Hamburger and Bratwurst Buns

I started a batch of dough to shape into buns for grilled bratwursts. Because I like to add milk to my hamburger and bratwurst buns, the sponge for this recipe takes a little longer to stir together than most of my bread recipes. You have to scald the milk first.

I start with a sponge for my bread recipes. The sponge for hamburger and bratwurst buns is as follows:

Sponge

Dissolve in a large bowl:
1 teaspoon yeast
in
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F.).
Scald
1 1/4 cups milk
Cool the milk, and pour it into the yeast mixture. Next, stir in:
2 cups whole wheat flour
until thoroughly combined.

You should end up with a mixture about the thickness of pea soup. The purpose of the sponge is to soften the wheat in order to make a finer-textured bread that isn't crumbly, as homemade breads, especially whole-grain ones, would otherwise be. Don't add any oils or salt at this point, as these inhibit rising.

Cover the sponge with a plate or a sheet of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours. I'm about to put mine in the fridge, and finish adding the ingredients tomorrow.

Until then!