Elevate your burger game with these delicious Homemade Hamburger Buns. These brioche-like buns are light in texture and high in flavour.
Someone asked me recently if I had a good recipe to make homemade hamburger buns. Yes I do! This is the only recipe I've used to make hamburger buns for years and since we are on the eve of the first long-weekend of the "Summer" season here in Canada, it seemed like a great time to share it.
This recipe made the rounds several years back when it was first published as "Light Brioche Buns" in the New York Times. It's just a fabulous bun. While these buns are enriched with eggs and a bit of butter for flavour, they somehow still manage to be light in texture, yet sturdy enough to hold all the burger and the toppings.
So if you're looking to elevate your burger game this Summer, these delicious homemade hamburger buns are a great place to start. They freeze beautifully, so make a couple of batches and load up the freezer and you're always ready for a leisurely Summer BBQ.
Ingredient Notes for Homemade Hamburger Buns
Bread flour: You'll get the best results if you start with bread flour and even better, if you start with unbleached bread flour. Here in Canada, that's not the easiest to find on the shelf in grocery stores. I get mine at Bulk Barn. Failing that, bleached bread flour is fine. You can use just all-purpose, but your buns might not rise quite as high.
Active Yeast: This is the standard dry active yeast that needs to be proofed (soaked) in warm water before using. I never use dry active yeast myself, but prefer to use Instant Yeast. While Instant Yeast doesn't require proofing in water before using, it doesn't hurt if you do, so I just go ahead and proof the Instant Yeast in the same manner as described in the recipe.
Cook's Notes for Homemade Hamburger Buns
The first thing you need to know about this dough is that it is very moist and almost sticky when made as prescribed. To get the best (lightest) results, you want to avoid as best you can adding much more flour here. Add just the bare minimum you need to, so you can handle the dough.
This dough is also a slow riser, so be patient and allow it to rise for however long it takes to double etc. In a warm Summer kitchen, it will probably rise a little more quickly.
I like to weigh the whole dough before dividing into balls. I then divide the total weight by 8, to calculate the dough weight of each roll. Weigh them out separately and you will have 8 identically sized rolls!
Be sure to brush the egg wash on the dough evenly and thoroughly, being sure to get all around the bun and right to the bottom. Any bare spots left from your brushing will leave pale spots on the finished buns.
Right after egg washing the buns and just before popping them in the oven, top buns with sesame seeds, poppy seed or "everything" mix if you'd like to add some toppings to your homemade buns.
These buns freeze beautifully! Thaw at room temperature inside the freezer bag or container.
How to shape dough into balls
I think the one thing that tends to trip people up when making buns is the shaping of "the ball". It's quite understandable that someone might think that you just need to grab a piece of dough and form/squeeze it into a ball shape. In fact though, there is a bit of a technique to creating "a ball" with dough, that creates what's known as "surface tension" or tightness on the top of the ball. It's this tension that encourages the dough to rise higher, while also creating a lovely smooth top.
Here's a quick video of how I do it. It's the easiest way, I think and produces great results.
1. Stretch the top to create a smooth top.
2. Flip over and stretch the sides in towards the centre and pinch together.
3. Do this all around the edges, until the sides are smooth, too.
4. Flip the ball over, so your pinched part is down.
Adapted from "Light Brioche Buns" by Jane Sigal as shared by the New York Times
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (warmed to about 105-110F)
- 3 Tbsp milk (warmed slightly to lukewarm)
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 large egg (beaten with a fork)
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)
For egg wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, combine the warm water, warmed milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all purpose flour and salt. Add the butter. Using your finger tips, rub the butter in to the flour mixture, making even crumbs.
- Add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg to the bowl and using a dough scraper or silicone spatula, stir until a moist, sticky dough forms.
- Using a silicone bowl scraper, scrape the dough on to a very lightly floured counter or work surface. At this point the dough is very moist and sticky and not really able to be kneaded as you traditionally would. You will be tempted to dust with flour resist the urge to start. Instead of traditionally kneading, use your dough scraper or silicone spatula to scoop up the dough and then slam it back on the counter. (Don't just drop it, slam it. It's therapeutic :) Use your scraper to turn it over a few times on the counter, then pick it up and slam it again. Repeat this slaming/turning action for a couple of minutes. You should find that it is a sticking to the counter a little less. If you feel it isn't progressing after a couple of minutes (is still super sticky), very lightly dust the counter with flour and turn the dough over it to flour very lightly (Not too much flour. Just a dusting). Continue doing the slam and turn action for several more minutes. At some point, after about 5 minutes or so of this routine, your dough should stop sticking to the counter. Though it will still be a quite moist dough, you should be able to form it into a ball. *If your dough is still sticking after 5-7 minutes of working it, dust with a tiny bit more flour, as needed, until it is no longer sticking, but is still nice and moist.
