AMY STOCKLEIN
Butter is key to Madison Sourdough’s brioche buns, says owner David Lohrentz.
For three decades, the Caribou Tavern’s iconic ‘Bou burger came on a light, buttery, perfectly toasted bun. Made by Colonial Bakery, the bun was almost as famous as the burger itself. But when the beloved restaurant supplier closed last year, the bar struggled to find a replacement. Owner Dewey Schmelzkopf tried more than 10 different kinds from bakers all over town, but nothing could compare to the original.
“Sadly they changed their buns and ruined best bar burgers in Madison,” a disappointed patron wrote on Facebook last September. “After 30 years have to find a new place.”
Finally, Schmelzkopf tried a bun from Alpha Baking Company, a distributor from Milwaukee. “It’s basically a brioche bun,” he says. “Nice buttery top, not super dense, but dense enough not to fall apart. We toast them same as the old buns.”
The new buns proved a hit — Schmelzkopf says some of old Colonial Bakery stalwarts have even admitted that they like the Alpha buns better. “You always got your nostalgic people, but everybody seems to enjoy these.” The same Facebook commenter amended his post after tasting the new buns: “Hallelujah! Thank you!!”
The humble hamburger bun might seem like an afterthought compared to the glories of grilled meat and specialty toppings, but it can make or break the sandwich, says Matt Pace, executive chef of The Great Dane Pub. “To me, the bread is just as important as any other ingredient, and for a burger almost more so,” he says. The bun adds elements of flavor and texture — sweet or savory, soft or crispy. It should be firm enough to hold together, but tender enough to soak up juices and sauces. “It’s about finding that perfect balance,” Pace says.
The Great Dane makes its own pretzel buns in-house using a traditional method that combines flour, eggs, milk, brown sugar and malt extract. The bread dough is then soaked in a lye solution and immediately baked in the oven. Some pretzels are boiled in lye, but Pace says the soak and cook method is superior. “It gets the most initial rise, and it makes the crust crunchier,” he says. “We want them to get as light and fluffy as possible.”
While it’s slightly more dense than a traditional bun, a pretzel roll is good with any kind of burger, says Pace. Its structural integrity (and distinctive taste) makes possible the Great Dane’s wildly decadent brat and bacon burger — a bratwurst patty stacked on top of a beef patty topped with bacon, caramelized onions and sharp cheddar. “It’s a classic flavor combination,” Pace says.
Local bakeries have been picking up business after Colonial’s closure. Clasen’s European Bakery supplies about a dozen different types of buns to local restaurants and grocery stores. They do a variety of European-style rolls including pretzel slider buns and a Wisconsin cheddar roll, but owner Michelle Clasen says the secret to their popular hamburger buns is honey. “It’s something one of our bakers came up with who worked here for 35 years,” Clasen says. “Just a touch of honey balances well with the meat.”
Clasen’s also doesn’t skimp on butter. “That’s probably not typical for most bakeries around the area,” she says. “Butter is a more expensive ingredient.”
Butter is the key ingredient in the brioche buns from Madison Sourdough, too. Another popular bun served at about 20 restaurants around Madison, the brioche used to be only available in the Madison Sourdough cafe. But when Colonial Bakery closed, people immediately started contacting owner David Lohrentz. “We had to turn a lot of people down, unfortunately,” he says. “We could have done quadruple the volume, but we’re limited in our capacity because we make [the brioche] by hand.”
The process involves a pre-fermented sponge mixed up the day before baking, which allows the yeast time to create more flavor. Then the dough is mixed with more flour, water and yeast along with the star ingredient, high quality European-style butter sourced from Wisconsin. “We use one with a high butterfat content,” Lohrentz says. “It adds a lot to it.”
While decadent and delicious, the delicate brioche isn’t the best choice for a particularly juicy burger, Lohrentz admits. “It will become a soggy mess,” he says. Instead, he recommends Madison Sourdough’s ciabatta roll — a slightly crisper, more structurally sound bun that’s perfect for toasting.
“The outside stays really dry and firm, and the inside soaks up the juices,” he says. “For the right kind of burger, it can be pretty amazing.”
Madison Burger Week runs June 8 to June 15 at participating restaurants; $1 of each burger sold donated to River Food Pantry. For a list of locations, visit madburgerweek.com or call 608-251-5627.