Lye burgers are a tasty change from classic burgers. We’ll show you how to make the vegan burger buns and vegan patties at home.

Pretzel rolls are ideal as burger buns. You only need a few ingredients for the soft rolls and you can easily prepare them vegan. It is up to you which patty you use for the pretzel burger. Below you will find recipe suggestions for matching burger patties.

Tip: If you are in a hurry, you can also use ready-made burger patties made from seitan or tofu for the pretzel burger. It is best to pay attention to an organic seal, because this way you support ecological agriculture and protect yourself and the environment from chemical-synthetic pesticides. You can find out more about this here: Beyond Meat, EnerBio and The Vegetarian Butcher: Veggie Burgers in Test.

Lye Burger: Recipe for vegan lye rolls

The following recipe makes eight small burger buns.

Ingredients:

0.5 cubes of yeast
1 tsp sugar
220 ml water (lukewarm)
400 g flour (e.g. spelled flour type 630)
1 tsp salt
30 vegan butter / vegan margarine
3 tablespoons baking soda
sesame for sprinkling

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast along with the sugar in a few tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and add the remaining water, salt and the softened vegan butter or vegan margarine.

Knead for a few minutes until you have a smooth and no longer sticky dough – the longer you knead, the better. This can be done with the dough hook of a food processor or a hand mixer, but you can also do it with your hands.

Form the dough into a ball and let it rise, covered, in a warm place for about 45 minutes until it has doubled in size. Then portion the dough into eight equal parts (for small pretzel burgers) and form them into balls. Let the dough pieces rise again for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 190°C top/bottom heat and bring one to two liters of water to the boil in a large saucepan. Stir in 3 tablespoons of baking soda and drop each ball of dough into the boiling water for 30 seconds.

Allow the dough pieces to drain briefly and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or a well-greased baking sheet. Cut into the pretzel buns with a sharp knife and immediately sprinkle with sesame seeds or coarse sea salt. If the buns are already too dry, you can brush the dough pieces with some plant-based milk as a milk substitute.
Bake the buns for the pretzel burger for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and then let them cool on a wire rack. Tip: You can easily freeze leftover pretzel buns.

Vegan burger patties recipe

In the pretzel burger in the photos, we used our patty recipe for vegan burgers with kidney beans. The recipe makes about eight small patties.

This is how you put the lye burger together

The pretzel burger tastes particularly delicious with pickles, a slice of vegan cheese and fresh or homemade caramelized onions. Depending on the season, you can garnish the burger with fresh lettuce and tomato slices. A vegan dip as a sauce or simply ketchup and/or vegan mayo should not be missing.

Tip: A homemade tartar sauce, which you can easily prepare vegan, also goes very well with it. If you prepare the patties from tofu or seitan, sweet mustard also tastes very good.

5 secrets of a chef

1. It is important to caramelize the loaf. To do this, you need to grease its inner parts with oil and put it in an ordinary frying pan at home. The fire on the stove should be low, fry until crisp. This will prevent the sauce from soaking into the bun and turning the burger into mush.
2. The sauce is not spread on the cutlet, but on the top and bottom of the roll. Now it will not be absorbed into them, and the cheese will not slide off the cutlet.
3. In order for the cutlet to remain juicy after frying, in no case should it be pressed with a spatula against a baking sheet or pan. This is often done in American films, but it’s wrong. That’s right – just turn the cutlet over every 30 seconds, without putting any pressure on it. Then the cutlet will remain juicy on the inside, and the outside will be crispy.
4. You need to fry the cutlet for 6 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. On home pans and gas stoves, the temperature is under 300, so you need to fry over low heat and turn it over exactly every 30 seconds, and not every 3 minutes. Since pans rarely have a temperature sensor, you need to visually monitor the crust. And as a rule, in a frying pan, the cutlet will be ready in 4 minutes.
5. It is best to use marbled beef, but not required. It all depends on your capabilities, imagination and the range of the neighboring store, so minced meat can be made even from turkey or crocodile. The main thing is to observe the ratio of meat and fat. Optimal 80% to 20%, although someone loves fatter – 70% to 30%. You can even make vegan burgers – for example, from soaked chickpeas with turmeric.

Many people love burgers, but not everyone knows how to cook them at home. On average, any amateur culinary specialist makes at least one of 7 mistakes during their preparation. We will tell you how to avoid these mistakes and get the perfect burger at home.

1. Mistake # 1 Wrong choice of meat for a burger. The principle “the more expensive the better” does not work here. But other works: the fatter, the better. Our goal is to make burger patties as juicy as possible, and these can only come from cuts with a lot of fat. The ideal ratio of meat to fat in minced meat should be 80% meat and 20% fat or 75% meat and 25% fat. For example, minced meat made from 2/3 shoulder beef and 1/3 of the flank is perfect for a burger.
2. Mistake # 2 The abundance of unnecessary ingredients in the burger mince. A bun, mustard, egg, spices, and herbs soaked in milk … All this is good in meatloaf, but not in a burger cutlet. It is enough to add only onions, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to the minced meat. Add pepper to the minced meat immediately, but sprinkle the ready-made raw cutlet with salt, otherwise, it may simply fall apart during cooking and may become harsh after cooking.
3. Mistake # 3 We make the perfect cutlet. Cook the minced meat yourself by turning it through the largest nozzle. And be sure to cool it before modeling so that the fat does not stick to your hands, and so that the cutlets do not stick to the pan, remove the cutlets in the refrigerator before frying (laying them with pieces of baking paper). It is even better if you scroll the meat chilled in the refrigerator. To keep your patties juicy, do not try to sculpt them perfectly even and thick. Make a notch in the center of each, so it will be both thick and regular when fried. If you cook burgers often, buy a special minced meat press or at least a cooking ring. Make the cutlet a little larger in diameter than necessary, because it will fry anyway. The cutlet with high-fat content is especially lost in size.
4. Mistake # 4 Using too fluffy burger buns. When we eat a burger, we want to taste the taste of meat, cheese, sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and … buns, not just the taste of a wonderful soft bun. Therefore, fluffy buns, in this case, are not the right choice. You can even make a pita burger if you want. This dish is less high in calories and tastes as good as a classic burger. A good option is a brioche. Yes, she is lush but squeezed wonderfully by her hands. Remember burger is eaten by hand! Before assembling, cut the bun in half and be sure to fry in a dry frying pan or grill on the crumb side.
5. Mistake # 5 Constantly checking the readiness of the burger cutlet. Do not stir the meat while it is cooking in the pan. Do not cut it open to check its readiness, do not turn it over every 15 seconds. Trust me, it will cook in 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness) and without your super-sensitive guidance. If you want to control the process, check the readiness of the burger patty with a special probe or thermometer. This way you will damage the cutlet less and keep it juicy. And fry the cutlet in a very preheated pan or grill, not forgetting about the vegetable oil. Only the cutlet should not float in it!
6. Mistake # 6 We use an abundance of sauces and additives when assembling a burger. A generous serving of sauce or even sauces looks incredible in Instagram photos, but in real life, it’s better to limit yourself to three additional elements (tomato/cucumber, bacon, a slice of cheese) and 1-2 sauce. The combination of mayonnaise and ketchup with lettuce, tomato, and onion may seem trivial, but that’s where you need to start! Firstly, you can easily bite off a piece of such a juicy burger, and, secondly, you probably won’t oversalt anything, don’t over-pepper, or spoil it with an inappropriate filling. The harmony of flavors in a burger is equally important for the right meat and buns.
7. Mistake # 7 Incorrect assembly of the burger. An approximate assembly scheme for a classic hamburger should be as follows (from bottom to top): half a toasted bun + onion + sauce + cutlet + tomato/cucumber + green salad + sauce + the second half of a toasted bun. Remember that the sauce should not get the bread wet!

Burgers are great for a picnic or party, and they are damn delicious too! Today you will learn how to cook great burgers and learn ten life hacks that will help you become the best at this business.

