A bun is a bun is a bun. But, a homemade burger bun for your favorite cheeseburger recipe is a step up.
Your basic hamburger bun, either seeded or plain, and purchased from your local grocery store can be quite delicious. Nice tender outside. Soft fluffy inside. It will typically do well as the vehicle for your standard cheeseburger.
But, if you plan on putting extra effort into making a juicy and delicious custom cheeseburger, then you may want to rethink using store-bought buns and consider making your own burger buns.
In my opinion, nothing is better than freshly-baked bread. And if that bread happens to be a burger bun, then I’m firing up the grill that day and pulling out all the stops for my next cheeseburger.
With fresh-baked burger buns, you get that tender exterior and fluffy inside along with the wonderful bouquet of four and yeast. Much better than store-bought.
Making your own burger buns also lets you customize them in any way you want. Most people live in either the seeded or plain bun camps. But think if you could add your own toppings to your favorite hamburger bun recipe. Would poppy seeds, caraway seeds, toasted garlic, or finely-diced onions make you think about making burger buns from scratch?
Give it a try and see what you think.
Recommended Tools
- Instant-read thermometer
- parchment paper
- silicone basting brush
Ingredients for Hamburger Buns
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 14 g active dry yeast (2 packets)
- 120 g warm water (105 F - 110 F)
- 488 g warm milk (105 F - 110 F)
- 850 g unbleached all-purpose flour
- 12 g salt
- 27 g vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 15 g cold water
Directions for making Fresh Hamburger Buns
In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water and milk. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes. Mixture should become bubbly and a surface should form.
Add 3 cups of the flour, the salt, and oil to the yeast mixture. Using a dough hook, mix on medium-high for 2 minutes.
Add the balance of the flour to the mixture. Mix on low speed until flour is incorporated. Mix for 5 minutes on medium-low. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Briefly knead the dough by hand to see if you have a smooth, elastic dough. Check for gluten development.
Shape the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-oiled work surface. Divide into 18 equal pieces (approximately 85g each).
Shape each piece and place about 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. For hamburger buns, shape into a ball and flatten the balls into 3 1/2" disks. For hot-dog buns, the pieces into cylinders, 4 1/2" in length, and flatten the cylinders slightly. Flattening the dough will give a gently rounded top versus a high top.
For the second rising, cover with a damp towel or lightly-oiled plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Beat one egg with 15g of water.
Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with whatever topping strikes your fancy.
Bake for 16-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F.
When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool.
