BBQ Pepper Jack Turkey Burgers on Homemade Brioche Buns

It's almost summer and the weather has been amazing!  We just bought a new barbecue and we've been using it A LOT lately!  I love turkey burgers and I just mastered how to make really delicious burger and hotdog buns from SCRATCH!  I like to try to make bread myself because store-bought bread has an amazing amount of undesirable ingredients like HFCS and other chemicals that I just don't feel comfortable serving my family.  I find that even brands that say they are "all natural" are not.  These burger buns are SUPER easy because they are done mostly in the bread machine.  I use my bread machine EVERY time I make bread and pizza dough because it's so easy to just set the dough setting and it does all the work for me!  Then I shape the way I want and bake in the oven!  These buns freeze well also, just wrap them tightly in foil and put them in a ziplock freezer bag!  I use this same recipe to make hotdog buns.  I don't usually like hotdogs but I have discovered Applegate Farms organic, grass fed, minimally processed beef grown on sustainable farms hotdogs and they are YUM-MY!

Brioche Buns

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 stick butter, softened 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 3/4 cups bread flour
• 2 tsp. dry active yeast
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted

Place all ingredients, except the 2 tbsp. melted butter, in your bread machine in the order they are listed.  Set to the dough setting and press start.  

When cycle has finished, remove the dough onto a floured surface and gently form into a ball.  To make burger buns-using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick.  Using a large biscuit cutter or an inverted glass, cut the dough into rounds and place about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet (or I like to use baking stones). 

 To form hotdog buns- cut the dough ball in half, and in half again, repeating until you have 12 small balls.  Using the rolling pin, roll the balls out slightly to about 1 inch thick and roll up lengthwise, tuck the ends and pinch together.  Place about two inches apart on a baking sheet or stone.  Preheat the oven to 350. Cover and let rise until doubled in size about 30 - 60 minutes. 

 Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter and bake 15-20 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned and the internal temperature taken with a baking thermometer (or meat thermometer) reaches 190 degrees (the temperature is REALLY important, less than 190 degrees and your rolls will be dense, more than 200 degrees and your rolls will be dry and hard).  

BBQ Pepper Jack Turkey burgers

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 tbsp barbecue sauce (I like Annie's because it does not have HFCS)
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp. minced onion
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic or 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices pepper jack cheese

In a bowl, gently mix the turkey, barbecue sauce, worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper (I mix with my hands).  Divide the turkey mixture into 4 equal parts and form each part into a patty.  Grill on an outdoor grill or in a grill pan on the stove for about 5 minutes on each side.  You will know they are ready to flip with the juices run clear at the top of the burger.  The burgers are cooked through when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  When they reach 160 degrees, place a slice of pepper jack on top of each burger and close the lid to the grill or cover with a foil "tent" to melt the cheese. Serve on buns with your favorite burger toppings.

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!