Skip the store-bought carbs and preheat your oven for the ultimate recipe for Easy Homemade Burger Buns.
I recently caught myself glaring at the wide array of hamburger buns in my local supermarket with the kind of epic eye-roll generally reserved for a Real Housewives reunion. All those buns. All those lifeless and on-the-brink-of-expiration buns. Are they any way to greet a stack of perfect hamburger patties?
I’m the girl in the supermarket who reaches as far back as humanly possibly to retrieve what I can only imagine is the freshest bag of burger buns. As if somehow, magically, that bag that’s just barely out of reach is going to far surpass its aging counterpart parked conveniently in front of my huffing and puffing face.
Retracting my Go-Go Gadget limb, I reappear from the tower of carbs while firmly grasping my prize: a bag of only slightly less smashed burger buns.
Needless to say, I go to great lengths to acquire the best buns a store has to offer. But there will be no more grocery store aisle contortion routines from this girl. I am now a homemade burger bun enthusiast. And, yes. They’re easy. As in mix, proof, shape and bake easy. Absolutely zero kneading required! Of course there are two rounds of proofing, which results in a fluffy, doughy texture, but you can speed up the process with my go-to proofing machine …
A dryer!
Yep. My ugly, old dryer. Remember the Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread? Different recipe, same technique.
So as we embrace prime burger season, I’d like to invite you to spare yourself the store-bought varieties of hamburger buns. Spare yourself the crumbly texture and the cardboard taste. And instead, give a little love to your patties with Easy Homemade Burger Buns, “everything” seasoning optional!
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Ingredients
For the buns:
- 2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water (See Kelly's Notes)
- Vegetable oil, for greasing
For the topping:
- 1 egg white
- 2 teaspoons "everything" seasoning
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the buns in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Beat the ingredients at high speed for 2 minutes until they begin to come together around the dough hook.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Gather the dough into a ball and transfer it to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm, dark place for 60 to 90 minutes until it has visibly puffed.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces for regular-sized buns or 12 equal pieces for slider-sized buns.
- Shape the dough pieces into balls, tucking the edges under to make smooth tops, and then place them on the baking sheet, spacing them apart so they do not touch. Gently flatten the balls so they're about 3 ½ inches wide for regular-sized buns or 2 inches wide for slider-sized buns. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an additional 60 to 90 minutes until the buns are noticeably puffy.
- Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Whisk the egg white with 2 teaspoons of water. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg white mixture and then sprinkle the buns with the "everything" seasoning (optional).
- Bake the buns for about 20 minutes, until they're light, golden brown.
- Remove the buns from the oven, transfer them to a rack and allow them to cool completely.
Kelly's Notes:
- The amount of water used in the recipe depends on how humid your environment is. Use 2/3 cup water in summer months or more humid climates and use ¾ cup water in winter months or in drier climates.
- The egg white wash isn't essential, but it's what gives the buns their attractive sheen and golden brown crowns.
- The buns can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
This recipe is easy and so good! As an amateur bread maker, I was surprised how easy it was.
It really makes us not want to buy store bought buns anymore. I didn’t know the dryer trick before this. We usually just turn our oven on to the lowest setting then turn it off once the dough goes in and vent it by putting a wooden spoon in the oven door. But it’s nice to have another option as well. We also didn’t have everything seasoning so I just used sesame seeds. Worked great!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Yay! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Sydney!
Made these last night for the first time. Followed the recipe exactly and did use the everything bagel seasoning. They were delicious!! Definitely will be on our “repeat” list. I would never have thought to add Parmesan cheese and onion powder to a bread or bun recipe, but it brought a great flavor to them without overpowering them!
Not only were they delicious, they looked great too!
Woohoo! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cat!
Can you make this by hand? No mixer no bread machine no hook?
Thank you
Hi Audrey! I’ve never tried making this recipe without a stand mixer, but I think you could do it by hand. It should work out without any issues (although the texture might be slightly different), you’ll just want to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
I’ve made these buns at least a dozen times! They are my family’s fav!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Hi Kelly,
I’m guessing you haven’t tried this so wouldn’t know for sure, but your past training might help answer! Would these come out OK using white whole wheat plus a couple of extra tablespoons of water? Would additional gluten make them a bit more like the texture of white bread? Or is there anything else to add a bit of that would give the rolls a bit more “fluffy” texture without adding white flour?
