This is THE homemade hamburger buns recipe you'll bookmark and never look up again. One dough, two ways to make it (bread machine or by hand), soft and golden with a crisp sesame top. Ready in about 3 hours start to finish and worlds better than anything from a plastic bag.
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I grew up in Brabant eating a lot of things before but when I was young I never eat a burger from a real hamburger bun with sesame and toppings. When I became older, that changed. And yet for me the store-bought buns were the one part of the meal that never held up.
They went soft in the wrong way or fell apart under a juicy patty. So I started making my own and once you've had a bun still slightly warm from the oven, it's hard to go back to supermarket breads.
Homemade Hamburger Buns
When I eat a hamburger, I like to serve it on a bun, with some lettuce, tomato, and other goodies. So I cut that bun and grilled it briefly before prepping. So good.
The bread is very important here. The best hamburger buns are soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside (with sesame seeds). And they have a delicate, tasty flavor. And essential! the recipe should be easy.
And after many experiments, I came up with this top burger buns recipe! So beautifully risen, delicious in taste, nice and fresh, with a golden top with sesame seeds. So delicious! Bring on the beautiful summer days!
This recipe is suitable for the bread machine (up to the first rise) and for kneading by hand.
And are you looking for some tasty recipes for these burger buns? Here I have a special hamburger filled with feta and Italian Caprese burger and a delicious recipe for a homemade chicken burger! So plenty of choices.
What do you need for the Best Burger Buns?
To prepare these Homemade Hamburger Buns, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Flour - Use regular flour or all-purpose flour for these buns.
- Yeast - This recipe uses two teaspoons of instant yeast. If you prefer to use fresh yeast, you need ½ oz. If you use dry yeast, you also need two teaspoons. Note: with both fresh yeast and dry yeast, you must first dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water before adding it to your dough. That way, it already starts doing its job.
- Salt - Adds flavor to the buns. But watch out with yeast, as salt can kill the yeast if it comes into contact in large amounts. That is why you first knead the dough lightly, sprinkle the salt over the dough, and knead further.
- Sugar - The sugar allows the yeast to work, so you get an airy bun.
- Sunflower oil - Add the oil to the dough. Oil makes the bun softer and more tender.
- Milk - Milk in a bun gives it more flavor, and the hamburger buns stay fresh longer. You can also use water for a milk-free recipe. Use the milk lukewarm (99 °F / 37 °C) so that the yeast starts to work. If the milk is too warm, the yeast will die, and the dough will no longer rise.
- Egg - Egg in a bread dough makes it fluffier and softer. The buns also become a bit firmer.
- Sesame seeds - A hamburger bun without sesame seeds is fine, but this decoration gives the buns their distinctive look.
How to prepare Soft Hamburger Buns
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Add yeast and sugar to lukewarm milk and let stand for 5 minutes. Bubbles should then be visible. This lets you see that the yeast is still working properly (no bubbles? Then take a new packet of yeast).
- Add the flour, milk mixture, sugar, egg, and sunflower oil and mix or knead for five minutes. Then sprinkle the salt over the dough and knead for another 5 minutes (or longer) until the dough is soft and elastic (see FAQs on how to check this).
- Brush a bowl with oil and place the dough in it. Turn it over and cover with a slightly damp tea towel and plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm place. Then turn the dough onto your work surface and press the air out.
- Divide the dough into nine equal pieces and form balls. Let it rest under a towel for 15 minutes. Flatten the balls with a flat hand. Brush the top with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let rise for 1 hour under a slightly damp towel. Bake for 15 minutes at 390 °F (200 °C) until the hamburger buns are golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you check whether your dough is kneaded enough? Check the dough because you don't want to under-knead or over-knead. You do that by pulling a fleece. Next, flatten a small ball (about ½ inch diameter) of dough. Stretch the dough slightly, turn it in your hands a quarter turn and turn again. Then stretch the dough again and turn it a little again. Do this until a thin membrane (which you can see your fingers through) is formed (you cannot do this in one go). If the dough tears before you see a thin membrane, it is not good yet, and you knead it for another 2 minutes. Then let the dough rise.
- Why did my buns come out dense instead of airy? Usually one of two things: the dough wasn't kneaded long enough (use the windowpane test above) or the milk was too hot and killed the yeast before it could work. Lukewarm, not hot, is the target: 99 °F / 37 °C.
- Can I Use active dry yeast instead of instant? Yes, dissolve in the lukewarm milk with the sugar first and wait for it to foam before adding the rest of the ingredients. Same as the recipe already does for the by-hand method.
- Can I freeze these buns? Yes, up to 2 months in a freezer bag or container, with Parchment between them so they don't freeze together. See the storage not on the recipe card for the full breakdown.
📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons yeast, instant
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1⅔ tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 egg, size M, room temperature
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- sesame seeds
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
In the bread baking machine
- In the bread-making machine, you first add the wet ingredients: milk, sunflower oil, and egg to the bowl. Then you sprinkle the flour on top. Spoon the yeast into one corner of the bowl and the salt into the opposite corner. In the middle, add the sugar.4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons yeast, instant, 1¼ teaspoon salt, 1⅔ tablespoons sunflower oil, 1 egg, 1¼ cup milk, 2 teaspoons sugar
- Start the bread baking machine at its dough program (kneading and first rise). Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on the work surface. Push the air out.
By hand or mixer
- Warm the milk until it's lukewarm (99 °F / 37 ·C).1¼ cup milk
- Add the sugar and yeast.2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons yeast, instant
- Let it stand for 5 minutes. Bubbles should appear on the surface. If they won't, your yeast isn't working anymore, and you should start with new yeast.
- Put the flour in a bowl and add the milk mixture, oil, and egg.4 cups all-purpose flour, 1⅔ tablespoons sunflower oil, 1 egg
- Knead for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the salt on top.1¼ teaspoon salt
- Knead further for another 5 minutes until the dough becomes soft and elastic. (* see notes)
- Oil a bowl and put the dough in. Turn around once.
- Cover with a slightly wet towel and wrap plastic foil over the towel.
- Put in a warm environment for about 90 minutes. The dough should be doubled by then.
- Put the dough in front of you on your working surface and press the air out of the dough with your hands.
After the first step with the bread baking machine or kneading by hand or mixer.
- Place the parchment paper on the baking plate.
- Divide the dough into nine equal pieces and make a ball from each piece.
- Place the balls on the baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Press the balls with a flat hand.
- Brush the top with water and sprinkle the sesame seeds on the bun.sesame seeds
- Press the seeds a bit and put a towel over the bread.
- Let the burger buns rise for 1 hour.
- Turn on the oven for the final 30 minutes, so it can pre-heat to 390 °F conventional oven or 370 °F (convection / heat fan oven)
- Spray the buns with water from a spray bottle and slide them into the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes until brown. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Room temperature - You can store the sandwiches in a (paper) bag at room temperature for up to two days.
- Refrigerator - Do not keep the sandwiches in the fridge. Due to the high humidity, the bread rolls become moist.
- Freezer - Freeze the sandwiches in a freezer bag or container. This way, they stay good for up to 2 months. Thaw the buns at room temperature. Tip: Place baking paper between the buns. This way, they don't freeze together, and you can remove and thaw precisely the required number of hamburger buns from the packaging.
- To crisp up again: Moisten the tops of the buns and heat them in an oven at 390 °F (200 °C) for 5 minutes (or 3 minutes at 390 °F / 200 °C in the Air fryer).
Nutrition
Liz says
These burger buns were fabulous!! I never knew how much a homemade bun would elevate a simple hamburger!!! YUM.
Andréa says
Thank you Liz, for your nice comment!