You know, you may lean towards a nice soft potato roll or a brioche roll when building your favorite cheeseburger.
But, have you ever considered choosing a bread that has a little more flavor and a little more tooth to it? Something that adds a new facet to your cheeseburger experience?
Well, I think you should definitely consider a Classic Baguette Roll.
French baguettes have a thin crispy crust and a chewy interior, which can be play a great supporting role to the juicy patty, the ooey gooey cheese, and flavorful condiments of a cheeseburger.
Classic baguette rolls have a mild and slightly sour flavor, which adds a new dimension to your creation while still allowing the flavors of the burger patty, unique cheeses, and toppings to shine through.
Now, choosing a French-style roll as the bun for your favorite cheeseburger recipe is certainly a bold move. But, it will ultimately be a matter of personal preference. Some people may enjoy the crispy texture, light flavor, and tighter crumb of a baguette, while others may find it to be too hard or dry. Ultimately, the best way to decide if a French baguette is right for your burger is to try it and see for yourself.
If you are looking for a burger bun that is soft and fluffy, a traditional hamburger bun may be a better option. However, if you are looking for a burger bun that is crispy and flavorful, a French baguette could be a good choice.
Recommended Tools
- Instant-read thermometer
- Stand mixer
- Kitchen scale
- Parchment paper
Ingredients for Classic Baguette Rolls
Starter
- ⅛ tsp active dry yeast
- 120 g water
- 120 g all-purpose flour
Dough
- 5 g active dry yeast
- 255 g water, lukewarm
- prepared starter
- 420 g unbleached all-purpose flour
- 12 g salt
Other
- 2 cups hot water for steaming
Directions for making Classic Baguette Rolls
Starter
In a small mixing bowl, combine the starter ingredients (yeast, water and flour). Mix together to make a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours. You should see the initial indicators of fermentation after about four hours. The starter should have expanded and be visibly bubbly.
Dough
Add yeast and water to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix gently. Allow to bloom for 5 min.
Add all of the starter to the water and yeast mixture and mix together.
Add flour and salt to the bowl. Using a dough-hook, mix on low speed for approximately 1 minute to combine ingredients. Once ingredients are combined, adjust stand-mixer speed to medium-low and mix for approximately 4 to 5 minutes. When complete, the dough should lightly stick to the bottom of the bowl.
Place the dough in a lightly-greased medium-sized bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest and rise at room temperature for 1 hour. Dough should roughly double in size.
Uncover and begin the stretch and fold by lifting the dough up from the edge and pulling it over the center of the bowl. Rotate the bowl 1/8th of a turn an repeat the lift and pull for a total of eight times.
Cover the bowl and allow to rest and rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Again, the lift and pull process; lifting and pulling the dough a total of eight times.
Re-cover and allow to rest and rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Uncover and remove the dough from the bowl and weigh. There should be roughly 900g of dough. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces - approximately 90g each. Eighty to 90 grams of dough makes for a good size burger bun.
Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the balls between the surface and your palm to shape the pieces into into balls.
Place the shaped dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with lightly-oiled plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature.
During this final rise, the dough should have risen and have a puffy appearance. It should not have doubled in size.
Bake
During final rise, place a cast-iron skillet on the bottom shelf of your oven and preheat to 425F.
Remove plastic wrap.
Using a sharp knife or a baker's lame (a special baking knife), make 1/4" deep cut from edge to edge across the top of each dough ball.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
Place the baking sheet with dough on center rack of the oven.
Pour 2 cups of hot water into the hot cast iron skillet. Caution: Avoid pouring water on the window of the oven door.
Bake 20-24 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Buns should be baked to a golden brown. Keep an eye on these during baking as they can burn quickly.
Place rolls on a wire rack to cool.
