What's in a bun?

Stephen and I have been on a quest to eat as little processed foods as possible. We try to eat as fresh of produce and meat as possible and do our own cooking and baking. While in Bellingham we thoroughly enjoyed Avenue Bread products which include fresh made, preservative free breads. Their english muffins made the best sandwiches and hamburger buns. Since moving to the Olympia area, we have been forced to find an alternative. I have baked many different breads but have never attempted a hamburger bun. So, I decided to set out and see just how hard it would be and what my alternatives were. Though convenient, the generic hamburger bun's bland taste, the ingredients and preservatives you swallow, remain nothing to be desired.

The average fast-food hamburger bun includes the following ingredients: Enriched bleached wheat flour, water, high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, yeast, monoglycerides, salt, wheat gluten, yeast nutrients, calcium sulfate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium propionate (preservative), sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium carbonate, enzyme, sesame seeds, potassium bromate,. May contain casein, soy lecithin, disodium phosphate, carageenan, and beta carotene,

The generic hamburger bun found at the grocery store contains: Enriched Wheat Flour, Water, Sweetener (High Fructose Corn Syrup, sugar), Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% or Less of Wheat Gluten, salt, Calcium Sulfate, Dough Conditioners (May Contain Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Ethoxylated Mono and Diglycerides, Datem, Dicalcium Phosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Calcium Dioxide, and/or Sorbic Acid), Vinegar, Soy Flour, Yeast Nutrients (May Contain Ammonium Chloride, Ammonium Phosphate, Diammonium Phosphate, Ammonium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate and/or calcium carbonate), Cornstarch, Wheat Starch, enzymes, Calcium Propionate (To Retain Freshness), soy lecithin. If Topped, Also Contains Sesame Seeds, or Corn Meal.

My trial hamburger bun recipe contains the following:
Russet potato, water, buttermilk, yeast, all purpose flour, sugar, salt and butter.

I started preparing the dough around 10:00 am. My hamburger buns came out of the oven looking plump and delicious around 12:00 pm. This recipe was simple, economical and rather quick. It took about 30 minutes of hands on work and the rest was in waiting for the dough to rise and bake. I am convinced that I probably will not be purchasing hamburger buns from the market any time soon. Here are pictures of my results: