Easy way to make Hamburger Buns at home (Soft, Puffy)

• Food: Hamburger Buns
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

You’ll never buy store-bought hamburger buns again after trying these homemade ones! They’re fluffy and soft, and they’re surprisingly easy to prepare.

I would have laughed three months ago if someone had told me that Jack and I would start preparing handmade hamburger buns every week.

Hamburger buns seemed to me to be a specialty of only skilled bakers. However, since Jack has been baking like crazy lately, the idea of making handmade hamburger buns has seemed less and less insane.

Why not hamburger buns if we can create bagels and bread?

I’m delighted to report that handmade hamburger buns are surprisingly simple to create after testing and re-testing this recipe.

They’re easy to make and just take around 30 minutes of hands-on time. They’ll elevate any burger to new heights with their light, fluffy, and delicious texture.

Ingredients for Hamburger Buns

This hamburger bun recipe only requires a few basic ingredients:

• All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour — This combination produces incredibly soft buns with a delicious whole wheat flavor.
• It’s the active dry yeast that gives these buns their puffiness.
• Warm water — To activate the yeast, it should be between 105 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sugar nourishes the yeast and imparts a mild sweetness to the hamburger buns.
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature before you start! The hamburger buns will not be as light and fluffy if they are too cold or melted.
• An egg — This adds moisture and richness to the buns, making them very soft and supple. If you don’t have any eggs on hand or don’t want to use one, 3 tablespoons of water can be used instead. The buns will be less fluffy, but they will still be delicious.
• Sea salt – to bring out all of the tastes!

We also like to use an egg wash and sesame seeds to complete our handmade hamburger buns. I love the contrast between the pleasantly sweet, silky buns and the crunchy, nutty nuts!

Hamburger Buns: A Step-by-Step Guide

This hamburger bun recipe is quite easy to prepare. This is what you must do:

Make the dough first. Mix the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar and warm water to activate it.

When the yeast mixture foams, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix it with the flour, salt, butter, egg, and remaining sugar for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, somewhat stiff, and not sticky.

The dough should then be transferred to a clean work area and kneaded into a ball. Place the dough in a large mixing bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave aside for an hour, or until it has approximately doubled in size.

Form the buns when the dough has risen. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and place it on a clean, flour-free work surface. To form a ball, roll each piece on the tabletop with a cupped hand.

Transfer the dough balls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Form each one into a 3-inch disk by pressing it down slightly. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and set aside for another hour to allow the dough to rise.

Bake after an hour has elapsed! The dough balls will appear slightly puffier at this point, but they will still be pretty flat. That’s fine! In the oven, they’ll puff up even more.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 13 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and brush them with the egg wash before sprinkling them with sesame seeds.

Return them to the oven for a final 2–5 minutes of baking, or until the tops are softly golden brown. That concludes our discussion.

Recipe Suggestions

• Prepare your flour by weighing it. Because this hamburger bun recipe calls for a lot of flour, it’s best to weigh it. You’ll know exactly how much flour you’re using this way. Cup measurements are less precise because they might change depending on several factors (your specific measuring cups, how tightly you pack your flour, etc.). If you don’t have a kitchen scale, read this post for my best recommendations on how to measure flour with measuring cups if you don’t have one.
• Allow the dough to rise in a warm place. Warmth encourages yeast to grow, so place the dough somewhere warm for a faster rise. Ours looks great on a sunny windowsill!
• You don’t have a stand mixer? It’s no problem. The quickest and easiest way to prepare these hamburger buns is to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, but if you don’t have one, that’s fine too! Simply knead the dough by hand for 12-15 minutes, or until it is stiff but not sticky and forms a smooth ball.
• Replace the topping with something else. If you don’t have any on hand, try something new! I love these homemade hamburger buns with sesame seeds, but if you don’t have any, feel free to try something else! Both poppy seeds and everything bagel seasoning would be excellent choices. You can simply leave out the egg wash and topping and eat the buns plain.

Serving Suggestions for Hamburger Buns

The best day to eat these hamburger buns is the day they’re baked, but they’ll keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 2 months in the freezer. Before serving, I recommend splitting them in half and toasting them.

When you’re ready to dine, pile them high with your favorite toppings and any burger you choose! With all of these recipes, we enjoy these handmade hamburger buns:

• The Best Vegetarian Burger
• Burger with black beans
• Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger Sandwiches with Jackfruit
• Chickpea Harissa Veggie Burger

Hamburger Buns

These light, soft, and tasty handmade hamburger buns are far superior to store-bought versions. Weigh the flour in this recipe for the best results, as it is more precise than measuring by volume.

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough as follows: Combine the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small basin and proof for 5 minutes, or until frothy.
2. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Combine the flour briefly, then add the rest of the sugar, butter, egg, and yeast mixture. Mix for 5 to 7 minutes on medium-low speed, or until the dough is smooth and well-formed around the hook. It may appear dry at first, but it should eventually create a smooth, stiff, but not sticky dough.
3. Place the dough in a clean work area and knead it into a ball before placing it in a large mixing bowl. If it’s too sticky, dust your work surface with flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has approximately doubled in size.
4. Using parchment paper, line a large baking sheet. Divide the dough into eight pieces on a clean, flourless work surface. Roll each piece into a ball with a cupped hand on the countertop. Flatten the disks into 3-inch disks on the baking sheet. Allow rising for 1 hour after covering with plastic wrap. They’ll appear puffier, but they’ll still be rather flat disks, which is fine.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Uncover and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until softly golden brown on top. Brush with the egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds and return to the oven at the 13-minute mark.
7. Allow cooling on a wire rack before serving.

Notes

• The greatest day to eat the buns is the day they’re baked. Store them in an airtight jar for up to 3 days, then gently warm or toast them before serving. They freeze well as well.
• If your dough is overly sticky in step 2 because it’s humid, add a little more flour.
• If you don’t have any eggs on hand or don’t want to use one, 3 tablespoons of water can be used instead. The buns will be less fluffy, but they will still be delicious.