These homemade hamburger buns are unlike any you’ve had before. Crusty on the outside, soft & chewy on the inside. These easy to make, from scratch buns, using only 4 simple ingredients (with no eggs!), and are guaranteed to satisfy no matter the filling.
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Here on the hill we grill year round. We thought we couldn’t improve upon our homemade burgers, typically served using a store-bought hamburger bun. Boy, were we wrong! These from scratch, homemade hamburger buns have taken our burgers to the next level!!
We challenge you to find any crusty hamburger bun that rivals these easy to make versions, & that includes those from the bakery! Crusty on the outside with a bit of a chew (just how we like them) and so tender & soft on the inside, these burger buns will stay strong & hold any filling you choose!
Have to admit, we never considered making our own homemade hamburger buns as they looked too involved & tricky to attempt. Were we wrong! Other than time, these burgers practically make themselves using only four ingredients & water!
And did I mention how versatile this dough is? We’ve used it to make small, crusty baguettes, aka sub-rolls as well! Worked like a charm and so tasty!
WHY THIS HOMEMADE HAMBURGER BUN RECIPE IS THE BEST
These burger buns beat out several other recipes for the best buns. Why?
- The Crust! We love that this is a crusty version of a burger bun. The crunchy, chewey texture is not only delicious, but also hold up better to hearty fillings such as burgers, sloppy joes, & pulled pork.
- The Tender Centers! The tender center creates such a wonderful contrast to the crusty exterior. Not to mention this tender center soaks up all the juicy goodness of your filling like our amazing Fermented BBQ Sauce!
- Easy To Make! If you are anything like we were, a little intimidated to make these buns, don’t be! They were super easy and so worth the effort.
- They Freeze Well! These homemade hamburger buns freeze amazingly well. We will double the next batch(s) and freeze for convenience.
- Easily Adjustable For Dietary Needs! Need GF? Be sure to take a look at our Easy Homemade Flatbread Cracker recipe for tips on substituting tradition flour with gluten free options. Vegan? Simply replace the honey with traditional sugar.
- Control Of Ingredients! Making these from scratch allows you to control what goes into them. No unwanted, harmful chemicals or stabilizers in this recipe!
The reasons for making these buns are many. But the most important? The taste & texture! You will simply have to give them a try to see what we’re taking about 🙂
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE HAMBURGER BUNS FROM SCRATCH
Ready to make your own? Begin by gathering the simple ingredients. For this recipe you will need the following…
- Warm water
- Yeast
- Honey or Sugar
- Flour
- Sea Salt
- Stand Mixer (can be done by hand if need be)
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper or Silpat
In the bowl of your stand mixer (pre-warmed a bit by filling with hot water, let sit, and then empty) mix warmed water (under 110F), yeast, and honey. Let sit until foaming, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Placing the dough hook onto the stand mixer, add the flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly and then knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Continue to knead on medium speed until the dough becomes smooth & elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm area.
After 45 minutes, uncover the dough & fold the dough over itself on all four sides. This process realigns the gluten in the dough, allowing it to develop in both texture & flavor.
Cover the dough once again & repeat this same process in 45 minutes. Once the second folding has been completed move to the next step.
Cover the dough once again & allow the dough to double in size. This will take approximately 35-45 minutes in a warm space.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface & divide into 6 even pieces.
Form the individual pieces into a nice round ball by turning the edges under & using your hand to create a smooth round shape. Place them, seam side down, on a non-stick baking silpat or parchment lined baking sheet, evenly spaced.
Optionally, shape into baguette forms, using a dough cloth as shown below or a baguette pan if you have one available. Full tutorial on how to make baguettes coming soon!
UPDATE! For a complete tutorial on how I make this recipe into mini baguettes or baguettes, check out my Homemade Baguette article!
Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minumum of 4 hours or up to several days before baking.
When ready to bake, remove the tray of buns from the refrigerator and pre-heat your oven to 475F. Allow the buns to rise while the oven is heating, until almost double in size.
Just prior to placing the hamburger buns into the oven, mist the tops with water. This is by far the most effective method for creating that wonderful crusty top.
If you don’t have a sprayer, you can simply wet a pastry brush with water & flick with your fingertips to dispurse water droplets.
Place the buns in the oven & cook at 475F for ten minutes. Reduce heat to 400F and cook for another 10-15 minutes more. The buns should be browned all around & hollow sounding when tapped.
Remove from pan and allow to cool at least 5-8 minutes prior to cutting in half. They are now ready to be filled with your favorite meal! Think BBQ Chicken, Burger (with bleu cheese & spinach, YUM!), Veggie Burger, or your favorite pulled pork!
HOW TO FREEZE HOMEMADE HAMBURGER BUNS
These burger buns freeze amazingly well. Simply slice in half (makes for easier thawing) and place in your favorite freezer container. These will last in the freezer for up to six months, ours didn’t make it that long 🙂
To unthaw, simply remove the buns and place on a cooling rack to unthaw. In a hurry? Remove the bun(s) and place frozen right into your toaster. Works like magic!
