Burger from Scratch

Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve and let stand for 10 minutes. Add 20 g of flour with the water in a small saucepan, until it thickens up, adding more water if necessary. Let it chill. Sift the rest of the flour in a bowl, adding the salt and sugar. Pour in the yeast mixture, an egg, a yolk and the chilled flour mixture. Knead for a couple of minutes and then mix in the butter. Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 90 minutes, or until doubled.

Divide the dough into 5 pieces. Take the ends of each piece and bring to the middle, to make a ball. Flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand, until it’s about 7 cm (3”) across. Transfer them into a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Brush with a beaten egg combined with a teaspoon of water and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden. Brush them with melted butter once baked.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the onion, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are very soft and slightly caramelized.

Combine the ground beef with the egg yolk and chopped garlic in a mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper, and mix well with wet hands. Shape into 5 patties of about 10 cm (4in) in. Optionally refrigerate for 15 minutes. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, chopped gherkins, 2 tablespoons of the caramelized onions and season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a preheated frying pan over medium heat. Add the burgers and fry for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or longer if you prefer. Cover the burgers with the cheese slices after 4-5 minutes, and lightly fry the raw onion rings and bacon slices.

Toast the buns in a small frying pan, then spread each top and base with a generous amount of sauce, place an iceberg lettuce on the base, then stack the meat, tomato, avocado slices, bacon and onion rings. Serve warm.