Homemade Hamburger Buns
These homemade burger buns are soft and flavorful, and can be used for hamburgers, sliders, sandwiches and more! And best of all, they’re easy enough for anyone to make successfully at home.
Looking for a fun summer baking project, or a way to elevate your next summer cookout? Homemade hamburger buns are the way to go! Skip the often bland, generic ones from the grocery store and make your own— they’re SO MUCH better!
These homemade burger buns are made with a basic brioche dough, which just means they’re soft and tender, and actually have a lot of rich flavor all on their own. They’re the perfect starting point for filling with your favorite burger fixings at your next burger bar. Or use them however you like! Keep reading to see how EASY hamburger homemade buns are to make at home.
More homemade recipes to try: Check out my whole wheat brioche burger buns, sandwich and slider buns, cheesy herb burger buns, and homemade hot dog buns.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make homemade burger buns
- Ways to make burger buns in advance
- Recipe FAQs
- Get the recipe
baking tip:What is enriched yeast bread?
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s all of the basic ingredients you’ll nee to make these homemade hamburger buns (full recipe at the end of this article):
- Bread flour
- Butter
- Active-dry yeast or instant yeast
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Milk
- Salt
- Water
- Sesame seeds (optional)
How to make homemade burger buns
- Prepare brioche dough. See my recipe for full instructions. Brioche dough is very soft and almost buttery feeling. It should be quite sticky to the touch, but not come apart and stick to your fingers. Be careful not to add too much flour or your buns will be tough and dry.
- Let dough rise. Set it aside in a warm place for about an hour, until an indent remains when pressed with a finger.
- Portion and shape buns. Using a scale is the best way to ensure all buns are the same size. Just weigh all of the dough and divide by 8. Once dough is divided evenly, pull and tuck dough until top is completely smooth (here’s a video if you need a little help).
- Let buns rise again. Place the buns on a baking sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let the buns rise while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Flatten tops gently. While buns are rising, very gently press down on the tops of the buns 2-3 times to encourage buns to expand outward instead of up. This will give them their characteristic hamburger bun shape. Be careful not to push so hard that you push the air out and you deflate the buns or they will not rise.
- Add egg wash and sesame seeds. Egg wash is a quick combination of egg and water that you brush onto the tops right before baking. This is important because it gives the buns a nice golden color and gives the sesame seeds something to adhere to (if you want to add them).
- Bake. Bake the buns until the tops are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let the buns cool completely before using.
- Slice, add a burger patty and toppings, and enjoy! Use these delicious buns as you like, they’re best served fresh the day they’re baked.
Ways to make burger buns in advance
You’ll want to serve these buns fresh the day they’re baked, but don’t worry, there are still options for prepping them in advance!
Chill or freeze buns for baking later: Shape buns as directed, then cover them on the sheet pan with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to 12 hours, letting them come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. If freezing, place wrapped sheet pan in the freezer for 1 hour, then transfer frozen buns to a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw in fridge or on counter, and then let them come to room temperature a bit before baking.
Freeze baked buns: Store cooled buns in a freezer ziplock bag or double wrap with plastic. Freeze for a month or more. Let thaw at room temperature or warm in a 350°F oven (covered with foil) for about 20 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which means it has the most gluten power. More gluten means more rise and better texture. Yes, you can use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have, but I highly recommend bread flour for yeast-risen recipes when specified.
Active-dry yeast or instant yeast (also known as quick-rise or rapid-rise) will both work for this recipe. If you use instant yeast, you may only need about half of the rising time. Otherwise, results are the same. This recipe has not been tested with fresh yeast.
I learned the “dry-blend method” for this recipe from Red Star Yeast, and I love that it saves a bit of time! If you are confident that your yeast hasn’t expired, you do not need to complete this step when making bread. Soaking yeast in water does hydrate it and speed activation along, however if you combine all dry ingredients with liquids heated to 120-130°F (which is much warmer than “warm water”) it accomplishes the same thing.
It’s more hands-on than using a stand mixer (obviously), but isn’t difficult! I like this tutorial on how to knead bread by hand.
1) It could be that your yeast has expired. Check the expiration date on that packaging. If you don’t know, you can test the yeast. Add 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) of yeast to a cup with 1/2 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes. If the mixture foams and increases in size, then your yeast is still good. If not, it has expired.
2) It’s possible you killed the yeast by if your melted butter and milk was too high of a temperature. Temperatures over 140°F will kill yeast, and it’s helpful to use a thermometer to make sure your liquids are between 120-130°F.
1) See solutions above in case it is an issue with your yeast.
2) Be sure to add only enough flour to achieve a firm but tacky dough. It should clear most of the sides of the bowl during kneading, and will feel very soft and tacky to the touch without actually coming off and sticking to your fingers. Adding too much flour will make a dense and dry loaf.
3) Give your dough enough time to rise in a warm place before baking. It should almost double in size each time.
Get the recipe
Burger Buns
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) butter
- ¼ tablespoons (56 grams) milk
- ¾ cup (170 grams) water
- 3-3 ½ cups (390-455 grams) bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- 2 tablespoons (37 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs , beaten slightly to break up the yolks
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water , whisked together for egg wash
- Sesame seeds , optional
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the milk and water, and warm over medium low heat until temperature is 120-130°F (use a thermometer for best results. If you don't have a thermometer, you can remove from heat as soon as mixture is steaming.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large bowl if planning to mix by hand), combine 2 ½ cups of the bread flour, the yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warm water mixture and the whisked eggs, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
- Add the remaining bread flour 2 tablespoons at a time while mixing on medium low speed until dough almost clears the bowl and is only a slightly sticky to the touch (It's okay if some dough sticks to your fingers). You may not need all 3½ cups of flour. Knead for another few minutes until dough is very smooth and elastic.
