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.
Good job of assembling an "eyeful" of a delicious burger. Yours has, and I'll presume to make it more photogenic, a red onion slice. Ours always settles for a slice of white (sweet when in season).
The only other variation we employ is buttered on both sides Texas Toast that's been grilled to golden glory.
I'll for sure be trying your new bun variation and its bread loaf counterpart.
I lived in Texas a long time and never heard of the egg… knew it for an Australia thing. I think some grilled jalapeños or some pepper jack, or the above mentioned green chili relish, or perhaps a spoonful of chili con carne – might make a good Texas burger. Here in North Carolina they call a burger with slaw and chili on it a "Carolina Classic" – it's a common hotdog treatment moved onto a burger.
Your jalapeño cheese bread is VERY intriguing! I think I will make some soon. I happen to know it would make an awesome ham sandwich, too. Think I'll try your burger first, though.
Keep up the great work!
When I think of a Texas burger I think of Jalapeno Tree Reasaurant with their con queso with Jalapenos or I think of all the different definitely homemade burgers Tookies in the El Lago/ Clear Lake Shores/Bacliff area made in the 70's and 80's and 90's including their 99 a wine marinated burger with home cut fries and the best onion rings in the world.But NEVER a fried egg on any of them.–chrisq
It cracks me up too when I see 'Texas-style burgers' on menus outside of Texas. It can mean there's barbecue sauce on the burger, bacon strips, Monterrey Jack cheese, jalapeno slices, or double meat. But truth be told, I don't even know what constitutes a 'Texas burger' in my book. Maybe just excess? Too much meat and cheese plus bacon??
I have had the mythological egg topped burger, which was introduced by my traveling little brother. Give it a try, and you might even like it. Make your normal burger, (medium to medium well patty, onion, tomato, lettuce, cheese, mustard) and add the egg (fried sunny side up or over hard) on top of everything. Make sure to toast the bun to make sure it doesn't collapse under the strain of ultimate goodness. I make them every once and a while, and have converted my wife over to my side of the opinion.