Burger Bun victory

I've long been searching for the perfect bread roll to use in homemade burgers (fish, chicken, beef, chickpea...whatever) and finally - FINALLY - I have found it. Thank you Dan Lepard, you are a bread-making genius.

This is his recipe, copied from his column in the Guardian. Alls I do differently is that I bung the combined wet ingredients with the dry in the food processor with the dough attachment on it and let it do the hard work of kneading. They are really lovely rolls and they keep quite well too - staying fresh and tasty for a couple of days. I also don't actually bother with the poppy seeds, mostly because they just make a giant mess when you're eating. For weeks afterward I keep finding them on the floor. They're quite tasty without, and they're also nice with sesame seeds.

Apologies for the dodgy pic - I was using my cellphone and I still haven't quite learnt how to keep get it to focus!

Dan Lepard's BBQ Onion Burger Buns


275g sliced white onion
50ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra for kneading
75g low-fat yoghurt
2 tsp honey
1 medium egg
1 sachet fast-action yeast
75g wholemeal flour
425g strong white flour, plus more for shaping
2 tsp salt
Poppy seeds
Put the onion and oil in a saucepan with a dash of water (this helps it sweat quickly) and cook over a medium heat until very soft, translucent and tender, with all of the moisture gone. Leave to cool, then mix the onion and any remaining oil with the yoghurt, honey and egg. Pour in 125ml warm water and the yeast, mix well, then add the wholemeal and white flours, plus the salt.
Start mixing everything together, adding extra water (about 50ml) to make a soft, sticky dough. I can't be exact here because it depends a little on how soft the cooked onions are, so gradually add the extra water and stop when it feels right for you.
Set aside for 10 minutes, then lightly oil a worktop and give the dough a quick 10-second knead. Return it to the bowl, cover and leave for another 10 minutes. Repeat this knead-and-leave sequence twice more, before finally leaving the dough to rise undisturbed for an hour.
Divide the dough into six or eight equal pieces, shape each into balls and flatten to about 2-3cm high. Brush the tops with water, roll in a plateful of poppy seeds so they stick well, then place on a couple of baking trays lined with nonstick baking paper. Cover and leave to rise for about 90 minutes, or until risen by half. Bake at 220C (200C fan-assisted)/425F/gas mark 7 for about 15 minutes, until just brown on top.
danlepard.com/guardian