Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Since this recipe isn’t 100% whole wheat, the buns have just the right amount of nuttiness. I also like that they aren’t overly sweet like a lot of store-bought buns.
Texture: Again, since the recipe isn’t 100% whole wheat these buns are still light and fluffy yet firm enough to stand up to a juicy burger.
Ease: Definitely a recipe to make on a free day but there really isn’t much hands-on time.
Appearance: I love the beautiful brown crust and how it is offset by the sprinkling of white sesame seeds.
Pros: Great compromise of health and texture/flavor. These buns freeze well too!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Absolutely yes
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Do you have any fun 4th of July plans? It’s supposed to get up to 118°F this weekend here in Phoenix so I’m not sure it will be any cooler by the 4th. I may have to just celebrate by listening to the fireworks instead of stepping out into this sizzling heat. That is if I’m not working! At least I can enjoy good food on the holiday. There’s nothing quite like a homemade grilled cheeseburger to celebrate summer holidays and these burger buns would be perfect on any summer cookout table. Have you ever made homemade burger buns? If not, you must do so as soon as possible. They are about a thousand times better than store-bought buns and can elevate almost any burger recipe to gourmet status.
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (44 grams) warm whole milk, between 105° and 120°F
- 1 cup (237 grams) warm water, between 105° and 120°F
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet, 8 grams) instant yeast*
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (31 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature, slightly beaten
- 2 cups (254 grams) bread flour
- 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For topping:
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, water, yeast¹, sugar, salt and egg.
- Add the flour to the bowl, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the salt and butter. Knead on medium-low speed for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the dough comes together into a soft yet slightly tacky dough (should not be unbearably sticky). Avoid adding too much extra flour because it will create tough buns. It's better to be sticky than dense, I promise!
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours².
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper³. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place four to a baking sheet, 2 to 3 inches apart. If your dough is unbearably sticky, lightly grease your hands with cooking spray or lightly dust the tops of each dough ball with flour before rolling. Cover with a clean towel and let rise again until puffy and almost doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns about 15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Serve or store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. Let defrost at room temperature before reheating in a 350°F oven until warmed or toasting.
These are delicious. Soft, fluffy and perfectly dense. They also look great.
I had to replace part of the whole wheat flour because I didn’t have enough at home. I used 50 g of whole wheat flour, 60 g of wheat flour and 50 g of rye flour.
I also used only half the sugar as I do not like sweet supermarket buns.
These are such beautiful burger buns! I made a couple of minor changes. First, instead of whole wheat flour, I used khorasan (Kamut) flour–it’s a whole grain but lighter than whole wheat. Second, I brushed the tops of the buns with heavy cream instead of an egg wash. They came out golden, tall, and fluffy, and we can’t wait to enjoy them!
Hello
I make these buns every two weeks and your recipe is absolutely fool proof. My question is : I accidentally bought whole Wheat bread flour and I need to know if I can just use 100% of it in the buns or do I need to make adjustments, and use , for instance, All purpose Flour in combination with the Whole Wheat Bread flour? Thanks
Hi Stella! We’re so glad to hear that you love this recipe! We haven’t tried these buns using entirely whole wheat flour, so we can’t say for sure how that will work. Whole wheat flour acts differently from white flour, requiring a higher hydration as it absorbs more liquid, and often won’t rise as well or as much, resulting in denser bread. King Arthur Baking has a helpful resource page here, which will hopefully help as you experiment with this 🙂 I hope that helps, Stella! Happy baking 🙂
Why did my buns go flat after I let them rise, before I even put them in the oven?
Hi Cynthia! I’m sorry you had issues with your buns! Just to verify, how long did you knead the dough for and how long did the buns rise for? Did you do both rising times?
Useless. If you aint noticed everyone outside america uses METRIC measurements!
Why do you fill the website with annoying useless adverts and put the recipe so low down tge page?
This recipe is 8 years old. If you look at my more recent posts, you’ll see that I use metric measurements as it is a lot more accurate; however, this recipe is not useless. There is a “Jump to Recipe” button you can click on the top if you aren’t interested in reading my Recipe Rundown. Have a wonderful day!
Are you not able to convert. And most people outside of the US don’t all use metric , I grew up on standard and still use it daily . Learn to do the conversion .
So ding dang good. I didn’t have time to give the second rise. I gave it just ten minutes on the second rise. They turned out beautifully. I have no intention of buying buns again.
I now use this recipe exclusively for my burger buns. They come out perfectly every time. I follow the recipe completely- no substitutions! And they are perfect.
What a fabulous recipe. Buns were absolutely delicious. I was looking for a whole wheat burger bun recipe as I didn’t want to buy from outside during the corona lockdown and this popped up. I followed the recipe exactky. Total success. I wish i’d made a double batch! Thank you!
Awesome recipe. Thank you so much for making my day. Slathered melted butter on just out of oven. Makes for a softer bun.
YUM!
Hey y’all , so the comment section really inspired myself to try out this recipe , wish me luck , gonna try it for the hubbys 40th x
People nolramly pay me for this and you are giving it away!
Thank you for surpplying this much needed information. However, may I enquire as to weather the ingredients can be submitted into a bread making machine, as I am rather reluctant to follow said instructions for the above. Tidium, being the main factor, requires your input.
One, can only assume that your process could be adapted, as bread machines have become a dominate force to be reckoned with, within numerous kitchens.
Yours faithfully
Ms Hunt