Light Wheat Hamburger Buns

Heat milk and water together in the microwave until warm, about one minute (technically I think it’s to 110 degrees, but I think of it as the temperature of a warm bath). Mix the milk mixture with yeast in a large bowl and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Then, stir in honey, 1/4 cup butter, salt, and whole wheat flour. Stir in flour a bit at a time, stopping when the dough pulls away from the sides and wants to form a ball. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

Pour oil into a clean large bowl. Turn dough ball in the oil and place in the bowl. Cover with a damp towel and leave in a warmish place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch (literally) dough down, re-cover, and leave in warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes.

Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round on a lightly floured surface. Brush two cookie sheets with some of the 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Using a floured 3 inch cookie cutter (or the mouth of a drinking glass), cut rounds and place on buttered cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Brush the tops of the buns with remaining butter. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in a warmish place until puffed, about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put an oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven and another in the bottom 1/3 and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake with one cookie sheet on each rack for 5 minutes, then switch and bake for 3 more minutes. The buns should sound hollow when tapped. Immediately remove to a cooling rack.

The buns can be frozen in a large Ziploc bag. When ready to eat, bake from frozen for 8-10 minutes, or until buns sound hollow again, in a 400 degree F oven.