Making homemade hamburger buns is easy if you plan ahead. Your guests will be so impressed to learn your soft, fluffy buns are homemade!
It's getting really close to hamburger season. So close I can almost taste it. There's not much better than a homemade burger, so why not make Homemade Hamburger Buns too?
Have you ever made your own hamburger buns? It's time to start!
The first time I made my own hamburger buns, it wasn't even on purpose. Burgers were on the menu for dinner that night, but we didn't have any buns. I couldn't get to the grocery store, so I made my own.
You really can't beat the taste of freshly baked bread. I used to beg my mom to make fresh bread in her bread machine every couple of days. It's just so good! Now I make my own, without a machine.
These hamburger buns are a little different than regular old sandwich bread in that they have egg, butter, and sugar added to them - they are enriched.
I made these ones with all white flour, but of course, you could exchange part or all of the white flour for whole wheat, if you wish.
Like any bread, you won't be able to make these at the last minute. They take almost 4 hours until they're done, but that's mostly hands-off rising time.
How to make Homemade Hamburger Buns
The recipe starts by adding the yeast, a little flour and warm water to a bowl to proof. You're waiting for the yeast to start to get foamy.
Once that happens, you add the egg, butter, sugar, salt and flour and knead it all together. If you make bread (or any baked goods) a lot, consider investing in a good stand mixer. If you bake only occasionally, kneading by hand is fine too.
Then you make the dough into a ball, coat it with a little oil, cover it up and forget about it - at least for the next couple of hours...
When it looks like this. The dough will have doubled in size.
Now we need to cut the dough into bun-sized pieces. This is where you need to do a bit of thinking. What are you using the buns for?
If you're looking for medium sized buns, cut the dough into 10 equal pieces.
Are they for large (Β½lb) burgers? If so, only cut the dough into 8 pieces.
For small sliders, do 12-14 pieces.
Form the dough into balls, tucking the ends under the bottom. Slightly flatten the balls with the palm of you hand, and cover them back up to rise again.
Once they've risen, and they start looking like real buns, you need to get them ready for baking.
This includes brushing with an egg wash, and sprinkling on some sesame seeds (or poppy seeds, or onion, or cheese, or whatever you want).
The egg wash helps them get nice and brown in the oven. Then stick them in the oven.
Don't they look good? Let them cool for a bit and you'll be ready to go.
Since these aren't loaded with preservatives like store-bought buns, they get stale a little faster.
That means you'll want to eat them when they're fresh, or freeze them right away.
Don't refrigerate fresh bread, because it makes it dry and hard. Room temp or freezer for your bread, always.
Want to know how to use these buns?
Homemade Hamburger Buns Nutrition Notes:
You can replace some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to increase the fiber in these homemade hamburger buns. I'd recommend not using more than half whole wheat flour (1 ΒΌ cups) to avoid affecting the texture and flavor of your buns.
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 2 ΒΌ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- 1 cup warm water (105Β° F/41Β° C)
- 3 Β½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil (for brushing bowl and dough)
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds or other bun topping, as needed
Instructions
- Stir together 2 ΒΌ teaspoons (11 g) active dry yeast,Β 1 cup (240 ml) warm water and Β½ cup flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Let sit until mixture becomes foamy, 10-15 minutes.
- Stir the 1 large egg, 3 Tablespoons melted butter, 2 Tablespoons (30 g) white sugar, and 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt into the yeast mixture. Add 2 Β½ cups of flour and knead with a dough hook in a stand mixer, or by hand until all the flour has been incorporated. If the dough remains very sticky, continue adding the remaining Β½ cup of flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth and elastic, and just stops sticking to the bottom of the bowl (make sure all of the previous flour is incorporated before adding more).
- Form dough into a smooth ball and brush lightly with oil. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise for about 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Form dough into a log and cut into 8-14 pieces (see note). Work with 1 piece of dough at a time, and keep the remainder covered. Form each piece into a ball, tucking the ends underneath. Slightly flatten the ball with the palm of your hand. Place dough patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat about Β½" apart. Allow to rise about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Heat oven to 375Β°F. When buns have risen, whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) milk. Lightly brush the egg mixture on top of each bun, being careful not to collapse the dough (you should have quite a bit of egg wash left over). Immediately sprinkle with sesame seeds or other toppings if desired.
- Bake buns for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool. If you aren't going to use the buns within 2 days, freeze leftovers.
Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen
Someday, I WILL make homemade hamburger buns! These look perfect. Pinned!
Carissa
Yes, it's well worth the effort to make from scratch. Thanks!
Kim
Looks. Good
Lisa Yeatman
Iβve made this twice and both times they came out delicious! Itβs my new go bun recipe now for sure! β€οΈ
Reta
Wanna try this recipe for burger bunsbASAP, THX,
Chris
I've been looking at this recipe for a few years... have it pinned to my board... finally tried it... was nervous, but WOW... it came out great! The only thing I did different was add a pinch of the sugar to the yeast and flour to get it blooming.
Thank you for this!
I would have added a picture but didn't see how... but it looks almost just like yours!
