Perfect Burger Buns

These put the spongy and dry grocery store buns to shame. The dough is very sticky to work with but it ends up making soft and sturdy buns that are the perfect compliment to a cheeseburger. Mmmmm. Cheeseburgers. Also, to respect what we accept as common courtesy I will refrain from all of my butt cheek jokes when referring to these buns. But it's hard so please appreciate my sacrifice. 

Originally from Comme Ça via The New York Times
Makes 8 buns 

3 tablespoons warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 large egg
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Egg wash:
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
Sesame seeds 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then set it aside. Also, lightly oil a large bowl and set that aside too. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Mix briefly to combine. Add the flours to the bowl and mix until incorporated. Mix in the butter and then switch the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky but try your hardest not to add any flour. I promise, it will all be worth it. 

Spritz your hands with a little cooking spray, scrape the dough out of your mixer and then place it in your prepared bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 - 1½ hours. 

When it's ready, use a dough scraper to divide the dough into 8 equal parts. I usually put a little flour down at this point, to keep the dough from sticking to my counter top. Using your hands, gently roll each portion of the dough into a ball and place on your prepared baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with a piece of lightly-oiled plastic wrap (I usually just spray a little cooking spray on the top of the buns and then place the plastic wrap on top). Let rise again, about 1 hour, until puffed up and nearly doubled. 

Place a large metal pan of hot water (I use my 9x13 metal cake pan) on the lowest rack of your oven and then preheat it to 400 degrees, with the other rack in the center. Brush the tops of your buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Bake the buns for about 15 minutes, rotating half way through, until the tops are a beautiful golden brown. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.