Between the first day of spring and the fact that high temperatures in Phoenix lately have been upwards of 90°F lately it only felt right to get a jump start on warmer weather recipes!
I couldn’t think of anything more perfect to share than a step-by-step tutorial with all the tips and tricks for how to make burger buns with my all-time favorite bun recipe. These homemade hamburger buns will seriously wow the pants off anyone who comes to your next BBQ. They elevate any burger to a whole other level.
The buns are light brioche in base which makes them incredibly light and fluffy yet rich and crusty on the outside. The perfect home for a burger! Watch the video below to see exactly how they’re made. Then check out my extra recipe notes below to answer any bread baking questions!
How to Make Homemade Burger Buns from Scratch
Here are some recipe tips to ensure your success!
How can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Instant yeast and active dry yeast are interchangeable at a 1:1 ratio, active dry yeast just needs to be proofed with liquid before continuing with the recipe and may take longer to rise.
Why do you use bread flour in this recipe? Can I use all-purpose flour instead?
For best results, avoid replacing the bread flour with anything else. Bread flour has more protein content than all-purpose flour, which helps develop the gluten in the dough. Since gluten is the backbone of any bread’s structure and since we are adding ingredients that prohibit gluten development (butter, egg, sugar), this dough needs all the help it can get in developing the gluten.
Plus we want to make sure the buns keep a nice tall firm structure and don’t fall flat. These buns need to hold up to a juicy burger with all the fixins!
Can I knead this dough by hand without a mixer?
I would advice against kneading this dough by hand. It is on the sticky side and requires a lot of kneading to develop that gluten, it’s best done in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. However, if you must then check out my video tutorial on how to knead dough here.
How to make fluffy bread:
Avoid adding any extra flour to the dough. Since this dough takes quite a while to come together it’ll look really wet and sticky like it needs tons of extra flour. Any extra will create a more dense and tough bun instead of the light fluffy brioche-style bun we want.
It’s better to be sticky than dense. The sticky factor should continue to lessen as the dough is kneaded and as it rises. If the dough doesn’t seem like it’s coming together at all, let it rest for about 10 minutes before continuing kneading to relax the gluten.
How do I make these burger buns ahead of time?
To make the dough ahead of time, feel free to let the first rise of the dough occur in the fridge overnight. Let it come to room temperature before shaping into buns and proceeding with the second rise.
These buns can also be frozen! Bake the buns as directed, let cool completely, then place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let defrost at room temperature before reheating in a 350°F oven until warmed or toasting.
What if you don’t have milk? Substitutes?
We don’t bake with substitutes, so I can’t say for sure!
These were the best burger buns. (no more grocery store for me) Nice and soft but sturdy. I was concerned since they were so soft that the buns would fall apart but that was not the case. Please do watch Tessa’s tutorial on this burger buns recipe, I think it had very helpful information. Thank you again, Tessa!
Wonderful! So happy you loved this recipe, thanks for the rave review! 🙂
This bread mixture is way too wet. I’ll cut down on the water next time but it was way too sticky to even work with.
They turned out! Not quite as evenly dark as yours, but just as light and fluffy and pillowy soft. I was worried, as the dough never really seemed to “come together.” The beautiful lump that I started kneading (in my Kitchen Aid mixer), quickly turned soft – almost like batter. I tried the 10-minute rest and more kneading. I eventually added another 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour (my altitude should handle it, I hoped), and increased the speed a notch.
We did not have instant yeast on hand, so I started the dry yeast with water and sugar for 5 minutes. I used the King Arthur altitude tips of reducing the yeast and making a “sponge” of the yeast, milk, balance of the water, and 127 grams of bread flour, letting it “work” for a few hours in the refrigerator. Then I mixed egg and sugar, added the sponge, and continued with the rest of the flour, and finally the salt and the butter. My butter may not have come fully to room temperature.
Finally, though – I didn’t give up! – the dough began to show some “windowpaning” in the bowl. I started tearing off pieces – there was no way that dough was going to let me cut it into 8ths – and rolling into (uneven) rounds for the final rise. Some egg wash and sesame seeds, a slightly warmer oven (405°), and 12 minutes later a gorgeous set of burger buns. (Photos are on instagram @doulosg.)
Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay! I’m glad they still turned out well for you! They looked absolutely delicious on IG, I’m so happy you enjoyed them 🙂
I have made these 3 times and the last time I made 32 for a gathering. Unbelievable. Fantastic. I tried forming into a loaf and also amazing. After forming into a ball I flattened them a little. Gorgeous. Thank you
Amazing!! I’m so thrilled to hear this, Vivian 🙂
Thank you for posting this great recipe for hamburger buns. The recipe was easy to follow and the video on “how to” was great to watch prior to baking. You do a great job of explaining your recipes. I will say that a “store bought” hamburger bun will never grace my home again!
Great recipe! Great explanation too. I made some buns last night and it came out beautiful soft and better than store bought.. Thank you so much and may God bless you
The best recipe ever. Can you make a loaf of bread with this recipe?
Hi Joni, I’m so glad you love these burger buns! I haven’t tried baking these into a loaf, and I’m not sure that would turn out. You can check out my Ultimate Simple Dough recipe, which includes instructions for how to make a loaf of sandwich bread: https://handletheheat.com/ultimate-simple-dough-recipe/
Thank you. I have used your Hamburger bun recipe and nothing compares. I will check out the ultimate dough recipe. Does that make a soft loaf. So many bread recipes for bread are heavy and not light that’s why I thought about the hamburger bun recipe but, I will check this out.
It does make a soft loaf! I hope you give it a try!
Great recipe! The buns turned out fluffy and about twice the size I had envisioned. 🙂
I ended up using 4 cups of bread flour and no AP flour at all.
So glad you tried these buns out!
I have recently received a silicon hamburger bun pan. I bake by weights not volumes. What is the weight of each dough bun? Thanks.
Don: I make these buns all the time. Tessa’s recipe indicates that it gives 8 buns, but I find those too big for our purposes, so I usually make about 10 from each recipe. The actual weight will vary each time. Just take the weight of the whole ball of dough (remember to subtract the weight of your bowl), and then divide it by the number of buns you want. I find that when I make them, anything from 70 – 90 grams of dough makes a size that works for me and I get 10 or 11 buns from the recipe.
I’ve made these twice, and even after eating them with sloppy Joe’s, my family will finish off the remaining buns with some Kerrygold. So good!
I’m so glad you and your family have been enjoying these buns! Hooray!
I never leave reviews…ever, but I have to for this one. I have been trying to get a bun recipe that works for my burgers and when I found this one (two flours and butter cut at the end) I knew I was in for something good.
Made this in dry Alberta, Canada and it turned out fantastic. This is the bun recipe I have been looking for.
No weighing at all, just straight measurements and this is the first recipe I have seen that needed zero alterations. I usually go to war with many recipes in my kitchen (I spent a year nailing down angel food cake), but this one just worked.
Everyone was blown away by these. I made the same burgers I always do and only changed the bun and everyone said it was my best burger ever. Now I have to start looking at your other recipes.
Thanks for this!
This makes me so incredibly happy! I’m so thrilled these burger buns were a hit. Thank YOU for the kind feedback, Kevin!
This is the second recipe for burger buns that I tried so far and now i’m finally satified. They are extremaly tasty, my husband was very happy with burgers he made with them.
They are very delicious even with butter only.
Yay! So glad you love these burger buns!
Oh my gosh. I have made these many times, and every time I make them I love this recipe even more. Absolutely delicious. And the leftovers (and these days, a household of two has leftovers) freeze beautifully. We use them as burger buns, but also just as sandwich buns, with any kind of filling. Thank you Tessa. Great recipe, and great instructions!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved this recipe!!
Followed the recipe exactly and let the stand mixer so all the hard work. I did not add al the flour all at once to ensure the right consistency and ended up needing just a bit less than the recipe calls for. It was a particularly humid day and that can affect the ratios. Thanks for a great recipe! I have a picture but don’t see a way to attach it.
Burger buns are so good homemade! Thanks, Tessa!
These are PHENOMENAL. My husband let me know that I can go ahead and make them every week for his work sandwiches. 🙂 Thank you for all of your recipes. They always come out great.
Have made these wonderful buns many times now, and they are a huge hit. Question for Tessa or her fans: Can I divide the dough into 12 or 16 for little slider buns? If so, should I adjust the baking time? Thanks everyone, very much!
Finally made these! It’s no exaggeration that the dough is sticky! Didn’t spend time shaping them, so they’re not perfectly round, but they’re light and beautifully brown. I added no extra flour except on my hands before cutting and putting them on baking sheets. One substitution I used was coconut cream in place of whole milk. I also sprinkled seaweed flakes with the sesame seeds on top for more color. Will be making these again!
Thank you so much for doing this recipe in cups vs grams. I don’t have a scale but I do have measuring cups. I will be trying this weekend. And thank you for the video showing the steps!