Hi Dave! I indeed haven’t tried these ingredient swaps so I’m not sure! These are incredibly fluffy buns :)
Hi Kelly,
Great recipes. I just tried the flour tortillas. They were awesome.
Just a suggestion. When you give a recipe for breads and baked goods could you supply the measurements by weight as well as by volume? I find you get a more consistent result when measuring by weight than by volume. Also the portion sizes are easier to determine if you weigh them than if you try to do volume by eye.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Steve! And I’ll keep your suggestion in mind for future recipes :) Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this recipe…haven’t eaten a store bought bun in years because of all of the junk in them!!!! These buns looks awesome!
Do you have the recipe for your “everything” seasoning?
Hi Judith – Any brand of “everything” seasoning will work great! Looking forward to hearing your results :)
It’s nice to know someone else uses the dryer to proof their breads. I have done that for so many years. Mainly I did it cause the weather would be too cool to get a warm enough place to put the dough. Can’t raise if the air conditioner is on all the time, so, warm up the dryer and put the bowl on the sweater rack. Or a tray. Love your recipes, keep em flowing.
Hi Vickie! I am obsessed with this little trick, which my mom taught me a few years ago :)
Making the buns can i use almond flour instead of regular flour? Trying to keep low carb. If i can how much would i use? Thank you.
I’ve never tried that so I’m not sure! You could try using a gluten-free flour such as Cup4Cup that’s a 1:1 ratio as regular flour. Let me know if you give it a shot!
This recipe is great, Kelly! Thanks so much for sharing it!
You are so welcome, Mary!
One of the few things I actually use my microwave for…proofing! I boil a cup of water…add my dough and close the door quickly! ;) Love the dryer idea too!
Interesting!
I’ve made these twice in the last 8 days! My family loves them! We had them the first time with pulled pork and then tonight with bacon cheeseburgers. So good! Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Trisha!
Can these be frozen after they’re baked??
I just made these and they are amazing. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tiffany!
Kelly, what an amazing looking bun and rather funny post. I enjoyed every bit of it and will likely attempt to make my own buns, because you made it sound so easy but my past tries on bread hasn’t been successful. The only success I have is in eating them all every-time! Thanks a bunch for sharing this beautiful recipe
Thanks so much, Silvia!
I sure like the dryer idea, but do you have to heat it up first? My dryer vents
Right outside and in the winter time is very cold inside the dryer. Please help me to understand this. I feel really stupid! Lol
Thanks
Hi there! You’ll want to run it for a little so it’s slightly warmed :)
Since our move to the Pacific islands we have had a hard time finding delicious hamburger buns. These look great but I don’t have a stand mixer. Is there anything different I need to do by hand? Or can I use a bread machine to make the dough?
Hi Tracy! A bread machine would possibly work! I have never tried that but that would be your best option. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Made these on the weekend and they turned out really well. I just used a handheld mixer (mine has special dough hooks) at about mid-speed. I forgot to let them rise a second time (after splitting into 6 pieces) – they were still tasty though probably denser than they would be otherwise. I also used a total of 1 cup of lukewarm water – I live in northern Alberta which has a pretty dry climate. Overall, I’d definitely make them again. They especially smell incredible while baking!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jenn!
I made the King Arthur version of these buns last night. With last night’s rolls eaten and gone, I wanted to make more to have on hand, but looked for a different recipe that didn’t require cheese powder or tedious cheese grating (which I did last night). I’m so glad you thought to adapt the KA recipe!!
I doubled this parmesan recipe today as I had parmesan on hand, but instead of 2 teaspoons of onion powder, I did 1 and 1/2 of onion powder and the other 1/2 half of garlic powder. Having sampled today’s version, I have to say that little bit of garlic goes above and beyond the onion, IMO. :)
I follow you in google plus
If it’s possible please give the recipe for home made mozzarella cheese or processed cheese to use for making pizza.
And blue cheese :D
thanks
Thanks for stopping by Just a Taste, Mary! I have a recipe for homemade ricotta cheese: https://www.justataste.com/2013/08/homemade-ricotta-cheese-video-recipe/
Thank you so much! I had no idea it could be so easy to make hamburger buns! They taste great!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Emily!
