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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My only problem with this recipe is the disclaimer YOU WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED WITH STORE BOUGHT BUNS AGAIN. Period!! The good news is that they are so easy, tasty, beautiful, yummy for any sandwich application and they freeze well.
These hamburger buns were the best I ever had. Family loved them. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This is a NOT FAIL burger buns recipe, you don’t need to add more water, you just have to follow the recipe and add the flour slowly as it needs it. I will make it again. Buns were perfectly raised and keep their shape while baking, and has a perfect finish, I sprinkled everything bagel on top. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Love from Miami
Excellent rolls! Great recipe, I will make these again! I had to add additional water to the dough, but that’s typical for dough.
Thanks!
Turned out great! I did have to add a little more water to my dough but it’s dry here in the winter! Thanks for sharing!
Looking at the comment about adding more water due to being dry in winter, I wondered if that’s what happened to mine. I did not add more water but followed the instructions to the letter, scooping flour, timing kneading. Unfortunately the dough was super stiff as if there were either too much flour or it was over kneaded which seems strange as I use my stand mixer all the time for longer than this recipe indicated. Yeast was good too. It’s on the second rise and I am going to watch and let it go a bit longer perhaps to relax gluten. Hopefully it’s still good for the burgers as it’s too late for me to start again. If not, I may tweak and try again another time.
Recipe is delish.
Adjust beating mode unless you want to burn out your mixer motor.
KitchenAid® does not recommend kneading bread dough for more than 2 minutes at Speed 2, and that the total mixing and kneading time does not exceed 4 – 6 minutes.
Medium-high Speed 8 to 10
8 on KitchenAid 10 on Cuisinart
As always, this recipe was honest, simple, and delicious! The dough was easy to work with and the buns turned out beautifully. I won’t be buying them anymore!
Dang these are good!
I’ve been looking for a good burger roll for awhile. I did find one that was good but I happened by this recipe and decided to give it a whirl. I’m so glad I did! I did cut the sugar down to 1 TB because I didn’t want it even slightly sweet. For me ..1 TB is perfect. Everything else I did as recipe called for. Dough was really easy to work with, beautiful density (soft but sturdy for da meats!), and great taste. This is going to be my go to recipe for “you name it” rolls.
Thank you for sharing!!!
Had hamburgers on the menu this weekend, and I nearly made the mistake of buying buns from the store. Thank god I made these buns instead! They are SIMPLY THE BEST! Wonderful texture and flavor. Not to mention they LOOK beautiful when you take them out of the oven. I had no idea how easy it was to make hamburger buns…until NOW. Thank you Chungah!
Outstanding recipe Chunguh. My first time making burger buns turned out excellent buns fresh and way cheaper than store bought for buns of this quality.Not to mention no preservatives. TIP: I’m lazy and sure not interested in hand kneading dough. I’m also a cheapskate and won’t buy a $175 stand mixer I’d rarely use. I use a $15 bread machine from thrift shop on 90 minute dough cycle.No dividing this and that. just throw all in together No putting dough in bowl and let rise. Bread machine eliminates this step. After dough cycle is finished simply divide your dough and form your buns. let rise for 1 hour in silicone burger form. I bought a silicone burger bun form from Amazon that makes 8 perfect 4 inch buns. Like bakery. Thanks for great recipe
Sorry I forgot to mention I used all purpose flour and added one tbsp of vital wheat gluten to get a better rise and softer less dense bread . Bread flour is good but expensive. A bit of wheat gluten does the trick to acheive same results as bread flour. My buns in 4 inch, 8 bun silicone mold turned out soft and tall enough to make 3 slices for homemade Big Macs. Nice. They looked exactly like your photos Again great recipe Chunguh.
Not sure if I’ll get an answer in time for tonight’s burgers but can I do this by hand? I do not own a stand mixer. If so, how long to mix?
These are beautiful!!! Chungah is an amazing cook.
I see a commenter is asking about these being gluten free. Get the book “How Can It Be Gluten Free I & II” by America’s Test Kitchen. That’s as good as it gets. If you’re only gluten intolerant, look up a flour produced by Sunrise Flour Mill. Their heritage wheat flour does not bother us at all after 9 years of being GF. It’s organic and non-hybridized. If it works for you, then recipes like this one will turn out identical.
No I’m not affiliated with either.
These buns were quick and easy to make. The sesame seeds on top make them look really nice. They were light and fluffy and the whole family loved them! Thanks for the fantastic recipe!!
I don’t own a mixer. Can these be done by hand please?
Hi, pretty sure you can knead by hand…just like our grandmothers used to back in the day!
Just in time for grilling season. I’m going to try this this weekend.
Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe, thank you!
Your recipes are always amongst the best I have had!
These buns are light and airy and so “damn delicious” !!! Salivating waiting for them to be done.
Thank you for posting such amazing food recipes! xo
I can hardly wait to make these. Beautiful! I’ll split the recipe between a bit larger (but fewer) hamburger buns and a couple of sub sandwich rolls for either French dip or Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. They look so yummy!
These were easy and very delicious! Thank you so much for sharing
This is now the only hamburger bun recipe I will use! I’ve tried others, but this recipe is amazing. The texture and flavor of these rolls are perfection! My husband said the burgers tasted better than at a restaurant! Thank you so much for this terrific recipe!
I prefer a larger hamburger I presume a larger roll of dough would work just as well. Three inch is a slider not really a hamburger.
The three inches is before they rise for the second time, they’re a regular size hamburger bun (actually taller than a store bought). A good size for a hamburger. If you’ve ever been to Fuddrudgers, they look just like their homemade buns.
Only Good rating since I’ve not made them as yet.
Can Gluten Free All Purpose flour work ?
Been searching for a good recipe and these look awesome !
Peggy
I can hardly wait to make these. Beautiful! I’ll split the recipe between a bit larger (but fewer) hamburger buns and a couple of sub sandwich rolls for either French dip or Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. They look so yummy!
Peggy, for the best gluten free flours and recipes go to GFJules.com. GF is all she does and her products are awesome.
And her flour is basically cup for cup.