Homemade Hamburger Buns
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A deliciously hearty yet soft homemade bun recipe that can hold any filling you throw at it from hamburgers to pulled pork. Using your bread machine just makes it easier!
I was such a smug little brat. Thinking “it will never happen to me, that is for old people, and I am never going to be old.”
I used to laugh at my mom.
Jokes on me, I am now my mother.
Here I am, now, at 30 years old, and I have to tell my kids to remind me to get everything we need at the grocery store.
I decided early one morning that I would make the kids and I smoked pulled pork sandwiches. But apparently, our hour at the local U-Pick strawberry farm zapped my brain cells.
We stopped at the grocery store to get pork. And buns. And stuff for slaw.
Guess what we came home with?
- A container to use on the smoker
- A bag of baby potatoes
- A box of macaroni noodles?
- A pork butt.
SOOO…. Ya.
Time to make our own, I guess!
This recipe is dedicated to forgetting things and makin’ it work!
Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe Notes:
THESE homemade hamburger buns, made with milk and butter, are hearty yet soft. This bun can stand up to some major filling!
MAKE sure you’ve got enough time. Like anything worth doing, this recipe takes a little time.
OR stop after the bread machine is done, and set the dough in the fridge. You can pull it from the fridge to shape, proof, and bake an hour or so before eating.
THIS recipe is another fantastic way to use your bread machine. I love my bread machine – If you’re looking for a recommendation, I am happy to share that I love my Breville.
AS written this recipe produces large buns, if your preference is slightly smaller buns, you can always split the dough into eighths instead of sixths.
THE sponge isn’t hard to work with, don’t be scared! It is sticky, though.
EGG wash is not required unless you’re using topping, as it helps the toppings to adhere. The colour of the crust is reason alone to use the egg wash, in my humble opinion!
ARE THESE BUNS ONLY FOR HAMBURGERS?
HECK NO!
Use them for anything you’d want to put in a bun:
- burgers
- pulled pork
- sandwiches
- peanut butter and jam
FLOUR FLOUR FLOUR
I’ve talked at length about flour on several of my bread posts ( check out my Irresistible Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe for the most information).
THERE IS A MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN FLOURS!
I am Canadian, and in Canada, our all-purpose flour is required by law to have at least 13% protein. There is no such law in the USA, and this means that all-purpose flour in the States, depending on where it was grown and produced can have a much lower percentage of protein.
If you are NOT Canadian, please ensure that your flour has at least 13% protein, as this will have an adverse effect on your bread, and cause for confusion.
The easy way to check this math is:
Grams of Protein / Grams per Serving = _________ X 100 = ______ % protein.
Homemade Bun Topping Ideas
I kept it simple, sesame and smoked sea salt, but don’t let that hold you back!
Try topping these homemade hamburger buns with:
- diced onions
- shredded cheese
- seeds
- grains
- herbs and spices
📖 Printable Recipe
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- ¾ cup milk warmed to ~80F
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
For the dough:
- ⅓ cup milk warmed to ~80F
- 1 ½ tbsp honey
- ¼ cup butter room temperature, cubed
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ⅓ cups bread flour
For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg whisked
Instructions
For the sponge:
- In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup milk , ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 ⅓ cups bread flour, and 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to proof for 30 minutes.
For the dough:
- Add ⅓ cup milk to your bread machine's bread pan, and add the sponge- you may need to break up the sponge by hand.
- Then add 1 ½ tbsp honey, ¼ cup butter, 2 tsp salt, and 1 ⅓ cups bread flour to the bread pan.
- Place your bread pan in the bread machine and set the cycle to Dough or Bread Dough setting.
- When the cycle is complete, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and flour the dough lightly, as well.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
- Roll each of the portions into a ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg. Brush each bun with egg wash.
- Cover the buns with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minute rise, lightly flatten the buns, and then brush the buns with egg wash again. Add desired toppings at this point.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F.
- Once the buns are done rising, bake in 400F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
PIN THIS HOMEMADE BUN RECIPE FOR LATER!
Hello, i tried your hamburger Bun recipe, and They looked the same until i baked them. They ended up like pancakes. I am haVing the same issue with dinner buns. Any suggestions?
I’m not 100% sure why they’d fall after rising? How’s your yeast? Did they over-proof?
I have made your hamburger buns twice, now will not ever buy store buns again. They are delicious, but did cut back to eight buns as they were a bit too big for us.
So glad to hear you love them! Nothing beats homemade buns!
Hello, I just made these for the first time. My first attempt at any kind of bun, these look wonderful. They are golden brown and rose perfectly As far as taste, its unknown at this time. The mixing, rising and baking process went wonderfully. I will say the dough was very sticky and I made 8. They are a little small – I should have squished them a bit more prior to baking and Im sure they would be the perfect size for a standard size burger.
So great to hear!
Thanks for posting the recipe! However I found the texture of the buns on the harder side, unlike the soft hamburger buns we buy from supermarket!