the other ingredients. You don't need to soak instant yeast, but it does help it "wake up" so that your dough rises faster.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Pour in the warmed milk with yeast and add the oil or melted butter. Use a heavy spoon to mix the dough until it comes together and becomes too difficult to mix with a spoon.
- Rub a little oil on your hands to avoid having the dough stick to them, and knead the dough in the bowl until no dry spots remain and it looks somewhat smooth. About 3 minutes of kneading.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9×13" baking dish. Set aside.
- Turn the dough onto a work surface. Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Roll the dough pieces on the work surface using the palm of your hand. The dough ball should be smooth and round. Place the dough balls into the baking dish. They will come close to touching. Cover the baking dish and let the dough balls rise for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Bake the buns for 17-20 minutes. The tops should be slightly browned. To give them even more color, remove the buns from the oven at the 15 minute mark and brush the tops with some non-dairy milk then return to the oven for 5 more minutes of baking.
- Once the buns are finished cooking carefully remove from the baking dish and let cool on a wire rack. The easiest way to transfer the buns is to tilt the pan slightly and use a spatula to get the buns to slide over the side.
Notes
I may be a terrible blogger but I do post often on Instagram! Lots of recipes and lots of pictures. If you make a recipe from my blog make sure to post it and tag me on IG so I can see and shout you out! I love doing that.
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You have pretty buns!
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