ottawa foodies

The ideal bun, for burgers, or dogs for that matter, is essentially a meat delivery system, designed to hold the burger/dog, condiments and toppings, (refered to hereafter as the contents) until such time as you see fit to have a bite sized portion enter the mouth. It should not be any more chewy than its contents, and should not allow said contents to (within reason, a certain amount of messiness may be desirable) spill, shoot, or leak out of the sides or ends. It should however, have the structural integrity to not disintegrate under the weight or fluidity of the contents.
It is not necessary, or ideal, for this bun to be of the 'artisanal' variety, however neither should it be 'Wonderbread-like in its construction. Furthermore, the idea of paying 65-70cents per bun (More expensive than a hot dog!) at Bloblaws, or Mecchhro rankles. Does such a bun exist? Where may I find such a bun? I seek the Grail!

I agree in part, although I consider a bun to be more than just a meat delivery system. If it were truly just a meat delivery system, one would optimally eat burgers and dogs bunless, with knife and fork. We can probably agree that the bread plays a minor but supporting role in a truly stellar production of Hamletburger.

The fluffy yet crusty white rolls from the former Buns Master Bakery were pretty spot on for my taste in burgers. A nice middle ground, square in the middle between dense artisanry and mealy Wonderbreadiness.

Alas and gadzooks, Buns Master is no more.

What! Eat my burger with cutlery? What am I, European?

Some buns are indeed mere meat delivery systems, and that's well and good as long as they serve their function and die with honor (not fall apart).

That said, some buns do enhance the burger experience. I'm a fan of the pretzel dough bun from Farm Boy. Holds together, tasty, a bit sweet, not oversized so the bread to burger ratio is respected.

I like a very standard, simple kaiser bun sized appropriately to the patty - but what is important to me is something that I find is almost invariably missed.

I must be alone in this affectation - I want the outside of the bun toasted and the bun sliced after (like a bagel). The way I see it, this way the bun itself is still generally soft, warm and well-suited to absorbing the juicy "contents" but the exterior is just slightly toasted enough to give it a bit more durability. This is screamingly obvious to me, but it seems most BBQs-ers and restos see it differently and toast the inside of the bun.

I was happy with the rosettes I got from Parma Ravioli recently.

$0.55 ... I think.

They are kinda like the ones in the picture.

oh. BTW. The beef I used was from Al-Kalaa Mini Market . Tasty, chemical free, local beef ... ground to spec, while you wait.

What are your thoughts about toasting said bun?

Too soft, and it disintegrates under duress, kinda like the Sens in the playoffs.

Too crispy, it slides away from the meat and condiments drip harmlessly to the plate.

I like the nicely proportioned buns the serve at Absinthe resto. I will usually buy buns from the bulk bin at Bob Lowblaws or Independent, but have tried the pain-au-lait from Bread By Us.

...Buns Master was really, really good... Especially for hot dog buns.

Other than that, some of the finer establishments around town carry Lusa (?) buns, which I think is a Portuguese bakery, which are quite delicious, but may violate your lack of chew criteria as they are quite yeasty. I've seen these at places such as Luciano's, and the Sausage Kitchen (amongst others).

Recently, and occasionally, some Farm Boy locations have been carrying some rather classic brioche style buns that resemble restaurant/fast-food burger joint buns (but in a good way). The kinds of things that make american cheese taste really, really good (which it cannot seem to do on its own). I've tended to see these close to the meat section, most often at the Trainyards Farm Boy.

Those farm boy brioche buns are really good.

OSM, what makes them so good?

Tracinho: I tried your method and was quite happy with the result. I like sesame seeds too. Does anyone know where Chez Lucien gets theirs?

You can get these at the Mike Deans super food stores around the area.

They are top split and have flat sides to butter and toast up before serving.

Great texture and holds up well to extra toppings.

bettybread.ca/hot-dog-toast/

I use different buns for different kinds of burgers, but for my favorite turkey burgers (with chopped pears, rosemary and rhubarb chutney) I like a sweet white bun. The best I have found are called "Aunt Millie's Hawaiian Buns" and they are nothing like the ones that loblaws calls "hawaiian" which are a poor substitute.

Rosettes in the bin at Parma ravioli.
50 cents each.
Nice lightly toasted on both sides .. or not.
Absorbs the fluids of the burger.
Substantial enough to hold together with the big horkin'
burgers I make, yet not too chewy where you have to tear them
apart with your teeth.

What about the Portuguese bakery on Nelson?
They used to have lots of good bread and buns- I haven't gone there since last fall though.

A friend also told me some Nicastro stores discount bread right before closing...

I love the Portuguese Bakery, but their buns are too good. I just bring 'em home butter 'em up and they're gone. They are a bit too dense to make a good burger bun, IMO. I think ideally it's got to be halfway between PB and Wonderbread. . . . .

Yup, Portuguese Bakery buns are really good, but when I tried them as a burger bun, the burger kept getting squished out the middle.