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, 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 fingers, rub the butter in to the flour mixture, making crumbs.
- Add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg to the bowl and using a dough scraper or silicone spatula, stir until a moist dough forms.
- Scrape the dough on to an unfloured counter. At this point the dough is very moist and sticky and not really able to be kneaded traditionally. You will be tempted to dust with flour but do resist. Instead of traditionally kneading, use your dough scraper or silicone spatula to scoop up the dough and then slamming it back on the counter. Turn and repeat. Just keep going. After about 5-7 minutes your dough should be still moist but not quite as sticky.
- Shape dough into bowl and place into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- 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.)
- 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 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. 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.
Loren Randall-Duvel says
Hi I am trying these out right now... So far so good. Still have to put them in the oven. I replaced the yeast with my sourdough starter. Works just as well. What is the purpose of the roasting tray at the bottom of the oven?
Jennifer says
Hi Loren, the roasting tray with water is to create a moist, steamy environment in the oven as the buns bake. Enjoy!
Laure says
Hi there,
I am so envious of everyone here who managed to master that receipe! I used the exact proportions of each ingredient, but it was so sticky I could not do anything with it, even using the silicon spatula. I did not check precisely the water temperature (even though it did not seem over 40°C), could it be the reason? That the liquids were too warm? I really cannot think of anything else that would have gone wrong.
Jennifer says
Hi Laure, So a couple of things. You could have killed the yeast. Did the mixture rise at all? Otherwise, you just need to add more flour. Just a bit at a time, until it is not quite so sticky. As noted, the dough should be sticky, but sounds like yours was stickier then it should be. More flour is all that's needed.
Jennifer says
Glad to hear and yes, nothing like some good dough slamming :) Thanks!
Cooler by the Lake says
Quick, easy and taste great. Never did the bread slamming before. Great for frustrations :-)
Juliette says
Made these yesterday and they were really good. Nice flavour and hold up well when loading them up with burgers and all the fixings. Definitely approved by the family! I proofed the dough in our Instant Pot on the low yogurt setting and it only took 20 minutes to double! The second rise was less than an hour on the kitchen countertop. I didn’t have any bread flour so I used all-purpose white flour and a bit of whole wheat flour too. I will be definitely be making these again!
Jennifer says
Glad to hear, Juliette :) Thanks so much!
Wayne says
I'm in the middle of making these right now, so far, so good. Looking forward to burgers tonight! Just curious how much your 8 dough balls weighed.
Jennifer says
Hi Wayne and sorry, I totally don't remember. Sometimes I make note of it in the recipe, but if I didn't it's gone for now :)
Janice says
So delicious! Very light but held together perfectly for burgers. Thank you for sharing this recipe :)
Jennifer says
Glad to hear, Janice :) Thanks so much!
Carly says
Made these buns and they were the prettiest thing I’ve baked in my life! They were perfect! Would this recipe work for a loaf too? I tried another brioche loaf recipe and it failed to rise even though I followed everything exactly!
Jennifer says
Sure, you could make it into a loaf!
Katie says
It’s a great recipe, even the first time came to a huge success! Like others said, it’s really sticky but turned out light and fluffy at the end!
I divided the recipe into half quantity, making 4 buns based on the metric calculation, and it still worked out great! Only thing was as the author mentioned, the liquid is just an approximate amount, which at the end I added 2 tbsp liquid less based on my experience, and I just dusted with very little flour on the dough after the first proof.
One more good thing about this recipe is it doesn’t need the traditional kneading, which make it easier and less time to proceed, but it can still give a light and airy texture.
I would really stick on this recipe whether I have to make a burger bun from now on, thanks Jennifer for sharing such good recipe with all of us!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed these, Katie :) Thanks so much!
Claire says
I've made three of your recipes and they've all been wonderful. This is one of them. Mine looked exactly like the picture, and that's not the norm ;-) The dough was definitely sticky, I had to keep scrapping the dough off my fingers. I resisted the urge to add more flour and they turned out light and fluffy. They were a very fast rise so I had the most enjoyable hamburger for lunch. My husband, who is not a bread lover like me, loved them.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Claire :) Thanks so much!
Caroline S. says
I made these last night and they were awesome and so easy to make! We didn't have any bread flour so I used all AP, and we also didn't have milk, so I used the 35% whipping cream we had in the fridge. They came out PERFECT and smelled and tasted like heaven. Thanks!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Caroline :) Thanks so much!
Génesis says
I made these for my parents and brother and they 110% approved!! Thank you for sharing this!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them :) Thanks so much!
Nour says
Absolutely delicious, my family loved them so much. I will never go back to store bought burger buns.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Nour :) Thanks so much!
Caroline says
This is my first time making buns. I didn't put a lot of egg wash, my fault, only on top so it looked like pale buns when it came out 😁. Taste great though! Thank you!!!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Caroline :) Thanks so much!
Amy says
Hiya, Can I make these with just bread flour....I don't have all purpose thanks
Jennifer says
Hi Amy and sure, it should be fine. You may need less over-all flour if using all bread flour. Enjoy!
