Sunday was lazy day in our household. Hubby came back from his business trip from US, on Saturday morning, so the theme in our house was Jet Lag. I was not in much of the mood to cook anything fancy.

Since the grill season is in full swing, I decided to make hamburgers. With the burger patties, I cheated..Yeah,I admit I am not perfect. My Grandma’ has been using in her meatballs and in meatloaf french onion soup as a spice. It does not matter if it is from Maggi,Knorr or whomever; it works, every time. You do not need to use any eggs or bread crumbs. Burger stays together when you grill them.I had some spaghetti spice left so I threw the rest of it in the burger dough too.

For the burger dough, you need 500g minced beef/chicken/turkey. Mix everything together in a bowl and set aside. Let burger dough rest in the fridge at least one hour. Remove and make patties. This time I tried something new for me.I used cheddar cheese inside the patty, like so. 

I usually get ready-made hamburger buns but I found a really easy recipe which I modified a little.

Easy spelt burger buns

• 1 pack active-dry yeast
• 3 dl milk (whole, 2%, or skim) or water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 dl spelt flour
• 2dl rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon butter
• sesame seeds if you like

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl, if mixing by hand), stir the yeast into the warm milk adding sugar into it, and let it sit until dissolved.(I have noticed that if you will let the dough “prove” this stage already a little it will result in fluffiest buns ever!)
2. Measure oil, sugar, and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Add all the flour and stir until it forms a shaggy dough.
3. Knead at low speed, or by hand against of the counter, for 10 minutes. The finished dough should be smooth, feel slightly tacky, and spring back when poked. Return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about an hour.( I usually let the dough rise a couple of times,it makes the dough even lighter. Patience is the key here)
4. Dust your work surface with a little flour and turn out the risen dough on top. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape each into a tight ball.
5. Transfer the balls to a baking sheet and let rise until they look puffy and hamburger-sized roughly 30-40 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 225c° Melt the butter and brush it over the risen hamburger buns. This helps the tops to brown and keeps the crust soft. Bake the buns until golden, 15-18 minutes. Let the buns cool to room temperature before slicing and using. They are best if eaten within the next day or two, but will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

In the salad is tossed sliced cucumber, arugula,corn and sesame seeds together. Sauce had some yogurt and dill, little vinegar and just hint of a sugar.Simple but tasty side dish.

Enjoy!