Excellent Hamburger Buns

During the Summer I like to have hamburger buns on hand and these are easy to make and freeze beautifully.  You can just pop one or two out of the freezer and they defrost in no time at all.

1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast

Topping

• egg white beaten with 1 tsp. water
• everything bagel topping

Instructions

1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients to make a soft, smooth dough.
2. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk.
3. Deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.
4. Brush the buns with the egg and sprinkle on the topping. I did this before they were placed to rise.
5. Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven and place them on cooling racks.

 I just cut the dough in have and then cut each half into quarters.

 I think it is best to brush them with the egg and sprinkle the topping on before they rise so as not to deflate them.

 The should almost double in size before baking.

 The egg really makes the topping stick. You could also sprinkle them with either sesame seeds or poppy seeds.