Homemade Hamburger Buns

These are my favorite hamburger buns. They’re airy, soft, thick, fluffy, and simply perfect. Top with sesame or poppy seeds. Plus, they can be made dairy-free.

Erez and I used to have this tradition of having fancy hamburger dinners once every few months. After a few successful meals with mostly store-bought ingredients, I decided to upgrade this tradition! We started making our own homemade buns, burgers, and sauce. This turned out to be a really great idea and now we can’t go back!

How to make the best hamburgers

Homemade buns are soft, fluffy, shiny, and just the right size for a standard burger. In fact, they’re so good that you may find burger night being an excuse to eat more buns!

Toast your buns! Spread a light layer of butter on the inside of your top and bottom bun. Place the bun buttered-side-down in your burger frying pan juices or on the grill for about 30-60 seconds. It makes all the difference!

Perfectly seasoned hamburgers and burger sauce. This delicious homemade burger sauce has been our go-to all summer long and takes only 10 minutes to assemble. It tastes like your favorite burger joint’s “secret sauce” and is very similar to Mac Sauce or Thousand Island Dressing.

How to make homemade hamburger buns

Making homemade hamburger buns is much easier than you think! Once you finish mixing the ingredients into a dough in your stand mixer with a dough hook, you need to let the dough rise.

There are two rising times, each of which takes about 1 to 2 hours, so plan ahead! The warmer your house is, the faster the dough will rise. If it’s cold, just be patient and the dough will eventually rise or try to find somewhere slightly warm (oven, fireplace, sunlit window) to place it.

If the dough feels too sticky you can add additional flour, one tablespoon at a time. Keep in mind that the dough should be slightly sticky, but if you press it with your finger, it shouldn’t stick to it. However, it’s important for you to know that the more flour you add, the less soft the buns will be. The results will still taste very good, but if you’re aiming for the softest buns possible, let your dough be on the sticky side. If you’re using a mixer then this shouldn’t be an issue because you won’t need to handle the dough yourself. After resting, it will lose some of its stickiness and be easier to handle, and if not, keep flouring your hands while handling it until the stickiness fades.

Can I make homemade buns ahead of time?

To make the buns ahead of time and bake them in the morning, follow all of the steps up to when you shape the dough into balls, place them in the pan, and cover. Instead of letting them rise this second time, place the pan in the fridge. In the morning (or up to 24 hours later), take the rolls out of the fridge, leaving them to reach room temperature and rise more if needed—until almost doubled in size. If they had risen enough while they were in the fridge, just bring them to room temperature (about 30 minutes) and bake them.

More delicious homemade bread recipes:

• Cinnamon rolls – The perfect balance between delicate, fluffy dough and a sweet cinnamon filling.
• Monkey bread – Sweet and sticky caramel bread created with several layers of fluffy dough balls coated in brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Dinner rolls – Similar recipe with the same amazing taste and texture.
• Perfect challah – Lightly sweet and dairy-free, this beautiful braided challah has a pillowy texture that no one can resist!

4.72 from 7 votes

Hamburger Buns (with dairy-free option)

YIELD: 8 buns

 

These are my favorite hamburger buns. They’re airy, soft, thick, fluffy, and simply perfect. Plus, they can be made dairy-free.

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Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups (450 g/16 oz) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons (40 g/1.5 oz) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g/0.25 oz) instant dry yeast
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm water*
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm milk*
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (55 g/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened or melted
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

For topping:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds , optional

Instructions

1. Place flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix until combined. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and add water, milk, egg, and butter. Mix on low speed until dough comes together, 2-3 minutes. If the dough feels too sticky, add more flour, but keep in mind that this dough should be quite sticky and will be easier to handle after resting. Add salt and continue mixing for another 8 minutes on low-medium speed. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky, and should stick to the bottom of the bowl.
2. Place dough in a large bowl brushed with oil, and toss to coat (the fat will keep the dough from drying out). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place or on the counter for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
3. When the dough has risen, gently punch it to remove air. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (each weighing 100 grams) and shape each one into a smooth ball. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, keeping as much space between them as possible. Cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
4. Meanwhile, set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400F/200C.
5. Create an egg wash by mixing 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water and ½ teaspoon sugar. Gently brush the tops of the rolls with this mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops have a deep brown color (if you didn’t use an egg wash the tops won’t get as dark). Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer rolls to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.
7. Rolls are best the same day they are made, but can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Recipe Notes

*Lukewarm water/milk should be around 110F-115F. If you don’t have a thermometer, it should feel lukewarm to the touch. You can heat them up together in the microwave or on the stove. Make sure the mixture isn’t too hot or it will kill the yeast.

*For dairy-free buns, replace the milk with 1/2 cup lukewarm water for a total of 1 cup, and the butter with 1/4 cup canola/vegetable oil. It will be just as good!