Soft Potato Burger Buns

Instructions

PREPARE: Peel, steam, boil, or microwave your potato until tender. Mash it, then set it aside to cool.
MAKE THE DOUGH: When the potato is cool, combine the potato, bread flour, milk, egg, butter, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment fitted. Knead on high until the ingredients come together, then on medium speed for 12 minutes, until the dough is smooth and lightly sticky. (See notes)
FIRST RISE: Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. Pour the oil into the bowl, use the dough to spread it around the base and sides of the bowl, and then return the dough to the bowl. Cover with cling film or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, around one hour.
SHAPE AND SECOND RISE: When the dough has risen, turn out onto the bench top. It should be barely sticky at this stage, but if you find it too sticky to handle, dust it with a little extra flour. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces of 110g each. (see notes). Then, shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching it to close. Place each ball seam side down onto an oven tray or baking sheet lined with baking parchment paper, leaving plenty of room for expansion (you may need two sheets). Cover loosely and leave to rise for 1 - 1 ¼ hours until doubled in size again (this will depend on how warm your house is and if you have used fresh or dry yeast).
HEAT THE OVEN: After an hour, heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6. Whisk together the egg cream and salt to make the egg wash for the buns. When the buns have risen, brush generously but gently with the egg and cream mixture, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
BAKE: When the oven is hot, bake the buns for 18-20 minutes until deep golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and immediately spritz with cold water from a spray bottle (this helps to keep the buns lovely and soft), then drape with a clean cloth.
COOL: Cool for 10 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and keep covered with the cloth until you need them.

Notes

MAKE BY HAND: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can also mix the ingredients by hand in a large bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface for the same amount of time. Pro tip, oiling your hands slightly will stop the dough from sticking to you.

SIZE: 110g (3.8 oz.) gives 10 generously large burger buns. You could make them smaller, around 80g (2.8 oz.), for more petite burgers or smaller still for sliders. The smaller you go, the slightly shorter the baking time will be. For the 110 g buns, bake at 200 °C/400°F/Gas 6 for 18-20 minutes. For the 80 g buns, reduce the baking time by 2-3 minutes.

STORAGE: Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container or plastic bags (I reuse old bread bags for this purpose). Buns will keep for 2-3 days and can be frozen. If freezing, slice them in half before freezing so they defrost quicker.