Homemade Hamburger Buns

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Tired of those basic, boring buns putting a damper on your cookouts? I got you covered! This super-flexible dough recipe is here to level up your grilling game. Forget about those sad, store-bought buns, because once you sink your teeth into these fresh, mouthwatering buns, you won’t look back. And guess what? If it’s hotter than an oven where you live, no sweat! Whip up a batch in advance and stash ’em in the freezer. Who’s the bun boss now?

Baking your own buns is way cooler than finding a $20 bill in your pocket. Just picture yourself kneading the dough, watching it puff up like a boss, and then savoring the heavenly smell of those freshly baked buns. It’s like adding your own secret sprinkle of love and mischief to every bite. And guess what? When you’re the boss of the ingredients, you can make sure your buns are as clean as a whistle, free from any funky stuff. So go on, embrace your inner bun whisperer and bake like there’s no tomorrow!

Let’s have a chat about buns – not the ones you sculpt at the gym, but the delicious homemade kind! These buns are like the chameleons of the bread world – you can personalize them to be as sweet as your grandma’s secret recipe, as fancy as a royal feast, or as surprising as a magic trick. Want them with extra seeds or a sprinkle of fairy dust? Totally doable! This awesome bun flexibility means you can be the hero of your own flavor expedition, impressing your squad with buns that match their wildest dreams and maybe even get a few taste buds dancing.

In addition to totally nailing the bun game with all the flavors and customizations you could ever dream of, let’s not forget about the convenience factor. Just picture this: you batch-cook a bunch of buns, pop them in the freezer, and bam! You’re now the go-to person for last-minute get-togethers and the hero of those super busy, can’t-be-bothered-to-bake days. This brilliant plan ensures a constant stash of drool-worthy homemade buns, no matter what, even when your schedule is as crazy as a kitchen on Thanksgiving.

The joy of baking your own buns goes beyond the act itself; it’s a way to bring people together through a shared love of good food. So why settle for store-bought when you can create something truly special in your own kitchen?

You will need the following:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons Instant Yeast or Active Dry Yeast
• 1/2 cup water, warm (105°F to 115°F)
• 2 cups milk, warm (105°F to 115°F)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 6 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
• sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, or coarse salt, optional

Mixing the dough: Okay, so in a large bowl, you gotta dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Next up, throw in the milk, oil, salt, and 3 cups of flour into the yeast mixture. Then give it a good mix, like really go for it, for 2 minutes.

Throw in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Toss the dough onto a floured work surface.

Knead the dough until it’s smooth and stretchy. Since the dough is quite loose, you might want to use a bowl scraper or a bench knife to scoop it up and fold it over itself.

Put the dough in a bowl with some oil. Give it a good turn to cover the whole ball of dough with oil. Then, cover it with a damp towel and let it rise until it’s doubled in size, which should take about 1 hour.

Alright, plop the dough onto a lightly oiled surface. Break it up into 18 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is by first dividing the dough into thirds, then those thirds into halves, and finally the halves into thirds.

Shape each piece into a ball. To make the hamburger buns, squish the balls into 3 1/2″ disks. For softer buns, put them on a well-seasoned baking sheet about half an inch apart so they can join forces as they rise. For crispier buns, give them 3″ of space between each other. Another option is to shape the buns and bake them in a large pie muffin pan or a Hamburger Bun and Mini Pie Pan.

For the second rising, cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Before you get ready to pop those buns in the oven, crank it up to 400°F about fifteen minutes in advance. Right before baking, give the buns a quick brush with the egg wash and toss on some of your favorite seeds.

Let’s get those buns baking: Stick ’em in the oven for roughly 20 minutes, or until the inside reaches 190°F as measured with a Digital Infrared Thermometer. When they’re good to go, take ’em off the baking sheet and let ’em cool on a wire rack to keep the crust nice and crispy. If you don’t have a thermometer, just take ’em out when they start turning golden brown.

Split the buns in half and toast or griddle before serving, as desired. Store leftover buns at room temperature in an airtight container for several days or freeze for longer storage.

“Just because I’m hungry doesn’t mean I’m going to fall in love with a hamburger.”

― Ruth Harris

Thank you for looking at this recipe, it was delicious if I do say so myself. Let me know if you made it, for me it was my first time and they were super easy to make.

LauraLovingLife

Homemade Hamburger Buns

lauralovinglife

Unleash Your Bun-tastic Powers!

So, you want to be the bun master? Look no further! With this super-flexible dough recipe, you're the boss. Personalize it to your heart's content and stash it away for later – no sweat! No mysterious chemicals here, just wholesome, homemade buns that'll have you feeling like a culinary superstar. Go on, show those buns who's boss!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

rise time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 18

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water warm (105°F to 115°F)
• 2 cups milk warm (105°F to 115°F)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 6 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
• sesame seeds poppy seeds, caraway seeds, or coarse salt, optional

Instructions

 

To mix the dough:

• In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
• Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
• Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Because this dough is so slack, you may find that a bowl scraper or bench knife can be helpful in scooping up the dough and folding it over on itself.
• Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide into 18 equal pieces. This is done most easily by dividing the dough first into thirds, then those thirds into halves, then the halves into thirds.
• Shape each piece into a ball. For hamburger buns, flatten the balls into 3 1/2" disks.
• For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half inch apart so they'll grow together when they rise. For crisper buns, place them 3" apart.
• For the second rising, cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Fifteen minutes before you want to bake your buns, preheat your oven to 400°F. Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with whatever seeds strike your fancy.

To bake the buns:

• Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F when measured with a digital thermometer. or when they are a light brown.
• When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.
• Split the buns in half and toast or griddle before serving, as desired. Store leftover buns at room temperature in an airtight container for several days, or freeze for longer storage.

Keyword appetizer, baking, bread, dinner

Make perfect-sized buns

Splitting the dough into separate buns is super important when you’re making hamburger buns. Make them too small and your burger could make a run for it, or the bun might just fall apart. But if they’re too big, you’ll basically have a sandwich that’s all about the bread.

So what’s the perfect size?

For regular burger buns, use around 85g to 100g of dough for each bun. If you want a bigger portion, go for 100g per bun. I went with 90 grams.

If you don’t have a Scale, just remember that 100g of dough is about 1/3 cup, similar to the size of a plum. And 85g of dough is just slightly less, around 1/3 cup, like an average clementine.

Remember, the dough is going to get larger as it rises and bakes, so make those dough balls smaller than you’d expect. They’ll come out just right!