Homemade Martins Potato Rolls

For the ultimate smash burger

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This week's recipe is another result of a huge craving for a smash burger. I don't know where it came from, but the idea wouldn’t leave my head. I kept picturing the perfect smash burger, almost like the emoji of a burger, a deeply caramelised patty with melted cheese and a soft golden bun. I had no choice; I had to make one. I wanted something simple and classic, with no random toppings—in fact, barely any toppings at all—just an honest to god smash burger. To me, that means a thinly smashed patty, obviously, a little burger sauce, cheese, and pickles, nothing else. You might be wondering now: isn't this a baking newsletter? And you’d be correct, but what you’re forgetting is that I am no normal person who goes out and buys the burger buns; I decided to make the burger completely from scratch, burger bun and all (okay, except the cheese, but everything else I made).

For a smash burger, nothing beats a potato roll, the softest, squishiest bread that also holds up really well. Brioche is probably the most common burger bun choice here in the UK because, very sadly, no one sells potato rolls here. Supermarkets are awash with brioche burger buns, but not a single producer of potato rolls exists. The problem with brioche is that it is like a sponge; it soaks up all the juices but then starts to break apart. Potato rolls manage to have the perfect balance of squishy and structural support; they’re really the perfect burger bun. 

To make my version of a potato roll, I used two techniques: firstly, the bun is made with mashed potatoes because, well, they’re potato rolls; the clue really is in the name. Secondly, the recipe is made using the tangzhong method; this is simply a mixture of flour and milk cooked until it forms a paste and added to the dough. Both of these techniques do a similar thing; potatoes are naturally starchy, and starch is excellent at absorbing and holding onto water. The tangzhong paste gelatinises the flour, which also helps it hold on to more water. Because the rolls can retain more water, they end up much softer. When you cook the potato, the water the potatoes cook in ends up a little starchy, so, to really maximise the starch content in the bread, I also use some of this water in the dough as well.

When it comes to the burger itself, like I said, I wanted to keep things simple. I used high-fat ground beef, around 20% fat, seasoned it well in the pan, and topped the patty with sliced American cheese (or at least the British equivalent) and a few sliced pickles. A little burger sauce was all the burger needed to give me exactly what I was craving - a perfect smash burger. I’m no grill master or even that frequent of a barbecuer, but here’s my very limited advice on making a smash burger.

Don't make the patty too large. For the sizes of these buns, nothing over 100g per patty is appropriate; around 85g gave me the best combo of smashed wide enough to fill the bun whilst still being appropriately thin.

Don't try to make a smash burger with lean beef, because smash burgers are cooked very thin, lean beef would produce a dry burger. I like to use a 20% fat beef mince.

Cook on one side until the meat is almost fully cooked, all the way though. You want to flip the burger only when you see a little raw meat left; this ensures the underside will be deeply caramelised and have both great texture and flavour. When flipping the burger, you will want to scrape the burger from the pan so that all the caramelised crust of the burger stays attached to the burger and is not stuck in the pan. For this reason, something like a cast iron skillet works best for smash burgers; this isn't the time to use a nonstick pan.

Season the burger well. The combination of a deeply caramelised burger, seasoned well, results in a very flavourful burger. Without the salt, you’ll get a great texture, but the flavour will be lacking.

When you flip the burger, add the cheese and immediately place a lid over the pan or cover the patty with a small metal bowl. Do this just for a few seconds. The steam will help the cheese melt, and if you’ve cooked the patty correctly, the second side will only need a few the shortest of cooking times to finish off the cook.

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