Originally Posted by
stut
Yes, it can be quite difficult to find the right bread for a burger. It shouldn't take away from the texture of the meat itself, but should be solid enough to hold it (and whatever else you want to put in there).
I have a particular hatred of generic, foamy bread. Sourdough works pretty well, I think, as long as it's not the more chewy varieties. My personal favourite, however, is a Scottish morning roll - the kind with the rice flour crust on top. Naturally, they suit a square sausage best of all, but they do a good job with a burger.
Also... It's not just about the quality of the mince, but the type as well. IMHO steak mince isn't the right type to use - a slightly fattier cut (or at least some of the fattier cut mixed in) does wonders for the flavour.
I think the perfect fat content should be around 15% otherwise it's either too dry and cardboard like - or makes the bread to wet. The mince itself mustn't be the discarded beef bits. It mustn't have gristle or sinew but simply be really good beef and fat. And of course once cooked you must leave the patty to sit to rest like a steak so that it is a juicy and not leaky.
My favourite burger bread was an accidental discovery. I was trying to perfect a bread machine challah mix (it's a jewish sort of brioche bread) but I wanted to make it in a machine so it could be available for marmalading at breakfast ... this is what it normally looks like ......
.... and it took me a year to arrive at the right mix suitable for a machine. I genuinely believe my machine version is tastier (but I recognise less attractive) than the plaited shop version. It is sweet and rich and great for sandwiches. Because it's square from a bread machine rather than plaited like the challah or round like a bun - it is the perfect base for a burger "bun". So it's cut thickly and toasted so is a sweet crisp rich and the patty is always square. So it is where it started - a "sandwich".
Actually we had exactly this today but I used a pre-made Laverstoke Buffalo burger which was flattened and squared with lashings of slowly braised red onion, with Dijon mustard and dare I say I Kraft slice on top. I know it's wrong and this sets me out as a heathen tasteless slob - but Kraft slices just seem right. This was with potato rostis and some sauvignon.
