Why buy hamburger buns when you can make your own? These soft, chewy hamburger buns taste 10x better than store-bought and are SO easy to whip up! Perfect for any kind of summer sandwich!
Or stuff-them-in-your-face-plain-because-they’re-so-dang-good.
Best title ever and it kind of describes these hamburger buns perfectly. They are honestly so good, you may not even NEED a hamburger….
So about a month ago, I shared these epic burgers. I mentioned in that post that I make my own buns and a bunch of you asked for the recipe.
Sooo here ‘ya go! My tried-and-true, best-ever homemade whole-wheat hamburger buns.
Just in time for the the 4th of July too! I guarantee your guests will have some new-found respect for you if you serve your hamburgers on THESE homemade buns.
Also, they’ll probably ask for the recipe.
I told you in yesterday’s post that I was doing my 4th of July completely homemade this year. Well, I wasn’t kidding.
Yes, these buns are whole-wheat and healthier for you, but they are still amazing. Promise.
Perfectly golden on the outside and oh-so soft, fluffy and flavorful on the inside!
So. Dang. Good. You. Guys.
So just a few quick words about some of the steps involved in these buns…Grab a cup of coffee and chillax for a sec here…
The dough for these buns is super-quick to whip up and is so easy to work with. But these buns do require 3 rise times. The first one is the longest, about 1-1/2 hours until the dough is nicely doubled.
The 2nd rise comes after you shape the dough into buns. About 20 minutes or until the buns are slightly puffy. You’ll then slightly flatten each bun.
Why are we doing this? Flattening the buns before the final rise time, will encourage the buns to spread out more while they bake, instead of rising into dinner roll-shaped buns.
The final rise will take around 30 minutes, or until the buns are doubled in size. Then, I like to brush my buns with an egg-white wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking for an authentic-looking hamburger bun.
These buns will take around 20 minutes in the oven. Just watch them carefully so they don’t over-bake. Dry, crunchy buns = Blechh.
The tops of the buns should be a luscious shade of golden-brown when they’re done. Also, your kitchen should smell like a bread factory at this point. 😀
‘Holy buns, guys….
The inside of these buns is sturdy, but ideally soft, chewy and perfect for holding a hamburger.
Heck’ you don’t even NEED a hamburger for these buns! They make an amazing sandwich-type bun for just about any fun filling you can dream up.
They’re even amazing on their own. Plain. Yes, I tried it.
My personal favorite way to enjoy these killer buns is the good ‘ol classic way with a juicy burger loaded with all the works. Oh, and with lots of BBQ sauce too. Bonus points if you make your own.
You’ve gotta try these buns this summer. You’ll never want to go back to the store-bought junk again!
FYI: I’ve got some KILLER sliders coming next week.
Homemade Whole-Wheat Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 1 pkg active dry yeast 2-1/4 teaspoons
- 1 cup warm water 120F
- 1/2 cup warm milk 120F
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg room temperature (lightly beaten)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 to 4-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir in milk, oil, honey, egg, and salt until combined. Add 4 cups flour and mix on medium speed until a dough forms. Continue mixing until dough pulls away from sides, adding more flour if necessary.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Let dough rise 1-1/2 hours or until doubled.
- Punch risen dough down and divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a bun shape and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (space buns about 4 in)
- Cover buns with plastic wrap and let rise 20 minutes or until puffy. Remove wrap and gently flatten each bun slightly. Cover buns with plastic wrap again and let rise an additional 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Brush buns with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake hamburger buns at 375F 18-20 minutes, or until golden-brown. Cool on a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Try my other summer favorites next!
Katherine says
What is white whole wheat flour? Is it white or wheat? Or is it a mix of both? As far as I understand, white flour is made from a wheat berry that has been split and stripped of nutrients, so I’m just a bit confused. I’ve seen this a few places so I thought I’d ask for clarification before giving this recipe a try 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Katherine! I found you an article about white whole wheat flour that I think you will find useful! If I’m not mistaken, I believe that white whole wheat flour is made entirely from the hard white wheat berry.
Katherine says
Thank you so much!!! This was a great article. I’m excited to give your recipe a try!
Snyder says
I have been looking for a wheat bun recipe. I can now stop looking. The buns turned out awesome.
Sarah says
So happy to hear that, Snyder! Thanks for the great feedback!
Megan says
Wow! These look great! Do you have to use WHITE WHEAT flour? I only have wheat flour and would love to try these.
Sarah says
Hi Megan. Wheat flour would work, but be aware that these buns would probably turn out a little more dense and less soft and fluffy.
