These whole wheat hamburger buns have an incredibly soft and fluffy interior and make any burger or sandwich amazing! The dough is so easy to work with and perfect for a beginner bread baker.
Wanna know the tried-and-true method to making the best burger? You gotta start with the foundation AKA you need some dang good hamburger buns!
These whole wheat buns really have stood the test of time over the past 9+ years and still remain a solid family favorite with their perfect golden exterior and soft, hearty interior.
And the best part is that you don’t have to be a pro bread baker to pull these off! They’re simple enough for any yeast novice and honestly a game-changer for your burger game.
Seriously, you’re going to have to exercise some serious self-control to wait for the burgers and not demolish these buns straight from the sheet pan.
These Hamburger Buns feature…
- A lightly sweet flavor with toasted sesame seeds on the outside
- A light and fluffy texture, yet a perfect heartiness from the whole wheat flour
- Simple enough for any skill level and includes both stand mixer and mixing bowl instructions
Making the Hamburger Buns
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Active dry yeast
- 2% or skim milk
- Unsalted butter
- Honey
- Egg
- Kosher salt
- Whole wheat flour
- All-purpose flour
- Sesame seeds
Choosing Your Flours
When we first published these buns back in 2014 we used white whole wheat flour as the sole flour in the dough. While this method worked, white whole wheat flour can sometimes be hard to find and we wanted to make this recipe as simple as possible, so we did a little bit of experimenting with different flours.
Now we use a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour in these buns and we found that this duo led to a dough that rises perfectly and has an incredibly soft, yet hearty texture.
Note: we do not recommend using solely whole wheat flour in these buns as we found that this leads to rising issues and a dense texture.
Tips for Perfect Hamburger Buns
- Heat water and milk to 110F degrees – we recommend temping your water to ensure it’s not over 110F. If you use water that’s too warm, it will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise.
- Measure flour correctly – we use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
- Knead dough properly – this step is where we develop the gluten which is crucial for forming the structure of the buns. A good way to test if your dough is properly kneaded is by gently stretching the dough. If it’s nice and stretchy it’s good to go, but if it tears immediately, let it knead for longer.
- Let dough rise in a warm place – yeast dough loves warm environments for rising. We recommend 75F-80F for a rising environment in your kitchen.
- Flatten buns before second rise – this will prevent the buns from rising too round and tall, keeping them more traditional hamburger-shaped.
- Brush buns with egg wash – this helps the buns brown nicely while they bake. We like sprinkling sesame seeds on top for that signature hamburger bun look.
Stand Mixer and Mixing Bowl Instructions
Both a stand mixer and a mixing bowl/wooden spoon will work for mixing this bread. Obviously, by hand requires a little more elbow grease and arm power, but it absolutely doable!
If you choose to go the stand mixer route, make sure you use the dough hook for mixing and let the machine knead the dough on medium speed 5-7 minutes until the dough is stretchy and elastic.
If you are making the dough by hand, use a large bowl and a wooden spoon for mixing the dough. For kneading, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 10 minutes or whenever the dough is stretchy and elastic.
Storing Hamburger Buns
These buns are best if you enjoy them up to 3 days after they’re baked. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature and reheat/toast buns before serving.
For freezing, allow buns to cool completely, then wrap well and freeze up to 2 months. If possible, we recommend freezing them the day you bake them to preserve freshness.
You’ll never go back to store-bought buns after your first burger with these gems! They’re so incredibly soft and fluffy, yet at the same time have a perfect heartiness from the whole wheat flour.
Truth be told, they’re even amazing fresh out of the oven and cracked open with a little bit of butter smeared inside. That’s when ya know you’ve got a keeper!
More yeast bread projects to try next!
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
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Ingredients
- 2-1/4 teaspoons (1 pkg) active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (110F)
- 1/2 cup warm milk (110F)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 large egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook OR a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and milk. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Mix in melted butter, honey, egg, salt, whole wheat flour, and 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour on medium speed or by hand with a wooden spoon until dough pulls away from sides of bowl into a ball (if dough seems too sticky, add additional flour by the tablespoon until it comes together)
- Knead the dough in the mixer 6-8 minutes or by hand on a floured surface 10-12 minutes until dough is stretchy and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough is doubled, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle and preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Punch risen dough down and divide into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a round bun and place each bun 4 inches apart on prepared sheet pans.
- Use your hand to gently flatten each bun. Allow buns to rise in a warm place 20-30 minutes until slightly puffy.
- Brush buns with beaten egg white mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake hamburger buns at 375F 18-25 minutes until golden-brown.
- Cool buns on sheet pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe tips and photos on 5/25/23.
Lizzy says
About how many calories does each bun have? 🙂
Sarah says
I am unsure of the calorie info for these buns, however you can easily find out here
shireen says
I tried this recipe four times…first two times…perfect. last two times I dIdnt get the rise. any suggestions?
Sarah says
Could it be that your yeast is old and no longer active? You might want to try getting some new yeast and trying these buns again. If it’s not your yeast that’s the problem, perhaps you’re not putting the dough in a warm enough place to rise?
Alicia says
Try using Amish bread or sourdough starters .They are better than commercial yeasts.They add amazing flavor and texture!
I used my Amish starter for buns like these and bulk fermented them in fridge over night.
I did not have to knead hardly at all.
They turned out great Praise Yahshua!
John 3:16!
Dawna Coleman says
You also may want to make sure your room is warm enough to activate the yeast. I had trouble twice in a row when making this recipe in the winter. Then I heated my kitchen better and had a much better result.
Kris says
This was such a disappointment! I followed your recipe to the letter, but the buns completely failed to rise a second time (forget about your 3 rise times!) I ended up with a dozen whole wheat hockey pucks!
Sam says
Unfortunately, when it comes to bread, there are a lot of variables that can’t be captured in a short recipe like this. Here are some possibilities off the top of my head:
-If anything, the recipe calls for too much yeast. It’s possible it fermented too much the first rise, even in the short time, meaning it was over-fermented by the second/third rises.
-If the temperature of your room was high (maybe even from pre-heating the oven) then the fermentation will happen faster, same as above.
-Whole wheat can take some work to strengthen the dough enough to hold its shape. It’s possible you didn’t knead it enough. You know it’s enough when you can stretch a piece of it thin enough to see light shining through.
-Lastly, it’s possible your flour isn’t suitable for bread. Maybe it doesn’t have enough protein (wheat gluten).
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.