Everyone has their idea of the perfect hamburger bun. This is a 100% whole grain bun that's light in texture, and neutral in taste. It's  also easy to make, that scores high marks by me. This recipe is based on a recipe in "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book", called "Busy People's Bread". Looking back on the original recipe I have changed it quite a bit. This is a straight dough which means you do not let it sit overnight to ferment. 

This dough is very stiff, so don't be shocked when you are mixing it. Even though it's stiff, It raises very nicely and is easy to handle and shape. It makes 12 good size buns but I also use it for making Calzones.

I have always weighed everything but for you folks that don't have a scale I have converted the grams. Please note it is always more accurate to weigh the ingredients.

Yields: 12 Buns - 95g ea.
Bake: 375 degrees 5 minutes
          350 degrees 10 minutes - Total bake time 15-20 minutes

Recipe
642g Hard White (5 1/3 cup)
3/4 tsp. dried malt powder (you can omit if you like)
8g Salt (3/4 tsp.)
10g Yeast (3 1/2 tsp.)

Liquid
45g Cane Syrup (honey) (2 T. +1 tsp.)
408g Water (1 3/4 cup)

20g Butter (1 1/2 T.)
10g Soy Flour (1 1/2 T.)

Directions

• Develop the gluten, (mix 3 minutes) Remove from the mixer and place the dough on the counter and flatten it out.
• Soften the butter and add the soy flour to form a paste. Spread the paste onto the dough and cut the dough into pieces and add back to the mixer bowl.
• Knead until the butter mixture is incorporated into the dough. The dough will now be softer. If should only take about 2 minutes.
• Bulk proof for 30 minutes
• Shape into 12 round balls about 95g each. I use my muffin top pan for the buns. I place the pan on a cookie sheet so the bottom of the buns do not brown too much. But you could just put it on a cookie sheet. Flatten the balls to shape them for hamburger buns.
• Add Shine: 1 large egg yolk + 2 tsp. water mix in a small bowl and brush the buns before proofing them.
• Proof for an addition 20 minutes until about the size you want them.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
• Put into the oven and bake at 375 for 5 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of the 10-15 minutes.

Add Shine:
2 tsp. Water
1 Egg Yolk

The holidays are always busy, so what ever you can get done in advance is a blessing. Having fresh baked rolls right out of the oven on Thanksgiving, is the goal. This is possibly if you do the prep work days ahead of time and freeze them. This allows you to just bake them that day.

Guidelines to Follow for the Best Results

1. This works best with  bread recipes that are richer, (have milk, eggs, or butter/oil) rather than a lean bread, one made with simply flour, water, salt, and yeast. The lean breads are more susceptible to freezer damage.
2. Increase the amount of yeast by 20% in case some of the yeast dies due to the freezing process.
3. Freeze the rolls as quickly as possible.
4. Store in the freezer where they will stay at a constant cold temperature.
5. Freeze no long than 2-3 weeks it will damage the yeast and your rolls will not be as light.
6. The day you want to serve them, take as many rolls as you want out of the freezer; place them in a pan; and let them thaw/rise for 4 to 5 hours.  Bake as usual and enjoy!
   

Steps:

1. Make your dough with cool, not lukewarm, liquid (water or milk). You don't want to activate the yeast.
2. Do not bulk proof your dough. Go ahead and shape the rolls as soon as your dough is fully kneaded with a window pain. Do this quickly so the yeast does not start to percolate.
   
3. Place the rolls in a pan lined with waxed paper or parchment. Cover the pan with plastic wrap.
4. Place the pan in the freezer. Make sure to place it in the coldest part of your freezer, then leave the freezer door shut until the rolls are frozen solid. The more quickly they freeze solid, the better your final result will be.
5. Freeze the rolls completely., they should be rock hard. Once frozen place into a  zip-lock bag they should be good for 2-3 weeks.
6. The day you want to serve freeze-and-bake rolls, remove them from the freezer. You can hurry the process by putting the pan somewhere warm, like in a corner of your busy kitchen. Or slow it down by putting it somewhere cool, like on the back porch. But standard-size frozen dinner rolls, frozen for just a couple of weeks, will take about 4 to 5 hours to thaw and then rise at cool room temperature (about 65°F to 70°F).
7. Time to bake the risen rolls.

A couple of weeks before the big event take about 20 minutes to make the dough and shape the rolls and freeze them. You will look like a pro on Thanksgiving day as the turkey and all the fixings are done along with fresh baked rolls to enjoy.

Source:
King Aurthur Baking
Freeze and Bake Rolls, PJ Hamel