Pamela
Looks like a great recipe. Unsure of how much melted butter that is to be added.
Carissa
My mistake! I somehow forgot to add it to my recipe. Add 3 Tbsp of melted butter. I have updated the recipe, and it is correct as written now. Thanks for letting me know.
Aniko Hager
Hi Pamela. It looks like there are 3 tablespoons of butter needed. I am about to bake it. I will post pictures if all looks good π
Jessica
What a great recipe! Just made these and they were perfect. Thank you!!
Carissa
Glad you liked them!
Chiangmaipie@Hotmail.com
I've been making burger buns for years in my restaurant in Thailand .although I get good reviews for my burgers, I decided I wanted a lighter bun .
Looked at your website and thought I would give your recipe a try..so pleased! They are fantastic and so easy to make
Thanks
Phil
Carissa
I'm glad you like them! I hope they go over well in your restaurant!
Shellie
Just made these for the first time for a BBQ we hosted. Everyone loved them even though I made them 2 days previously. They were quite easy to make so next time I'll make them just the day before so they'll be fresher. Delicious and I will not be buying buns again anytime soon (unless I'm feeding a super big crowd).
Pola
I've made things before but in your recipe you call for milk but you do not put in instructions when to add the milk you left it out there
Carissa
The milk isn't added to the dough, it's only whisked together with the egg and brushed on top of the dough rounds just before baking in step 5. If you don't have any milk, or don't want to use it, simply replace with water.
Suzanne
I just took it out from the oven and it taste very yummy!
Johnette
I don't have any form of mixer is there a way to make this wit without it?
I'm sort of new to the whole bead making thing...
Carissa
Definitely! Follow the recipe as written, but in steps 1 and 2, stir the ingredients together in a large bowl with a large spoon. Once all except about 1/2 of the flour has been added, you start kneading by hand, kneading in the remaining 1/2 cup flour as you go. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Ayana
You want a mixer. Kneading dough is no fun.
Carissa
You're right, but think of it as a workout π
Leslie
I made the buns and am having problem with the rise during baking. Live in Lapaz Bolivia and all my bread baking does not rise! Still taste wonderful.
Carissa
Could your yeast be old? Once opened, it actually doesn't last very long (maybe 6 months at the most if stored properly), and after that it begins to lose it's ability to rise. If not, elevation could be a factor. Dough actually rises more quickly at high elevations (as I'm sure you are aware, you are at a MUCH higher elevation than I am). Could it be possible that the dough rose, and then fell? This would result in dense, heavy buns that may not appear to have risen at all.
If I were you, I'd first try new yeast, keeping a very close eye on the dough while it's rising, not paying as much attention to the time, and punch down and shape the dough as soon as it has doubled in size, no matter when that occurs. Hope that helps! π
Shea
Can olive oil be used in place of vegetable oil?
Carissa
Yes, but depending on your olive oil, you might be able to taste it in the buns.
Laura
About to make these!!!
Carissa
Great! Let us know how they turn out!
Maryanne
Hello! Just wondering about how long to knead the dough in stand mixer? Thank you! Recipe sounds easy!
Carissa
I usually don't knead very long. I'd say 5 minutes or so at the most. Enjoy!
Maryanne
Thank you!! Making right now!!
Maryanne
1 more question...after dough rises, should I turn out onto floured surface to form roll?
Carissa
You certainly can, but I usually just form the rolls one at a time in the palm of my hand. In any case, a very thin layer of flour should be all that you need π
Liza Austria
As soon as my hamburger buns come out of the oven, my 2 year old son asked for it. He finished the whole bun ( medium size, like yours) and while eating he says, "yum mommy". Glad to have found your recipe. Thanks so much, Carissa!
Carissa
Your 2 year old sounds like he has a healthy appetite like mine! I'm so glad your family enjoyed them! They definitely are best when they're fresh.
Johanna
I just made these and turned out perfect! Thanks!
Carissa
Great to hear! Thanks for trying them.
Ruby
Besides egg wash any other things I can do to make the crust softer? I like the hamburger buns I buy at Trader Joe (their buns are soft both inside and out).
Carissa
Usually adding a bit of fat to bread in the form of eggs or butter will make them softer. This recipe already takes advantage of that tactic. The only other thing I can think of is to replace the water with warm milk. I have never tried it with this particular recipe, so I don't know how well it would work, but I highly doubt that it would do any harm. You're right that commercial buns tend to be softer, and stay softer longer. This is likely due to preservatives and other ingredients that home cooks don't have access to. Good luck!
LailaBakes
I know this is an old post, but someone may benefit. To make a very soft crust, but its not shiny, brush dough with butter before and right after they come out of oven and eliminate the egg wash. You can still use sesame seeds. Another option for soft shiny crust is to use only the egg white for wash, I throw the egg yolk with the dough so I don't waste it. Egg white makes a softer crust than a whole egg.
