Sweet Potato Spelt Buns

Nothing beats a good veggie burger. I mean, it's a burger that not only tastes delicious, but is also kind to your body, the planet, and all those we share it with.

In my opinion, there are four components to any good veggie burger. These are: the bun, the patty, the sauce and the salad filling. Mastering each of these means you have yourself one damn good veggie burger. But in this post, let's focus on the bun.

A lot of the time people will just buy their bread or buns, which is fine because I admit it is a bit time consuming to bake fresh bread whenever you want bread. But let me tell you now, it is so worth the extra effort!

Not only are these bread rolls soft and fluffy on the inside, and perfectly crunchy on the outside, but they're wholesome and nutritious too! Packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals thanks to using unrefined flour and sweet potato, as well as free of any added oils, preservatives or other additives, which are often snuck into commercial bread.

And these buns are not just for burgers either! I also love them for any other sandwiches (especially a chickpea tuna one), toasted and topped with hummus/avo/nut butter/jam/whatever your heart desires, or even just on their own!

Ingredients

• 1/2 packet of active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/2 cup orange sweet potato, cooked and pureed
• 2 cups wholemeal spelt flour, sifted
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp rice malt or maple syrup
• sesame seeds

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, yeast and warm water (make sure it's not too hot, or it will kill the yeast!). Whisk well and let it stand for 5 minutes. It should start foaming, which shows that your yeast is active!
2. Now mix the sweet potato puree and flax meal into the yeast mixture
3. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and slowly add the flour, mixing well to incorporate it into the dough. You will have to use your hands as it gets tougher
4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, then place into a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and let it sit somewhere warm for 1 hour to double in size
5. After the hour, punch the dough with your fist and roll into 6 equally sized balls to form the buns
6. Place onto a baking paper lined tray, about 5 cm apart. Cover again with the damp tea towel and let them sit for another hour to rise
7. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius
8. Thin the syrup out with a bit of water and brush some on top of the buns, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden
9. Enjoy!

Notes

• These buns are best eaten within 1-2 days, but you can store them for a bit longer, or freeze
• If you live in a colder climate, leave the dough rise in your oven at 40 degrees Celsius, or it might not rise
• Feel free to try out other flours (I'm sure wholemeal and oat flours would work), however keep in mind the result may vary!

This recipe was inspired by Mary's Test Kitchen