While all of us from the Midwest have likely eaten (a lot!) of sloppy joes, if you haven’t had them made with homemade sauce and served on homemade buns, you definitely need to try this recipe! Making homemade bread can seem a little intimidating, but I promise this recipe is not difficult, and it makes the most delicious hamburger buns. We like to use our ground white turkey meat to keep these on the healthier side, but ground beef works great too. Both the sauce and the buns freeze well, so I encourage you to make a double batch so you are ready for a quick dinner at any time.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground white turkey breast (or ground beef)

1/4 c. chopped onion

2 t. minced garlic

1/4 chopped red bell pepper

2 t. ground mustard

3/4 c. ketchup

3 t. brown sugar

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Brown the meat, onions, and peppers over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Hamburger Buns

2 1/4 t. Active yeast (or 1 packet)

2 T sugar

1 cup lukewarm water (the temp you would use for a baby’s bath)

Mix these three ingredients together using the dough hook and your stand mixer. Let sit for 5- 10 minutes until frothy.

Then add:

1 egg

3 T melted butter

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 t. salt

Mix well. Continue mixing until the dough comes away from the sides and forms a ball. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more flour (about 1/4 cup at a time) and continue to mix. Dump the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and spray your mixing bowl liberally with cooking spray. Roll your dough into a smooth ball, tucking the ends underneath it. Place the dough in the mixing bowl and roll it around covering it in the oil. Cover the bowl with a towel, place it in a warm area and allow to rise until double in size (approx. 2 hours).

When your dough is ready, dump your dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 16 equal pieces. It can be helpful to weigh the dough and divide by weight if you want very uniform buns. Shape each piece of dough into a 2 inch round while tucking all edges underneath. Place the buns on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and cover the sheets with towels. Allow to rise for 1 hour or until the buns have doubled in size.

1 egg

1 T. milk

sesame seeds

Whisk the milk and egg together and gently brush over the tops of the buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Allow to cook before slicing.