Soft Hamburger Buns

Method

To make the dough:

• Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.
• Cover the dough and let it rise until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours. 

To shape the buns:

• Gently deflate the dough and divide it into eight pieces (about 100g each); to make smaller or larger buns see "tips," below.
• Shape each piece into a ball. Flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand until it's about 3" across.
• Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Cover and let rise until noticeably puffy, about an hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• To make seeded buns, brush the egg mixture; it'll make the seeds adhere.
• Sprinkle buns with the seeds of your choice. 

To bake the buns: 

• Bake the buns for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. 
• Remove them from the oven and brush with the melted butter; this will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.