How to Make Perfect Mini Burger Sliders

To be honest I had never tried making sliders. And I was pleasantly surprised with the result. Little sweet buns filled with a delicious filling. Couple of bites and they’re gone. Kind of made me feel like a giant.

The buns are the star in this dish for sure. Although I am biased because I love bread so much. But hear me out. The dough contains, milk powder for that extra creamy flavour. It has honey for sweetness which also gives the crust a beautiful golden-brown colour and lastly the buttermilk enriches the dough and gives it that slight tanginess.

A long slow fermentation contributes to the flavour too. If you are impatient, then you could use warmer buttermilk so that the buns rise quicker. Bread making is not about speed though. The best bakes take time.

This recipe makes 16 sliders which would easily be enough for 4 people. To make more simply multiply the amount of ingredients.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

400g (14.1oz) strong white bread flour

6g (0.2oz) instant dry yeast or 7.2g (0.25oz) active dry yeast or 18g (0.63oz) fresh yeast

8g (0.3oz) salt

20g (0.7oz) honey

20g (0.7oz) milk powder. You can make the buns without this if you cannot get a hold of it.

30g (1oz) vegetable oil

1 whole egg, around 50g (1.75oz)

170g (6oz) buttermilk, cold from the fridge. You can swap this for a mix of 100g (3.5oz) milk + 70g (2.45oz) yogurt.

*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of milk for glazing

Sesame seeds to sprinkle

40g (1.4oz) melted butter to brush after baking

For the beef –

500g (1.1lb) minced beef

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

10g (0.35oz) Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper

To assemble –

400g grated cheese. I used a mix of cheddar & mozzarella

30g parmesan

Sliced tomatoes

Gherkins

But of course, you can fill your buns with whatever you like!

Method

1. In a bowl combine the buttermilk, yeast, salt, milk powder, egg, oil & honey. Mix well to dissolve any large salt crystals and hydrate the yeast. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
2. Tip the dough out on your table and knead for around 6 – 7 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 25C (77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
3. Cover & ferment for 3 hours or until almost doubled in size.
4. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Pre-shape them into balls.
5. Let the dough balls rest for 30 minutes.
6. Final shape into buns. Place on a non-stick paper lined tray.
7. Final proof for 2 – 2.5 hours. *During the final hour of fermentation preheat your oven to 160C (320F) fan on.
8. Cook the beef while you are waiting. In a hot pan add the beef and cook until browned. Add the onion, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook another 10 minutes on medium heat to soften the onions. Finish with the Worcestershire sauce.
9. Brush the buns with the egg yolk & milk glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds all over.
10. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.
11. Let the buns cool down for 20 minutes.
12. Slice the buns in half. Sprinkle the bottom part with half of the cheese. Pop them in the oven to melt the cheese. You can turn the temperature up or place the buns closer to the heating element, so that the cheese melts quickly as we want to avoid drying the buns out.
13. Finish with the rest of the ingredients. Leave the cheese for last. Cover with the top part of the buns and brush with melted butter all over.
14. Pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes to melt the cheese & heat everything through.

Enjoy whilst fresh! Although I had some left over and they were still good the next day after I microwaved them ?

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different, so the baking times may vary too.