Jalapeno cheese bun recipe for a proper Texas burger
When I first moved to New York, I was struck by the presence of what was called a Texas burger. At first I was thrilled, curious as to what it could contain—guacamole, jalapenos or salsa all seemed like reasonable guesses. But I was wrong. In New York, a Texas burger means that it’s topped with a fried egg. A fried egg? Now that doesn’t really say Texas to me—does it say Texas to you?
For almost 15 years, I’ve pondered this burger. You may find burgers in Texas that have a fried egg on them, of course, but it’s definitely the exception not the norm. When I think of the burgers I grew up with, I think about a thick patty topped with cheese, lettuce (preferably crunchy iceberg), tomatoes, onions and dill pickle slices, nestled between a bun spread with mustard and mayonnaise. And perhaps you’ll throw on some jalapenos if you’re feeling racy.
Of course, Texas being a large and diverse place there are variations on our burgers. On some Texas burgers you may find refried beans and corn chips, or cream cheese with jalapenos, or guacamole and bacon or perhaps a hearty dollop of chile con queso. All of these additions, however, still remind me of our native cuisine. But the fried egg? Not so much.
This isn’t to say that we don’t put fried eggs on foods. Take West Texas stacked enchiladas, which are made creamy and rich with the addition of a runny, fried egg on top of a mountain of corn tortillas, chili gravy and cheese. (Actually, that could make for a good burger—a patty topped with Longhorn cheddar, chili gravy with some refried beans spread on the bun.) But nope, in New York the fried-egg Texas burger doesn’t come dressed that way. Heck, I’ve even seen a so-called Texas burger come with fried egg, barbecue sauce and blue cheese crumbles, which, being in polite company, we will not discuss my reaction to this insult to the good name of Texas.
Texas Monthly recently published its top 50 burgers in the state and when I was reading the list, I was struck by how many places now sandwich their beef patty on a homemade jalapeno cheese bun. Now we’re talking! While the quality of the meat is what makes for a great hamburger, the bun is also a very important part of the equation. And as Alison Cook wrote in 1983, “If Texans hold any truth to be self-evident, it is that there is nothing that would not be improved by the addition of a little jalapeno.”
No stranger to making jalapeno cheese bread, I decided to make my own jalapeno cheese buns. I went for a soft, egg-rich bread like my cemita rolls and just threw in some fresh diced jalapenos and a mess of shredded cheddar cheese. The buns were sturdy yet tender with enough flavor from the chiles and cheese to make them pleasant eating just on their own. But pair the buns with a thick juicy beef patty, some iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, red onion and sliced dill pickles and you have yourself my perfect version of a Texas burger.
I’ve told you mine and now I’m curious: what’s your perfect Texas burger?
Jalapeno cheese buns
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus 1/2 cup for kneading
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 packet active-dry yeast
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, heated until warm
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 3/4 cup shredded longhorn cheddar
Instructions
- Mix together the 2 cups of flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Beat the egg with the oil and then add the warm buttermilk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Let dough rest for 15 minutes and then add the jalapenos and shredded cheddar. Spread a 1/2 cup of flour on a clean surface and knead dough for five minutes or until it comes together. Note that the dough will be a little sticky.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise until it’s doubled in size, about an hour and a half.
- Depending on how large you want your rolls to be, divide the dough into 8balls and let them rest, covered for 15 minutes.
- To shape the rolls, take each ball and then flatten it so it looks like a disc.
- Place each roll a few inches apart on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400° F. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Buns will last covered for 1 day and can be frozen, too.
Okay, so Pioneer Woman published her first cookbook and it arrived yesterday. When are you going to publish YOURS?? When you do, let me know so I can order 6 of them for me, my daughters and gifts for my friends. Girl, you need to get a cookbook going posthaste! 🙂
Growing up, we ALWAYS had cheeseburgers on Saturday night. And the "really good ones" were topped with longhorn cheddar, sliced thick, allowed to go to room temp and "sweat" as my dad called it, cooked on the charcoal grill and placed on an onion bun. I can taste it now! Throw in some potato chips and French Onion Dip by Bordens, thinly sliced white onion on that burger plus whatever condiments (mine was ketchup and LOTS OF IT) and we were in hog heaven. (and of course, we had to watch "Hee Haw" on the TV – Dad's fav Saturday night show…) That constituted Saturday night supper for me in Lubbock, Texas!
At a fish place down here in west Houston, they do a fabulous burger with monterery jack cheese, thick bacon slices and slices of fresh avocado – oh.my.word!
Really though, the cookbook? Think about it, dear. Your legions of gastronomic fans await…
A Texas burger? I live in Arizona and there is seems to be a blur in the lines of South West styles here. But I think of Texas having a very defined style. I'd to have Jalapenos for sure on my Texas burger. It would be BIG, maybe with a smear of some good Texas chili, and a nice layer of longhorn cheddar. But I would certainly like to have it on those buns. Thank you for the recipe, they look amazing!
Sounds delicious!
I grew up in the Austin area. When I read "Texas burger" followed by "egg on top" I heard that "record screeches to a stop" sound in my mind.
I grew up eating pretty much plain burgers with nothing fancy on them: mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, maybe some longhorn cheese, NO ketchup (my mom says those are Yankee burgers LOL). But they had to have a thick meat patty (if it's too thin to order it medium, it's too thin) and a substantial bun that adds flavor. Oh, and the meat must be seasoned, preferably mixed into the mix and not just sprinkled on top.
A fried egg? Whaaaaaaa?
Now your version, on the other hand, looks quite delicious and very Texan, to boot!