Homemade Hamburger Buns (Light & Fluffy)
by Chungah
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THE BEST (and easiest) buns! So soft, pillowy and airy, perfect for any burger or sandwich. You’ll never want store-bought buns ever again!
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why you’ll love this hamburger bun recipe
- Easy and simple to make. Hamburger buns are easy and simple to make. The recipe is straightforward and does not require too many ingredients.
- Minimal hands on time. We’re talking 15-20 minutes of actual hands-on time here.
- So versatile. These homemade buns are not just epic for cheeseburgers. They are equally amazing for any sandwich – fried chicken sandwiches, club sandwiches, BLTs…you name it.
- Holds up very well. These are the type of pillowy buns that will hold up everything so well without falling apart (think saucy bbq pulled pork and sloppy joes!).
- Freezer-friendly. Did you know hamburger buns can keep in the freezer for at least 2 months? Perfect for a rainy day and all your future sandwich needs.
Tips and tricks for perfect burger buns
- Check for expired yeast. When using expired yeast, the buns will not rise appropriately, resulting in dense, flat, heavy burger buns.
- Avoid over-flouring. Adding too much flour will also lead to dry, dense buns.
- Slightly tacky feels like a Post-It note. The dough should feel slightly tacky, similar to the back of a Post-It note. These are signs of good gluten development.
- Use an egg wash. Applying an egg wash before baking will yield that glossy, golden-brown finish (and will also help those sesame seeds adhere to the tops).
- Make it whole wheat. Swap out half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour while keeping the rest of the recipe the same. The texture will be a little more dense and heavy compared to using only all-purpose flour but will be equally amazing.
freezing and storage
Storage
Leftover burger buns can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Homemade hamburger buns can be reheated in the toaster oven or in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through. For a crispy finish, they can also be toasted on a hot buttered skillet, cut side down, for 2-3 minutes. Leftover burger buns reheated in the microwave can lead to soggy, chewy buns.
Freeze after baking
Let the burger buns cool completely. Wrap each bun in plastic wrap before transferring the buns to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or reheat in the oven (directly from frozen) at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
what to serve in homemade hamburger buns
Homemade Hamburger Buns (Light & Fluffy): Frequently Asked Questions
The dough should be soft, tacky, and slightly sticky, similar to the back of a Post-It note.
This can be due to a few various factors such as kneading too much, over flouring, or not letting them rise enough.
Brush the tops of the buns with an egg wash immediately before baking for that favorited glossy, bakery-style look.
Homemade buns can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. Storing in the fridge can cause the buns to dry out.
Absolutely! For long term storage, cool the buns completely, slice the buns prior to freezing, and wrap each bun in plastic wrap before storing in an airtight, resealable freezer bag for at least 2 months.
Homemade Hamburger Buns (Light & Fluffy)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water, 100-110 degrees F
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature, divided
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour, divided
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, beat the water mixture, butter, 1 egg, 2 cups flour and salt on medium-low speed until a smooth batter forms, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, smooth ball of dough is formed. The dough should feel elastic and slightly tacky to the touch. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes.
- Lightly oil a large bowl or coat with nonstick spray; place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Gently deflate dough by punching down.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, divide into 8 equal pieces, weighing the pieces as needed; shape each piece into a smooth ball.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place rolls onto the prepared baking sheet; flatten each ball to 3 inches.
- Cover with a clean dishtowel and let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and milk. Brush tops of dough with egg mixture; sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Place into oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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These buns came out great! The dough was so nice and worked up beautifully. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I did them by hand. Only thing was I forgot the salt. They still came out so soft and fluffy. I will just not forget that next time. I put poppy seeds on 4 and sesame seeds on 4. Delicious and easy!
Tried a few different bun recipes but they never came out right, this one is exactly what I was looking for. I reduced the sugar in half, besides that just followed the recipe as written and they came out great!
They came absolutely perfect, delicious soft and tasty. Its become my favorite go to recipe.
I tried it in a bread form and came out great.
Simple to make and super yummy!
maybe suggest shorter baking time? ALL the buns were burnt on the bottom, sadly. I should have checked on them before the 15 minute mark…. otherwise this seems like a great recipe. i so bummed after all the hard work…..hoping i can cut it off, and the burnt flavor hasn’t permeated thru the whole bun. i’m having company tonight w/a “burger bar” say a prayer for me!! TIA!
I’ve tried to make burger buns and failed every time until this recipe. Thanks a bunch! I will definitely be saving this recipe in my book of favorites.
I’ve made this 4 times now and find it easy and reliable. The results are light and fluffy buns. I only made them as hamburger buns once though. Regular buns the other times. The last time I made 60/40 whole grain and white flour.
You’ll only need 3 cups rather than 3 1/4 because of the whole grain flour being heavier.
Beautiful results each time!
