1. In a large mixing bowl combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand 5 min or until foamy. Add flour, salt, butter and mix with dough hook until thoroughly combined and pulls away from sides and forms a ball of dough, you may need to add a little more flour, 1/2-1 cup. Cover with towel and set in warm place to rise for approx 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured surface.
2. Line 1 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Cut dough into 18 pieces (or 9 for a ‘good’ hamburger size bun) Shape each piece into a ball. (Flatten it between your palms and fold over a couple of times then pull sides down and pinch together on bottom until a nice round ball shape is formed). Place pinched side down on sheets. At least 1″ apart. Cover with plastic wrap then a towel and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
3. Preheat over to 425 Degrees F. Place racks in middle positions. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, add baking soda and lower heat to simmer. Put 3-4 rolls at a time into boiling water seam side down for 30 seconds, then turn over for another 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a clean towel. Then place back onto prepared pan.
4. With a pastry brush, brush tops and sides of each roll with egg wash, being sure to coat all sides. Top each roll with coarse sea salt. Then with a sharp knife cut a “X” into the top of each roll. Bake rolls in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.(20-25 for the larger bun).

And now for my Sloppy Joe…

Ingredients

• 2 lbs organic ground meat (I used beef for this recipe)
• 1 small can organic tomato sauce
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 whole tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place olive oil in a large heated skillet.  Sauté the garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
2. Add-in the ground meat, followed by Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper (This ingredient is optional.  I like to add a little heat to boost the flavors).
3. Add-in a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to season.
4. When serving, use a slotted spoon to drain out excess sauce.  Do not toss the excess sauce as it will eventually get soaked up by the meat in a few hours or by the next day should you have left overs.  This will keep the meat juicy and flavorful!