- Shape dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours. Note that this dough is a bit of a slow-riser. Allow it to rise until doubled, no matter how long that takes.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (* I like to weight the dough ball and then divide that weight by 8, to get a weight for each piece. I then weigh out each piece to that weight, to get 8 exactly equal pieces. My last bake, the individual balls were 101g apiece. Yours may vary somewhat.)
- If your dough is still too sticky at this point to form into balls, very lightly dust with a tiny bit of four.
- Form each of the 8 dough pieces into balls (* See video above the recipe card on how to do this!). Place balls on parchment lined baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled again, 1-2 hours.
- Set a large shallow roasting pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 400F, with a rack in center of the oven, as well.
- When buns have doubled, beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush the buns thoroughly. * Be sure to brush the entire bun, top and sides, right down to the pan, as any areas you miss will be pale-coloured once baked. If desired, you could sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds at this point, as well. Bake, turning sheet 180 degrees halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Immediately transfer buns to a rack to cool completely.
Mitch says
Damn son, I keep coming back to these buns time and time again. I love your recipe and even use it for my pizza dough. I have never before found a dough recipe that needs no additional water or flower when kneeding. It always turns out perfect.
Much love
Mitch
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Mitch :) Thanks so much!
Marnie says
Wow this was perfect and made an everyday meal special and extra delicious. I made these to hold chicken burgs, a special sauce and all the veggie fixings. I followed the recipe exactly and even the dough weights made perfectly sized buns. They were golden, topped with sesame seeds, nice and light but held all the burger goodness right till the end. Bookmarking this one!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Marnie :) Thanks so much!
Ruvimbo Barna says
Came out perfect the first time round! I used 3 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour because I didn't have bread flour and got very soft rolls in the end. Definitely highly recommend this recipe!
Jennifer says
Happy to hear! Thanks so much :)
Jim L says
Rather than freezing the finished buns can you freeze the dough after the first rise and bake when you need them? With only two of us it would nice to have freshly baked buns each time.
Jennifer says
Hi Jim and yes, you certainly could, though given the time needed to thaw and then 2nd rise and bake, it seems a lot to me, for 2 buns. And honestly, if you freeze these right after baking/cooling, you will find that they thaw quickly and still taste super fresh!
Stacy R says
These were incredible! The dough was not sticky for me but they came out perfect anyway. I did not have any milk so I used about 1.5 tbs of sour cream and 1.5 tbs of water instead. I will definitly be making these instead of buying buns from now on.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them, Stacy! Thanks so much :)
Mandy Book says
I love this recipe. We’ve actually stopped buying store bought buns because we prefer these more. I’ve made them every week for about 2 months.
I’m wondering what the substitution would be if we wanted to try whole wheat buns?
Jennifer says
Hi Mandy and so glad you are enjoying them :) As for whole wheat, first, let me say I have not tried it with these buns, but here is some general guidance ... Start by replacing only about 1/4 of the white flour with whole wheat. You can inch it up after that and see how far you can go. Do not expect the buns with whole wheat flour to be as light in texture. Finally, whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid, so you will need less white flour over-all if you add whole wheat to the mix. Hope that helps!
Lisha says
Can i use purpose flour for the whole recipe?
Jennifer says
Hi Lisha, you can, though they will always have a nicer texture with both bread and all purpose. For using all all-purpose, you will probably need to use a bit more flour over-all, to compensate.
Jacky says
I have just made these for the third time, I absolutely love them. They are perfect with homemade burgers and smell so good when they're baking. I would recommend it!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Jacky! Thanks so much :)
Sam says
Buns came out perfect!! Thank you very much for the recipe. I kept them in a air tight container but next day buns were not soft anymore even after heating them . Any tips ?
Jennifer says
Hi Sam, enriched doughs like this one and especially buns, just won't stay fresh very long. I either use them the day I bake them or I freeze them. They freeze beautifully and freezing lock in that freshness, so if you want to make ahead, definitely freeze. You'll want to thaw in the wrapping, so they don't dry out.
Pam Letkeman says
Has anyone tried with adding rye flour?
Ceecee says
Hi! I’ve made this recipe twice so far, once kneading just with my hands and the second time using the dough hooks of my hand mixer. The first time, the dough was too sticky and i didnt have a scraper so i think it was underkneaded; but it still tasted great! The second time the buns were so flat and wide when they were finished. Would you have any idea why this might have happened? I followed the ingredient list to the t and even used a scraper, and my yeast was working fine. They still taste amazing! Just wish mine looked like yours.
