Smash Burger with Tangzhong Buns

Name: Smash Burger with Tangzhong Buns
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 6 portions
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 60 g · ¼ cup milk, for the tangzhong; 27 g · 2 tbsp water, for the tangzhong; 20 g · 2½ tbsp bread flour, for the tangzhong; 120 g · ½ cup milk, warmed to 35°C; 9 g · 1 tbsp dry yeast; 320 g · 2½ cups bread flour; 35 g · 3 tbsp sugar; 7 g · 1¼ tsp salt; 70 g · 1 egg + 1 yolk egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature; 42 g · 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 720 g · 1½ lb beef chuck and brisket, freshly ground; 120 g · 6 slices American cheese; 90 ml · 6 tbsp burger sauce, mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickles; 5 g · 1 tsp salt and pepper

🍽 Serves 6⏱ Prep 45 min🔥 Cook 20 min⏳ Rest 120 min🌍 American

Soft homemade tangzhong buns and crusty smashed patties of chuck and brisket.

📍 United States of America

The story of the dish

During the Great Depression, in 1920s Oklahoma, a simple burger became a symbol of making more with less. Cooks smashed beef thin on a hot griddle and piled it with cheap onions, stretching expensive meat into an affordable, flavourful meal — the legendary Depression Burger

The name: The name reflects its birthplace and the clever technique that turned a humble burger into an American classic.

Ingredients

Ingredient	EUg · ml	UScups · spoons
milk for the tangzhong	60 g	¼ cup
water for the tangzhong	27 g	2 tbsp
bread flour for the tangzhong	20 g	2½ tbsp
milk warmed to 35°C	120 g	½ cup
dry yeast	9 g	1 tbsp
bread flour	320 g	2½ cups
sugar	35 g	3 tbsp
salt	7 g	1¼ tsp
egg + 1 egg yolk room temperature	70 g	1 egg + 1 yolk
unsalted butter	42 g	3 tbsp
beef chuck and brisket freshly ground	≈ 720 g	≈ 1½ lb
American cheese	≈ 120 g	≈ 6 slices
burger sauce mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickles	≈ 90 ml	≈ 6 tbsp
salt and pepper	≈ 5 g	≈ 1 tsp

≈ amount suggested from similar recipes

Tools & equipment

Item	UAEamazon.ae	USamazon.com
Stand Mixer	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Meat Grinder	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Cast Iron Pan	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Burger Smasher	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Baking Paper	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Kitchen Scale	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Thermometer	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Bench Scraper	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy
Burger Mold	🛒 Buy	🛒 Buy

Also used: cast iron griddle · baking tray

Method

Tangzhong: cook the milk, water and 20 g flour over medium heat, whisking, until thick.
Mix the warm milk and yeast and rest 8 to 10 minutes.
Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl, add the yeast milk and mix on low for 2 minutes.
Add the tangzhong, egg and yolk, mix until smooth, then add the butter and knead 8 minutes.
Proof about 1.5 hours at 25°C (75°F) until doubled, shape 6 buns of 95 to 105 g, proof again and bake brushed with egg wash.
Form 120 g balls of ground chuck and brisket, smash them hard on a very hot griddle, season and cook until deeply browned.
Flip, add cheese, and build the burgers with the sauce in the toasted buns.

👨‍🍳 Chef’s tips

Smash once, hard, in the first 30 seconds: that is where the crust comes from (Maillard reaction).

📱 Scan to watch me cook ityoutu.be/wZi5zaTfWeIEvery step on video, and new recipes every week: subscribe on YouTube.

Nutrition per portion estimate · 1 of 6

690kcal

36 gprotein

52 gcarbs

36 gfat

Allergens

GlutenEggsMilkMustard

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▶ Watch me cook it: youtu.be/wZi5zaTfWeI

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