For hotdog buns, I replace water for milk or half water half milk and it does work beautifully for that dinner roll soft crumb. Happy baking.
emma
I absolutely love soft sesame seed buns reminds me of the buns me and my dad bought back home. I made these and the egg wash seemed a bit too intense like it made the tops hard which is not what I was going for, however very light and fluffy inside. I've decided to freeze mine as I was not aware until now it wasn't good to refrigerate fresh bread. All in all it is a good recepie I think I just have this ideal from my memories I can't replicate π my boyfriend loves the buns I made so thank you Carissa for the great recepie I think it's still great!
Dolores
Hi, I made these buns exactly by the recipe, and they were GREAT! In order to keep the crust soft, I covered the buns with a damp cloth right after taking them out of the oven, amd kept them covered until they cooled down. Works perfectly! (I do this with all my bread).
Tay Sultan
love your buns , they look perfect , thanks for the recipe. My question is : can tI egg wash my buns before leaving them to rise ? because every time I do egg wash the buns after the rising , they deflate though i make sure to brush it lighly and not tobe hard on them . thanks.
Carissa
Good question. If it was me, I probably wouldn't put the egg wash on before rising, for food safety reasons and because the egg wash might harden on the dough and affect the buns negatively. You could just skip the egg wash all together, but you wouldn't be able to add the sesame seeds and the finished buns wouldn't be as shiny. It wouldn't affect the flavor of the buns at all though.
Mary
You could put it in a spritz bottle so you could spray it on instead of having to brush it on.
Carissa
It's definitely worth a try. But because it's a little thicker than water, it may clog the nozzle.
Tay Sultan
Thank you for the reply , you've been of great help . I will put all the infor mations you gave , in my mind while making the buns following your recipe .Thanks.
Kristy
Can you freeze this dough? I was thinking of freezing half of them after shaping into buns before the second rise. So then I would thaw, rise, bake. Thoughts?
Carissa
Hmm...I've never tried it. I'm not sure it would work to form them and then freeze them - I've just never seen it done like that. But I think it would work to freeze the dough all (or half) in a ball, then thaw, form into buns and rise. If you try it, let us know how it works!
ankur
my buns are getting hard after coming out of oven
Carissa
Is it as soon as you take them out? In that case, they might be getting overcooked. Try reducing cooking time a bit (maybe by 5 minutes or so). Or does it occur later than that, say the next day? Unfortunately, that is the downfall of homemade buns. Since they don't have preservatives in them like store bought, they don't stay soft as long. But they should be soft right out of the oven.
ZD
Using this wonderful recipe as a template, I created burger buns with olive oil as the fat, honey as the sweetener, and a flour mixture that was 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 white flour.
A note β I've read that when making a brushed egg topping, a sprinkle of salt may help to further break down the egg.
mary from Vancouver
I will make the dough in the bread machine.
Wish me luck !!
Thank You for the recipe
Mary
Toyin from Nigeria
I followed the recipe and guess What β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦β¦? It came out Nice and so tasty.Thanks Carissa
Gail
Love this recipe! I made them in the bread machine which worked out very well. Only down side is I've always skipped the bun when having burgers but these are so good!
Julianna
I am happy)) I did it!!!
Tracy Walker
I make my own bread regularly so I know how the dough should feel prior to the first rising. It seems to me you have 1/2 a cup too much flour in the recipe. The dough is dry and very hard to knead without adding water, which I hate to do because adding water as you knead is not a good way to do it. The first time I made these, they turned out very well with the added water, but the next time--not so good.
Carissa
You're right - it's best to make bread based on feel. Recipes for bread can vary, depending on the climate you live in or the type of flour you use. It's possible that while my recipe works for me where I live (a fairly humid climate), if your climate is drier you may need less flour. Or the second time you tried, maybe was a particularly dry time of year? I'd recommend adding 1/2 cup less flour and see how it goes from there. If the dough is still too wet, add flour gradually (1 Tbsp at a time) until you get the right consistency. It's easier to add flour to wet dough than to add water to dry dough. Thanks for pointing this out.
Alex buckner
Hi Carissa,
I made the buns last night, no mixer, they where lovely. I did not however achieve the nice tan coloring you have in your picture here and got a mostly white finish, where do you think I went wrong? more egg? more milk? brush once half way through baking?
Thanks!
Carissa
Hmm...I'm not sure why they wouldn't have browned. I would hesitate to brush with more egg and/or milk as if they got too wet, they may turn out soggy. In fact, I would think having them be too wet would lead to less browning. Maybe that's what happened?
Tracy Walker
Okay, thanks for the reply. I've got a batch on the first rise right now, but I don't like what I see. Next time I will add the the flour to the liquid mixture and stop when I get the right feel for kneading. I'm determined to get this right, as the first ones I made were great--soft and fluffy and totally what I like in a hamburger bun.
Nancy
I've made this recipe twice and it's just delightful. Also, once cooled completely, the buns freeze perfectly.
Alana
I run a small cafe and pride myself on homemade items so making hamburger buns were essential. I love this recipe. I have modified the shaping to use for hot dog buns and this works well for those also. I make 10 dozen at a time for the weekends. Daily 2 dozen. Thanks
Carissa
Wow! How great to hear that this recipe is getting so much use! Thanks for sharing!
Aimee
I'm about to make these for our pulled pork sandwiches. These look incredible!