Jennifer says
Hi Ceecee, Let's see if I can help :) First, I just want to make sure you are NOT using rapid/quick rising yeast. Also, are you using bread flour (or all-purpose). Assuming you are using the correct yeast and bread flour, then your issue is almost certainly that you are not using enough flour. When making any yeast recipe, the amount of flour is always approximate and never exact. And while I caution about adding too much additional flour, you may need to add more flour if your dough is very sticky and too moist.
Ceecee says
Yep i use active dry yeast and used the weighed amount of bread flour and AP flour from the recipe. I’ll try adding more flour next time and let you know, thank you for your reply!
Jennifer says
Yes, do let me know! Make sure you don't over-rise them for the 2nd rise, as well. That could also have been an issue.
Carly says
I tried making these with AP flour and the dough seemed very dense and dry. I wasn’t able to do the slap and fold method (I’m used to making sourdough bread).
Should I add more water to the original mixture? What am I doing wrong?
Jennifer says
Hi Carly, You are just using too much flour. Hold back 1/4-1/3 of the flour, then add it slowly, in small increments, mixing well between additions. Keep adding just until you have a moist, slightly sticky dough. Hope that helps :)
Jessica Hanley says
I made these once but didn't form the buns right before baking, but they still tasted amazing and I got compliments on them despite the blob look lol Second time I managed to get the shape right so they finally look as good as they taste! I cant look at sore bought buns the same way, these are the only way to go! Thank you for the recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Jessica :) And yes, that shaping takes a bit to get the hang of. So glad you have mastered it now. Enjoy and thanks!
Ranjana says
Followed the recipe to the T and It came out perfect
Jennifer says
Glad to hear, Ranjana :) Thanks!
Jennifer S says
I made these today and my family loved them! I have a question: Could I use this recipe for bread? Like a loaf of bread?
Jennifer says
Hi Jennifer and glad to hear! And yes, you could shape the dough into a loaf and bake it off. I'm not sure what size loaf it would make (8x4 or 9x5), so you'll have to see how it looks when in the pan. If it seems over-filled in an 8x4, try the 9x5. Enjoy!
Jean says
Can the dough be frozen after rising, but before baking? Thanks!
Jennifer says
Hi Jean, I haven't tried freezing the dough, so bear that in mind :) I think if I were going to freeze it, I would freeze after the first rise and shaping into buns. Then to use, remove from the freezer, let thaw and do it's 2nd rise, then bake. Otherwise, you'd be better off just freezing the baked buns as they freeze beautifully once baked.
shoshana says
kneaded in my kitchenaid and they came out perfectly, family loves them for sandwiches too!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Shoshana :) Thanks!
Anesu says
Hie i want to try this, in the recipe there is 3 cups bread and 1/3 cup all purpose, are they used together or its measurements for either using bread or all purpose
Jennifer says
Hi Anesu, it means you use both the bread flour amount AND the all purpose flour amount.
Kristan Gray says
The best recipe for buns, ever!! Thank you for your tips---they were very valuable. And, yes, they freeze really well. No more store-bought buns for me!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear! Thanks so much :)
Pauline Chew says
Jennifer,
The bun tastes good crunchy on the outside a little doughy in the inside. I bake the next day and yummy.
Today, I have made another batch and follow recipe like it is written. I actually have bought a new silicon spatula and use for the mixing, but turn and slap using the mixing bowl. I let the dough rise one and a half hour then, knead and make 8 balls and rise for an hour. They this time turn out like in the picture. I put 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in with the flour mixture.
I would make this recipe again.
Thank you, Pauline
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Pauline :) Thanks so much!
Kathryn Robinson says
Hi, I made this recipe as noted and they turned out perfect. I didn't use water in the oven because I only have a large toaster oven so no room. I weighted them to 100 grams and were a little too big so next time I'll do 75 grams. Thanks for a great recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Kathryn :) Thanks so much!
Pauline Chew says
I have had not done the slapping and slamming and add flour right away and knead the dough. I have read other recipes and have gotten sidetracked. Will I have problems? I am letting it rise at this very moment.
Jennifer says
Hi Pauline and you are probably done with them now? How did they turn out?
Suzanne says
Delicious! I used all purpose flour and they turned out great. No more grocery store burger buns for me!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks :)
Connie says
I've made these three times and will never buy store buns again. Even an 8 year old noticed the difference. I was a bit skeptical at first because the dough was so sticky. I kept slamming and scraping the dough and all of a sudden it became drier and more elastic. I plan to have these in the freezer from now on. I made the first batch strictly by the recipe and the buns were closer to the large size packaged ones. The last two batches I made a dozen and they were perfect. I plan to try making some for sliders, too. I did notice when brushing with the egg wash, that the buns will spread out if you don't work quickly. I'm new to breadmaking and this recipe has certainly given me some confidence.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Connie :) Thanks!