- Gather dough into a ball and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled, 1 hour or more.
- Punch down dough gently and let rest for a few minutes. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and shape into balls. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and loosely place over the shaped buns.
- Return to a warm place and continue to rise for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour. While buns are rising, very gently pat the tops with your hands 2-3 times to encourage the dough to expand outward instead of upward. (Be careful not to push the air out of the dough though, or you'll lose the rise and buns will be flat.)
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Brush buns with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
- Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale to first weigh the bulk dough, then divide that number by 8. Use the scale to make sure each bun is the same weight and size. This way buns will be uniform!
- Be sure the warm liquid mixture does not exceed 140°F! Temps higher than that will kill the yeast and prevent it from creating rise in the dough and buns.
- I like to give a range for the flour required in recipes like this because there’s so many factors that affect how much you’ll actually need (how you measure flour, for example.) This way you know to look for how the dough should look and feel, instead of relying on a number.
This post was originally published in July 2010. Pictures have been updated and slight improvements have been made to the recipe.
I tried this recipe, and it turned out amazing! I tweaked it slightly, by adding a little bacon fat and less butter, fresh rosemary, lemon thyme, and garlic powder. They’re a huge hit in our house. Thanks for this one 🙂
I followed this recipe but used 4cups of flour instead. They turned out great and perfect. Thanks for sharing.
I followed this recipe but what I seem to have is burger bun shaped scones.
I hand-kneaded the dough for at least 30 minutes :/
Made these today……amazing and easy!
Hand mixed as no electric mixer and worked fine, added more flour as was too sticky. Will be making them again for sure.
Glad you enjoyed them, thanks for the comment!
These look amazing! Can these be frozen for a week or so? I have a party to cater for about 45 people and would prefer not to have to make them the day of as I will have a lot of other preparations to do.
It didn’t say where to add the Salt in your recipe? I left it out for fear of ruining the dough?
Oops! You add it with the rest of the dry ingredients. I’ve now fixed the recipe. My sincerest apologies!
i want burger bun and other receipies as shown in photos with out egg
Hi 🙂
I made these yesterday and they are great! I have linked back to your blog, you can see it here:
https://my-full-house.blogspot.dk/2013/09/pyszne-domowe-buki-do-burgerow.html
Very best greetings from a Polish girl living in Denmark 🙂
Kasia
They look great, thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is terrific. Made this for dinner today. We don’t get bread flour easily in India so the APF quantity used was more than that in the recipe, but got a lovely crust and a crumb.. Thanks a lot!
Hello from a beef farm in Wiltshire (UK), I googled burger bun recipe appealed because I love brioche-y buns and wanted then to look authentic. We have lots of beef burgers and I wanted to make buns to serve with them when we have guests. I followed recipe earnestly (except had only normal plain flour rather than strong). My mix was sticky so I added extra flour but remained sticky throughout so they spread on the tray. Anyway this was the result https://twitter.com/clearlyam/status/371747762972684288. I’m pleased with the look. The proof will be in the eating tomorrow!!! Thank you
These look AMAZING. I have to agree with a previous poster, these are possibly the best looking homemade burger buns that I’ve ever seen.
I plan on making them later this week for a bbq! As much as I’d like to make them the day-of, I need to make 2 dozen – a lot of buns for my kitchen. They probably won’t be “the best” being a day old, but I’m sure they’ll still be fabulous. Did you eat them all the same day or have you kept them for an extended period of time (2 days) before?
I’m sure we’ve had leftover buns before that we’ve used the next day or maybe even later. You’re right, the flavor is best the day they’re baked but you should be fine.
Another option, in case you’re interested, is to prepare the bun dough the day before. Proceed with the recipe as is right up to shaping them. Once they’re shaped, place them on a baking sheet and wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, let them come to room temperature before baking. Might help you save some time!
Heat?? Don’t be a wuz girl, our heat (Vietnam) is around 110 deg in summer here with average humidity of 70-80% most days. And we have a commercial pizza oven going 6 to 8 hours a day ha ha…
We didn’t even think about burger buns til our one and only supplier went down for two weeks – now we’re told they may be closing. Our little cafe is on the central coast…in the middle of no-where. My wife and I talked and we only need about 20-30 buns a week; I went looking and tripped across your blog.
Just pulled the first batch out of the oven an hour ago and we were impressed! Very nice! Phuong makes all of the pizza dough so she can do this in her sleep. Everything is a little off here so we will have to make a few minor adjustments to get them ‘lighter’ however; yours was the recipe we were looking for. Brilliant!
In my defense, this summer has been hotter than I can ever remember it being. And yes, I am a wuss! 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that you like the recipe and have had success using it your cafe! Do you have any pictures? I’d love to see! Email to completelydelicious@gmail.com.
Nice reply. We worked on some ‘tweaks’ yesterday and are doing another batch today with a few more…everything here is a challenge. We get to eat all of the mistakes anyway!!
Served a few last night and they were received well however, like the pizza dough, we know they can be better – it’s a matter of fitting the recipe to what’s available for products to make it.
Yep I can send some pics and will, if you want a look at the only joint where you can get a decent burger or pizza within about 400 km just type Bob’s cafe American, Vietnam into facebook – brings up the page for the cafe.
Cheers, Bob and Phuong!
To me, the bun SO makes for a perfect burger. Looks like you nailed this one!
They look so perfect and fluffy!
I’ve been wanting to try something like this for so long! These look delish!