Sam says
Most wheat flour, if not “white whole wheat” is probably “red whole wheat”. You’re right, it is a little more dense, but that’s what I did and they were still plenty soft, and delicious.
Dori says
Hey, I made your whole wheat buns the other day and they were awesome! I used a very hearty whole wheat flour, and it still turned out good. It was more dense than a usual burger bun, but super soft compared to a lot of 100% whole wheat recipes I’ve seen. Thanks!
Sarah says
Dori, thanks for trying these buns and for letting me know the results! Glad to hear they were a hit!
Marilia says
I’ve made ittttttt! Great recipe!!!! Thanks a loooooot.. I used half-half of the flours and it worked perfectly.
Sam says
This turned out great, thanks! If there’s one thing I’d quibble with, I would say one package of yeast is probably too much. I used less than half of that by ratio, and it rose a little slower, but still turned out great. (Another thing to consider is that if you’re using instant yeast, that is more potent, meaning less is needed.)
I made another modification too, which is to make a preferment. To do that, all you have to do is use half the yeast, water, and flour, combine it the day before, let it rise a little bit, and then stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to start the next day. Then just follow the recipe combining the preferment with the remaining ingredients. The buns taste incredible.
Jessa says
Thanks for the great recipe! I used instant yeast instead of active dry yeast. Combined all the ingredients, let the dough sit for 10 min (it didn’t rise here), shaped into balls, and let rise for ~1 hour (until double the size). Then I flattened and baked (didn’t do a third rise). They look and taste great!
Sarah says
So glad to hear that these buns were a success, Jessa! 🙂
Elizabeth Warner says
So apparently my “slightly flatten” was too much, because after the flattening stage they never regained their lovely puff. 🙁 But still tasty! I’ll have to try again with less flattening next time. 😉
Ann says
These buns were a big hit. I made them to go with barbecued pulled pork. I gave half to my oldest son. He loved them. I am now making another 2 batches. One for a friend and one for us. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes!
Yang says
I have been baking quite a lot lately. I will be trying these whole wheat hamburger buns soon as I have mastered my vegan patties already. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Rachel Britten says
I made this recipe for 30 and everyone LOVED these whole wheat buns! Hats off for a 100% whole wheat recipe that works beautifully. Tender, flavorful, and aesthetically beautiful- what more could you want in a hamburger bun!? This recipe is easy to follow and churns out, straight forward, consistently fabulous hamburger buns- try it, you wont regret it!
Linda Fett says
Can you use 100% whole wheat flour instead of bleached flour in the bums?
Sarah says
Yes, that would work fine. Be aware though that the texture may be slightly different using whole wheat flour.
Arti says
Thanks a million..
It is great..I shall surely try this out..
Audrea Wulf says
Does this recipe double ok…
Sarah says
You should be able to double this recipe without any issues! 🙂
Dawna Coleman says
This is a great recipe that I actually use to make loaves of bread (one batch makes two medium loaves)with only four slight modifications:
1 – I add 3 T of gluten
2 – I add 3 T of honey instead of 2
3 – Only 2 rise times
4 – Longer bake time – around 35 minutes.
Bread is super fluffy and delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks so much for sharing your modifications, Dawna! So glad to hear that you’ve found a keeper recipe. 🙂
Janet says
This looks like a great recipe! I’m out of white whole wheat flour, but I do have regular whole wheat flour. Would using some whole wheat pastry flour in the mix help out here to get a softer result, or do you think straight whole wheat would be the better choice—since I don’t have the white whole wheat? Thanks!
Sarah says
Hi Janet! I would recommend whole wheat flour in place of the white whole wheat. It should be a 1:1 ratio to sub it!
Deryacenter says
Who knows, maybe I can t stand them because I make all of my bread at home, but bread is such an important component of a sandwich, so doesn t the same apply to hamburger buns?
Veronica Gitahi says
I have baked several times since l came across this wonderful recipe,thank you for sharing it,it’s yummy!Yummmy, indeed heavenly.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Veronica! Glad you’ve had success with this recipe. 🙂
Margaret says
I find that the volume of flour is too small to make 12 regular-size buns. It can make 10. otherwise good recipe.
Karen says
I don’t have a stand mixer. Any recommendation on using the dough cycle of the bread machine? I’m thinking I’d let it rise twice after the dough cycle completes. Thx
Sarah says
Hi Karen. I’d recommend using the dough cycle in your bread machine to knead the dough, let it rise twice, then bake per the recipe instructions. Good luck!