Tan Swee Hong says
Although a bit sticky but this is the best burger bread I've ever baked! Thank you for sharing this recipe .
Jennifer says
So glad to hear! Yes, it is a sticky dough, but that's what makes them so light in the end. Thanks :)
Betty says
My son said he would like me to make brioche buns for our homemade hamburgers. The burgers were seasoned and I forgot to buy buns on my last grocery run.
I came across your recipe because I have active, not instant yeast and your post came up when I searched. It's my first time baking with yeast in a long time. It's scarce in the stores and I have a bottle of 1 year expired yeast. I figured I would see if it was still good. I started the recipe with the proofing. Now after a few minutes I was happy with what I saw.
When I looked at it again after about 15 there seemed to be a huge amount of proofed yeast in my measuring cup that it was running over the edges.
I checked the recipe for the next steps and realized I had proofed 2 tablespoons and not 2 teaspoons!!!!
To make a long story short the buns came out amazing! They were light and airy.
My resting/rising time was reduced due to more yeast. My oven was barely warm as I had used it earlier and I placed the bowl in the oven. This also helped in reducing the rising time.
Halfway through baking the color on the top was perfect. To prevent further browning I covered them with a sheet of foil until the final bake time.
This was such a great experience I will use your recipe again!
Jennifer says
That must have been the fastest yeast rising ever :) Glad it all worked out in the end! Thanks so much, Better.
Jennifer says
Do you freeze the buns before or after baking? Thanks!
Jennifer says
Hi Jennifer, I freeze them after they are baked and cooled.
Donna Evers says
Wish I had read the comments first.My dough was on the dry side.
I will add the last cup of flour as needed next time. Jennifer do you sift your flour? Thanks for so many wonderful recipes, jennifer.
Donna, in Halifax
Jennifer says
Hi Donna and no, I don't sift. I just stir it in the jar first, then spoon and level. And yes, not just for these buns, but for any yeast dough, only add as much flour as you need. The flour amount is always approximate in yeast doughs :)
Donna Evers says
Made two batches, Jennifer and added less flour to the second. Both lots turned out great.It is a wonderful recipe. Nice to have have these in the freezer come bbq season.Good to have one less trip to the grocery store when we are in self isolation. Stay safe and well.
Jennifer says
Glad to hear and yes, I love to have these in the freezer for bbq burgers whenever! Thanks so much :)
Charlene says
This is hands down the best hamburger bun I've ever tasted (first time making). I've made these twice so far; once using butter and the next time using olive oil as a sub as we ran out of butter and both times were fantastic. My favourite thing about these buns is that they do not get soggy or fall apart like store bought buns. They are honestly perfect! My only tidbit of info to share is that when you use olive oil the dough is much stickier so I had to add a bit more flour than when using butter. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying these, Charlene and good to know that olive oil works well here, too! Thanks so much :)
Claire says
These turned out perfect. Looked and tasted great and were easy to make. Talk about a sticky dough though, I’m glad I resisted adding any more flour. I’ll be making these on a regular basis.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Claire :) Thanks so much!
Join says
Hi Jennifer, mine rose beautifully but they “collapsed” when I did the egg wash😔 they were very light and tasty but a bit “flat”. I used a silicon brush to do the egg wash.
Jennifer says
Hi John, I suspect a yeast issue. What kind of yeast did you use? Rapid rise?
Aili says
This recipe was awesome! I followed your instructions easily, and made wonderful burger buns for my husband and I. Thanks so much!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Aili! Thanks :)
Melanie says
I’ve made these a few times now and they work out perfect every time. They are the only hamburger buns we use in our house now. When our freezer is getting low I just whip up another batch and keep them frozen until needed. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Melanie :) They are always in the freezer here, too. Thanks!
Katie Meier says
These buns were absolutely amazing! The flavor is sweet and buttery, and the texture is very light and fluffy. They were perfect when paired with a grilled hamburger and lots of ketchup! One thing I noticed, however, is that my dough was white dry after adding all the flour, even though the recipe says it should be sticky and moist. I added a little bit more milk and water, which resulted in a reasonably moist, but easy to handle dough. Additionally, to make my dough rise faster, I used quick rise yeast and proofed them in a slightly warm environment. By doing these things, my dough took about 70 minutes to rise each time. I baked mine for 15 minutes, but they weren’t quite as dark as the original recipe pictures. I personally thought leaving my buns in longer to get that color might result in over baked buns, which simply aren’t good. However, they were still marvelous and I definitely will be making them again. I would highly recommend making these buns, they truly are delicious!
Jennifer says
Hi Katie and so glad you enjoyed them :) Thanks so much.
When it comes to adding flour to yeast doughs, bear in mind that the measurement is always "approximate". You may not need to add it all. Every kitchen is different and flours are different. I always like to hold back the last cup and add it at the end, adding only as much as needed to get that smooth, moist dough. As you probably discovered, it's not that easy to add liquid to a dough. Much easier to reduce the flour, if need be. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about baking these a few minutes longer. I love darker breads. Dark = flavour.
Kamia says
Easy recipe, delicious buns... Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Kamia :) Thanks so much!