Homemade Hamburger Buns

Let’s grill! Throw the ultimate backyard burger bash

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Soft and fluffy golden hamburger buns straight out of your own oven will have you wondering why you ever messed with those ubiquitous buns in a bag.

In fact, these are easy enough to make for even the novice baker. A stand mixer with a dough hook does all the heavy lifting.

If you don’t already have a stand mixer, here’s a guide to help you choose the best mixer for all your baking needs.

The ingredients — flour, butter, honey, egg, yeast, and buttermilk — have a homey, comforting feel. Baking your first bread can be a stressful process. There are so many factors and variables. Did it rise enough? Can I get it out of the pan? But buns are low on the anxiety meter. With small balls on a baking sheet, the stakes are not as high.

You mix about half the flour with the liquid ingredients and beat them together with the mixer attachment to start the gluten action, which makes the dough stretchy and gives it structure.

Once you’ve gradually added most of the remaining flour (keeping back a few tablespoons if the dough seems very sticky), the dough hook goes to work. Then all you have to do is wait.

Once the dough has risen, shape the buns and let them rise again on the baking sheet. Fifteen minutes in the oven and you have gorgeous browned buns ready for any grilled burger you make. You can also eat these rolls toasted with butter and jam (seriously!) or stuff them with your favorite sandwich filling, tuna salad, egg salad, or pulled pork. Life is good!

How to divide and shape hamburger buns

How to shape hamburger buns:

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and cut into 8 wedges like a cake. If you have a scale, weigh the dough and then divide the weight by 8 to determine the weight of each roll. If you don’t have a scale, here are a few brands we recommend.
There’s a great trick you can use to shape the dough into balls by turning each piece with your cupped hands on the work surface. If you’ve never done it before, it takes a little practice. The alternative is to simply shape the dough into balls by pulling the edges of the dough towards the center and pinching them. This is an easier approach!
Before flattening the dough on the baking sheet, space the rolls about 3 inches apart. You want to give the buns enough room as they rise.

A note about yeast

For ease of preparation I use instant yeast as it is designed to be added directly to flour whereas active dry yeast needs to be hydrated first. Yeast lasts a long time in the freezer (I usually buy instant yeast in a 1 pound pack).

If you’re concerned that your yeast is old and may not be active, check first by stirring it into 1/4 cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar. Let sit for about 10 minutes, and if it foams and bubbles, it’s still active. If it doesn’t, discard it.

For more information about the different types of yeast and how to test them, see A Guide to Yeast.

Ways to make homemade hamburger buns

For shiny, golden tops, egg washing is essential. You can leave them plain or sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or any bagel seasoning. The egg wash helps them stick to the buns and gives a golden brown tint to the finished baked bread.

Hamburger Bun Adjustments

I urge you to follow the recipe as written if this is your first time baking buns. Once you have the basic recipe, you can experiment with a much greater likelihood of success.

Here are a few ways to tweak this recipe:

Mix flour: Try whole-wheat flour, or use half all-purpose flour and half whole-wheat flour.
Be ready to adapt: When swapping wheat flour for white flour, it’s important to remember that wheat flour absorbs more liquid than white flour, so you’ll need to adjust the ratios to get the right moisture content.
Make yourself small: Use this recipe for Homemade Slider Buns! Instead of cutting the dough into 8 wedges, cut it into 16. You’ll end up with smaller hamburger buns that are perfect for slider patties.

For storing, freezing and defrosting hamburger buns

To store: The buns stay on your counter for up to three days. Just store them in a zipped bag, but only after they’ve completely cooled. If you pack them up too early, condensation will form inside the bag.

Freeze: I like to wrap each roll in plastic and then freeze them in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and let rest on a wire rack at room temperature for about 20 minutes, or place in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.