Homemade, soft hamburger buns

Learn how to make homemade hamburger buns!
I prefer to weigh my ingredients for this recipe because the softness level of the end product is so important to me.  I use a kitchen scale and all measurements are in grams.

Ingredients:

200g warm water
70g sugar
8g yeast
75g melted butter (make sure its not hot, or itll affect the yeast)
1 egg
15g vital wheat gluten
150g baked potato (or equivalent of instant potatoes and water)
625g all purpose or bread flour
12g salt
Egg wash (1 egg plus some water)

Method:

Combine water, sugar and yeast to let yeast ‘proof’

Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT eggwash to a mixing bowl and mix well and continue to knead until soft and elastic.

Wet one hand with water to prevent dough from sticking.  Perform one “stretch and fold” then cover and let rise 30 minutes.  You will likely not see much rising after this first rise.

Deflate dough, “stretch and fold” cover and let rest another 30 minutes.  You should notice significant rising during this resting period.

Deflate dough and “stretch and fold” once more.

Separate dough into 12 balls, about 100g each.  Flatten each ball into a square with your fingers to deflate any air bubbles, and stretch each edge over the center, much like another stretch and fold.  Turn the ball over, roll it on the table under your cupped hand, then set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Repeat with each ball, separate each ball by a few inches.

Using a pastry brush,  brush eggwash over the top of each bun. 

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the buns are browned on top.  Throw a couple chunks of ice in the bottom of the oven to create steam when you put your buns in.

Remove and brush with butter. Add toppings if you wish.

Place buns in a towel lined bowl and cover with the towel so buns can steam and soften.

To make hotdog buns, instead of making balls, once you have stretched your ball of dough into a rough square to deflate any air bubbles, roll the square up like a loaf of bread and tuck the ends in.  Bake like rolls.