These are incredible – fluffy, light & perfect for ‘burgers’ and even toasted plain with a swipe of butter with coffee. I made these to go with the newly tried (and phenomenal!) Black Bean Burger recipe and a White Bean Burger recipe I made to include as freezer/quick meals as I shift from lacto-ovo vegetarian further toward the all-vegan mods. Having a dozen patties from each batch, I had to have the crowning glory of actual buns.
The recipes on the site are always great and these were no exception. Perfect flavor & consistency for these light and fab burgers. A layer of 1000 island/bbq sauce for the black bean burgers or a mayo/ranch sauce for the white bean ones, stacked with lettuce and tomatoes, and these buns lent great flavor & texture to the burger experience – no meat necessary or even desired!
Thank you for the perfect buns to top off the new PBWF journey – who would have thought veg could be this awesome?! As I work to shift vegan (from 90% of the day to 100%), if I have to use a bit of local, organic milk, butter or egg – usually in a recipe or coffee – I try to be okay/patient with it, so shifting remains a positive journey forward. These buns may remain my (infrequent, occasional, expected) lacto-ovo indulgence. I would love to see these buns Go Vegan! Until then, I may have to keep occasionally indulging/dressing my devourable bean burgers with these golden, fluffy delights!
For further info, these great movies enlighten:
–The Game Changers
(*I took the challenge & went PBWF to Vegan after seeing this one! Phenomenal results.)
–What the Health
–Eating our way to Extinction
–The interview (online) by Tom Bilyeu of Calley Means
–Kiss the Ground
–Plant Pure Nation
–Forks over Knives
–Poisoned: the dirty truth about your food
–Fed Up
–Food, Inc.
The best hamburger bun recipe I have ever made(I’ve tried many) Not only super easy but delicious. I will be throwing all my others out!!
These are not only the absolute best hamburger rolls but also foolproof. I have tried many recipes and pride myself on always looking for the best of “any recipe”. I will get rid of any other hamburger bun recipes in my possession.
I went to the store for hamburger buns and came home with everything except for the buns so I decided to try and make them myself. I’ve made French bread and no knead bread, but this was the first time making hamburger buns. They were easy to make and came out incredibly good. I think I will make up another batch to freeze.
I’ve made several recipes from this website and have loved them. So I had high hopes from this hamburger bun recipe too. I wanted so much to like this recipe. But unfortunately these didn’t turn out at all like I was expecting. I thought they would be light but they were very dense. I’m an experienced cook and have gone through culinary school. So I’m not unfamiliar with baking. I followed the recipe and weighed and measured correctly. My yeast was still good and I used a thermometer to ensure the water was the correct temperature. I didn’t use too much flour, and actually didn’t add the last 1/4 cup, as the dough had reached the right texture as you described, without it. I had concern when I noticed the dough hadn’t doubled in volume on the first rise, even though I gave it 1 1/4 hours (instead of the 45-60 min suggested) I was just greatly disappointed in the end result. But I had read a lot of great reviews, so I was optimistic. I’d be open to hearing any troubleshooting suggestions?
to the person whose rolls were dense more than likely even though yeast wasn’t expired it could have just been old I make a lot of bread and rolls of all kink and have had issues with raising its the yeast
I agree! The only times I’ve ever had that happen is when the yeast was too old. Proofing helps to decipher this.
Delicious and easy!!
I make these about once/wk. They are very good. I sub a little bread flour for a softer texture. They’re fabulous. They remind me of a Texas Roadhouse hamburger bun.
i forgot to add the butter lol, next time i’ll add the butter but do you think they’ll turn out much different?
I love these and have made them several times, But there are only 2 of us and so I would like to freeze 4 of the 8 rolls. Can someone tell me if it is possible to freeze them before baking or do I need to wait and freeze them after they are complete which is what I have been doing. Yet having them fresh from the oven is so wonderful! I am just not sure if I would freeze them before the second rise or just before they were about to go in the oven before the egg wash. Help! Thank you all,
I always (large) batch cook whenever possible and once the buns are done baking and cooling, they get frozen for easy reheating in the micro for 15-20 seconds, and are then ready to use and as good as fresh.
This is the best hamburger bun recipe hands down. So easy!! They are light and fluffy and taste amazing. Will be only using this recipe from now on. Goodbye store bought buns!!
Have made these twice in the last 5 days. Sent a half a dozen home with granddaughter who loves her Nana’s pulled pork . such an easy recipe. But even after two days they are still soft and delicious
Have shared the recipe with many friends
Loved them! I added everything bagel seasoning on top. What’s the nutritional content for each?
Hi! Was wondering how I could double your recipe. I know with baking sometimes not all the ingredients are doubled but rather relies on ratio. Thank you!
I double everytime and they turn out great.
Why does it say 2 tbsp of milk?
And in the recipe it’s never added
Hi Erica. Please note in Step 8: “In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and milk.” I hope that helps!