No need for a description. Let's go directly to the recipe.
Recipe
Ingredients for buns:
*for 8 buns
250g all purpose flour
100g boiled potatoes (boiled directly with skin)
60g butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
100g warm milk
7g fresh yeast
5g salt
Ingredients for cheeseburgers:
*for 4 burger patties
600g black august steak
2 pickled cucumbers
1 shallot
ketchup
8 felii de cheddar slices
FYI:
*I used rump steak combined with black angus bbq steak and chopped them together using the large hole disc on the mincer. We use any type of cut, ideally is to have a balance between the percentage of meat vs. the percentage of fat in the meat (80% meat to 20% fat).
*we need marbled and aged beef for the most authentic taste of the burger.
Steps to follow:
(1) Mix the fresh yeast with the sugar until we get a liquid composition.
(2) In a large bowl or the bowl of the food processor, sift the flour and mix it with the salt. Pour the milk in, the yeast and sugar mix, crushed potatoes (finely crush them, as mashed potatoes) , egg, the melted butter and knead in the robot for 5 minutes until we get a homogeneous dough without traces of flour.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
FYI:
*Be careful not to leave flour on the bottom of the bowl.
*The dough will be quite sticky, but don't add more flour. At the end after proofing it will be very easy to handle.
(3) With wet hands we will make 3 strech and folds as follows:
With your wet hands, grab the dough from one side, lift it and bring it to the center. Rotate the bowl, grab the dough from the other side and repeat the fold. We do this 4 times from all directions of the bowl. Leave to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 45 minutes.
Repeat the above step and let it rest again for 45 minutes.
Repeat the above step again and with wet hands lift and turn the ball of dough with the "seams" down and let it rest for 15 minutes this time.
FYI:
*the folds have the role of strengthening the gluten structure in the dough, finally obtaining a super elastic dough.
(4) After the dough is proofed, divide it into 8 pieces of approximately 70g and give them a round shape. Put them on a tray with baking paper and flatten them slightly with our hands. Leave them covered with a cotton towel for 30-40 minutes.
(5) Slightly flatten each bun again and brush them with egg wash. Put the tray in the preheated oven to 200C for a maximum of 25 minutes or until they become golden and beautiful!
(6) Mince the meat using a mincer and divide it into 8 parts of 75g each (2 for each cheeseburger) and shape them into balls.
(7) Place 2 balls of meat on a lightly oiled cast iron pan and flatten the meat with a burger press or a wider spatula until we form a patty slightly larger than the diameter of the bun (the meat will shrink while cooking). Use a piece of baking paper between the press and the meat so that the meat does not stick to the press.
Cook over high heat for a maximum of 2 minutes, then turn the meat over and immediately place a slice of cheddar on top. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the cheddar melts.
(8) Cut the buns in half and brown them on the grill. On the base of the bun spread ketchup, chopped onion and slices of pickled cucumber. Finalise the cheeseburger with the 2 overlapping meat patties and put the lid on the burger.
Simple and delicious, right?
Enjoy!
With love,
G.