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cups Warm Water (under 110F)
- 1.5 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 Tsp Honey (or substitute with sugar)
- 3.5 Cups Flour
- 1.5 Tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
1. Mix yeast, honey, & water in bowl of stand mixer, let set until foamy 2. Add flour, & salt to the yeast mix 3. Slowly combine until mixture pulls away from sides of the bowl. Continue to knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes until smooth & elastic 4. Place dough into a well greased bowl, cover, and let set for 45 minutes 5. Fold the dough onto itself on all 4 sides 6. Cover, let set for 45 minutes & repeat the folding process 7. Cover and let set til' double in size (between 35-40 minutes) 8. Place the dough onto a floured workspace. Divide into 6 even pieces 9. Turning the sides under begin to create a round ball 10. Place on a lined baking sheet, evenly spaced, cover with plastic & place into refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours 11. Remove from refrigerator & let rise while heating the oven to 475F (allow to double in size) 12. Mist the bun tops with water 13. Bake at 475F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400F and bake for another 10 minutes. Buns should be evenly browned & sound hollow when tapped. 14. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes prior to eating.
If you are like me, I really don’t enjoy printing a full page recipe. Thus, I’ve created these cute farm inspired recipe cards which I can use in my standard 4×6 recipe card box! Grab yours in our Etsy Shop! Did I mention how cute they are 🙂
There you have it! Beautiful homemade, crusty, hamburger buns that you and your whole family will enjoy! Do you make your own hamburger buns already? Love to hear about your favorite way to make them.
Don’t make them already? Why not? Give ’em a try & guaranteed you’ll never use store-bought again 🙂
Love, Light, & Laughter ~
33 comments
Yummy! I never thought to make fresh hamburger buns…what a great idea!!
This recipe looks amazing! Printing this ! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us on the Homestead Blog Hop!
-Cherelle
These look really good! Totally off my vegan lifestyle but impressive still. 😊
These can easily be made vegan! Enjoy!!
I always feel like the hamburger buns we get from the store can only be used for hamburgers but these look like something we could use other sandwiches too. I’m thinking an egg sandwich for breakfast!
They sure are! Any type of sandwich works well with these buns! Enjoy!!
Wow this looks easy enough! I’m definitely going to try this with gluten free flour soon.
These look so much better than the store-bought variety. And they look like they would hold up to a burger better, too!
Sounds easy enough! I love homemade buns but rarely get them.
never made hamburger buns, can’t wait to try it!
Such a cool idea! I have started to make more things at home, it seems safer to me. And these are definitely going in my Pinterest recipes to make! Thank you!
These look pretty easy to make, love that they are fresh and have no preservatives!
These look so delicious. I will have to make these I know my family would love them!
This is such a yummy recipe! Easy to follow as well 🙂
These look so perfect I wouldn’t want to eat them! I love cooking and baking and I feel like this is actually a great alternative to buying hamburger buns. This way you can have the exact number that you want.
Darn, I wish I saw this earlier. We are having burgers tonight and I would love to try these. I will give them a try next time.
Hope you can give them a try! They are so worth the effort!!
I love homemade bread. I think I may have to try making these!
Yum! And always nice to have buns in the freezer.
I love freshly baked bread and these look like they would be amazing!
I have gotten to the point I do not really like grocery store buns unless they are Brioche so I would like to attempt this. On another note I had no idea honey made something not Vegan! lol Makes sense when you think about it but I just never thought of it.
Saved to my pinterest for THINGS I WANT TO COOK! Thanks!
Not only does this sound easy and the kids will think it’s fun, but I’m sure they actually taste so much better than a store bought bun!
My mouth is WATERING! These look so good. Thank you!
I’ll be trying this recipe soon! I appreciate the tip about heating the bowls up first, and I love how easy it sounds! Definitely pinning this one.
These look wonderful! Thanks for sharing with Encouraging Hearts and Home! Pinned. Please come visit us again, we appreciate it. Have a great day.
OH I bet those are fabulous buns! There is nothing like freshly baked bread. Pinned.
My sister and her daughter-in-law frequently make their own hamburger buns. And oh my goodness, once done you are spoiled and don’t want any other. Looks and smells amazing. There are usually no leftovers……sad face here. Thanks for sharing.
Oh!! Man these are so very yummy. I made them today. I do not have a stand mixer so I just did it by kneading by hand. They went perfect with our Buffalo burgers. Nice crispy crust, soft inside. Thank you
Hi Lisa ~
So glad you enjoyed them! They are pretty wonderful 🙂
Could you freeze the dough?
I never have, but don’t see why not!
Fantastic recipe! Fresh bread for hamburgers! Can’t wait to try your recipe! Thank you