1. Only cook with fresh meat. Marbled beef works best for the burger, but other meats can be used as well. It is only important to maintain the ratio: 80% meat to 20% fat (800 grams of meat – 200 grams of fat).
2. Don’t buy minced meat. It is not known who, how, and from what made it. Grind the meat yourself, but not too hard: the minced meat for burgers should be textured.
3. Knead the minced meat with your hands. You can even throw it on a board or table. This will distribute the fat, herbs, spices and other ingredients added to the meat evenly and make the mixture more fluffy. To prevent the minced meat from sticking to your hands, soak them in cold water.
4. To ensure that all burger patties are the same shape and mass, shape them with a cooking ring or use a lid from a large jar. Shallow plastic containers will also work. The main thing is that the cutlet should not be thicker than one and a half centimeters and weigh about 200 grams. And don’t forget to make a groove in the center!
5. Try to keep the burger patties slightly larger than the buns. Then the meat is fried to the desired size.
6. Keep the patties in the refrigerator while you prepare the sauce and chop the rest of the ingredients. When warm, the fat in the minced meat will begin to melt faster than it will be on the grill, which means the burger will turn out dry.
7. Salt the burger patties just before frying. If you add salt directly to the minced meat, sodium chloride will begin to break down protein bonds, and the meat will acquire a dense sausage-like texture. The burger won’t be juicy.
8. Don’t flip the patties too often. The less you touch them, the juicier they become. First, roast the meat in a direct heat zone, then move to the edge of the grill. While frying, lightly presses down on the cutlet with a spatula. For medium-frying, six minutes are enough. Readiness can be determined with a special thermometer: the temperature inside the cutlet must be at least 70 ° C.
9. Collect your burger the right way. First, the sauce (on both halves of the roll), then lettuce (on the lower, smaller half), and finally the cutlet. This will prevent the bread from getting wet ahead of time.
10. Put your knife and fork aside – eat the burger with your hands! With both hands. Press it down well, turn it upside down (so the contents will not fall out), and enjoy the yummy with a juicy cutlet.

You will definitely need these rules to make the perfect burger at home!

1. The alpha and omega of a good burger is minced meat. Ready, of course, we do not buy under any circumstances. We choose moderately lean beef on the market (you can add pork and lamb to it) and ask the seller to scroll (or we do it ourselves). And – the main secret – add a little pork or lamb fat to the minced meat – also, of course, ground. Fat or lard should be 20% of the total. If you want to add cheese or bacon to your burger, reduce the percentage of fat to 10-15%.
2. What can be mixed into minced meat? Try adding bacon, raw sausage, smoked meats, or basturma; good are pine and walnuts (especially in minced lamb), pieces of cheese, fruits, and dried fruits (they must be wrapped in the center of the minced meat, otherwise they will burn when frying). Spices, herbs, onions, and garlic – no questions asked.
3. Rule number one – never press the patties while frying! Let the bad actors do it in cheap films about the American hinterland. By pressing the cutlet into the skillet, you squeeze the juices out of it, making the burger dry and lifeless. Rule number two – don’t flip the cutlet too quickly, let the crust fully form.
4. There are two options: either urgently buy a country house and install a stationary grill there, or get a good cast-iron frying pan with a thick bottom and a non-stick coating. It is tempting to use a regular grill pan, but, alas, in the case of burgers, it is not very suitable: the cutlet will not cook evenly. But on a cast-iron skillet (which, of course, needs to be warmed up properly), the cutlet will be exactly as it should – with a crust on the outside and soft inside.
5. Do not forget to lightly fry the roll on the cut so that the crust does not allow the roll to get wet from cutlet juices. With fillings, you need to balance between two fires. On the one hand, it’s silly to make a clone of a restaurant burger at home with a standard cheese and cucumber set. Try adjika instead of ketchup, jam instead of mayonnaise, pickled tomatoes instead of fresh ones, and lightly salted cucumbers instead of salted ones. On the other hand, you shouldn’t turn a burger into a multi-story structure with everything in the refrigerator. You will regret the guests, and leave something for your breakfast.

Burger! And if your mouth is full of saliva now, it’s time to learn the secrets of making the most delicious grilled burgers.

1. Any soft-baked product that can be cut into two parts: a lid and a bottom are suitable as a “burger bun”. Ideally, the bun should be slightly sweet. And experts also recommend not to take buns with a crispy crust and an excessive content of all kinds of bran.
2. Before folding the burger, grill the halves of the bun. If you don’t do this and put the cutlets on the bun right away, the bread will absorb the meat juices and the burger will fall apart.
3. The burger must have a vegetable filling. The classic assembly scheme: green salad, tomatoes, onions (fresh or fried), fresh or pickled cucumbers. But, in principle, you can add other vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant).
4. Traditionally, a hamburger is not complete without ketchup and yellow mild mustard. BBQ and chili sauces are also commonly used. Less often, cheese sauces and mayonnaise are added.
5. If you’re making burgers for the company, you can put patties, buns, and filling ingredients on the table so everyone can make a burger to their liking.
6. And no cutlery! Burgers are eaten only with hands.