Homemade Hamburger Buns
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Hamburger buns are easier to make than you might expect and they taste even better! Once you’ve tried them you’ll be hooked.
Why would anyone want to make their own buns when you can grab a package of 8 for like $.99? There are three very good reasons: taste, quality, and control.
Taste. These buns are soft and fluffy with enough firmness to absorb those yummy burger juices and condiments. They have a hint of sweet and butteriness. They’re amazing. I played around with two recipes and came up with this one.
Quality. You know the saying, “you get what you pay for”. If you spend a dollar for buns you will get a dollar worth of buns. At best they are means for clean hands while holding the burger. I reality it’s a sad attempt at making white sandwich bread great. A quality hamburger bun will cost you a few dollars. This recipe gives you a great quality roll for the cost of about a dollar.
Control. You get to make as many or as little as you’d like. I hate with an irrational passion, miscellaneous items floating around my fridge. I hate to have a lonesome hamburger/hotdog bun sitting in the fridge not being eaten because one of the kids decided they didn’t want it. If only they sold packages of 5 or 7. Ugh! I know that’s my crazy talking but you do have the option of making a smaller or larger batch of buns. You also control the size of the buns. No more tiny burger in huge bread, lol. You could totally make slider-sized buns. And once they’ve been baked and cooked, you can store them in a freezer-safe bag and freeze them until ready.
Ease. A bonus fourth reason is the ease of the recipe. I made these and all of my other bread recipes using a hand mixer with dough hooks. I only recently got won a KitchenAid stand mixer. You don’t need a stand mixer but if you have it, use it.
How to Make Hamburger Buns
Step 1 Make a dough starter. Add 1 cup of flour, yeast, evaporated milk, and warm water into a bowl and mix until smooth. Let it stand for 10-15 until it’s foamy. Whisk the egg, melted butter, sugar, and salt thoroughly into the flour mixture. Add the remaining flour.
Step 2
Using dough hooks on a mixer, knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed.
Step 3
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface; dough will be sticky and elastic but not stick to your hands. Form the dough lightly into a smooth ball tucking loose ends underneath. Coat the bowl with oil and return the dough. Cover and allow it to rise doubled in size; about 1 1/2-2 hours. Punch the dough down and turn it on to a floured surface. Dust dough lightly with flour if needed. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces.
Step 4
Form each piece into a round shape, tucking the ends underneath as before. Use your hands to shape by cupping the top into a slight mound. Set the buns about 1/2 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the egg yolk with milk in a small bowl. Very gently brush the buns with egg wash without deflating the risen dough. (Be careful to not let the egg wash drip onto the baking sheet.) Sprinkle each bun with sesame seeds.
Step 5
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Buns will stick together slightly where they touch. Let them cool completely before tearing the buns apart.
Recipes to Use the Hamburger Buns
Maryland Crab Cake with Old Bay Mayo
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 c bread flour more for dusting
- 1 pk yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 c evaporated milk room temp
- 1/2 c water room temp
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp milk
- sesame seeds
- oil for coating
Instructions
- Place 1 cup of flour, yeast, evaporated milk, and warm water into a bowl and mix until smooth. Let stand until mixture is foamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk the egg, melted butter, sugar, and salt thoroughly into the flour mixture. Followed by the remaining flour.
- Using dough hooks on a mixer, knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape sides if needed.
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface; dough will be sticky and elastic but not stick to your hands. Form the dough lightly into a smooth ball tucking loose ends underneath. Coat the bowl with oil and return the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise doubled in size; about 1 hour.
- Punch the dough down and turn it on to a floured surface. Dust dough lightly with flour if needed. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Form each piece into a round shape, tucking the ends underneath as before. Use your hands to shape by cupping the top into a slight mound. Set the buns about 1/2 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the trays with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again. About another hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the egg yolk with milk in a small bowl. Very gently brush the buns with egg wash without deflating the risen dough. (Be careful to not let the egg wash drip onto the baking sheet.) Sprinkle each bun with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Buns will stick together slightly where they touch. Let them cool completely before tearing the buns apart.