I’m going to try these Kelly. I am always under-whelmed by what the shops offer. I love the addition of parmesan and I’m going to try a vegab version for my husband.
That dough in the dryer is so nowaygirl.com LOLOLOL I love it tho. I’m going to try it.
I am too that person who digs in the back of everything. Other people usually look annoyed but I hate that bread from the store goes off so quickly. Seriously though parmesan buns!? Count me in for 5 please! The buns look like absolute perfection!
Wow – using the dryer – that is such a great idea-very clever! Love the burger buns. Thanks.
You’re right! These really do sound SO easy!! Thanks for sharing :).
These are just about the prettiest most perfect hamburger buns I’ve ever seen! Nice work! I don’t think I’ve ever even thought of baking my own hamburger buns, but now I will definitely be attempting these. Now if it would just stop raining here, so we can light up the grill…
i started making my own hamburger buns a few years ago & haven’t looked back. these are perfect!
Thanks, Sarah! Now I’ll never be looking back either :)
Nothing beats homemade hamburger buns! I love this recipe! And your dryer technique – brilliant!!!
Thanks, Anna!
Love the buns, but was laughing so loud at your description of finding the “golden ticket” of store bought buns. Girl, you are hilarious! Your writing always brings a big smile to my face. You need a show!
Mmm, burgers are guilt free when everything is handmade right?! These buns look so perfect and delicious. I definitely need to try them sometime this summer!
WOW! These hamburger buns look just perfect. None of that dry cardboard box bread here.
Those buns make that hamburger sing! Great recipe!
I can’t even eat store-bought burger buns anymore after learning how to make it. Homemade is the best. And your burger looks so juicy. It’s such a fabulous photo.
Those parmesan buns look gorgeous! Nothing beats homemade buns. Love your photos!
I’m also that person that reaches way to the back of the shelf for the freshest hamburger buns, too. But these buns beat anything at the store!
OhMyGoodness. These look amazing. I am trying them tomorrow. Not sure about the dryer. I don’t know how to stop the drum from turning. That would be a disaster.
Thanks for sharing.
Mary
Hi Mary! I provide instructions in the Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread recipe for how to use your dryer as a proofing box, but essentially you run it for a few minutes so it warms up, then place the dough (in a sealed bowl) inside and shut the door. Voila! A perfect dough-proofing environment that’s warm and dark.
There is no comparison to homemade burger buns and these are gorgeous!
I much prefer homemade bread of ANY kind over store bought. I can’t wait to try these…beautiful, Kelly!
Those are the most perfect looking hamburger buns I’ve seen! Awesome job, Kelly! I could sink my teeth right in to that scrumptious lookin’ burger…
These are absolutely perfect! I love your dryer technique!
I so agree about homemade buns!! Yours looks so beautiful!!
Hahahaha I do exactly the same with reaching right to the back in the hope it’s the freshest bread/buns!! And using your dryer? Ingenious, I have never thought of that, but I may just have to try it!! Definitely need to make these and have a BBQ if it ever stops raining!
Isn’t making your own hamburger buns the coolest thing? I did this once before in my life when we didn’t have any buns but were really craving burgers and it was one of the crowning achievements in my life!
These look great!
I’ve got to try these! That hamburger looks beautiful! And I love cooking/baking with sesame seeds. :)
We just grilled some burgers last Sat and I hated the buns I bought for them.
This recipe sounds delicious, esp w the parmesan and onion powder.
You’re hilarious for using your clothes dryer to proof the dough!
I’m going to try that. Thanks.
if that isn’t the most perfect hamburger bun , I don’t know what is. I’m trying this tonight.
Looks great! I’ll have to try this recipe soon. Tnks!
Wow these look amazing! We eat a lot of turkey burgers–I must try these!
These are amazing Kel!!
Oh my gosh I am totally using my dryer next time for bread.
Yum…I’ve never thought of making homemade hamburger buns! Just when I thought a summer burger fresh of the grill couldn’t get any better….
My thoughts exactly, Brianna!
love this one Kelly! I can’t wait to try these
YUM! These look so delicious! I’d love to make my own buns.
Whuuuuuuuut. Just get out. But don’t ever. And first, feed me these buns.
Those buns look incredible (hamburger buns). I love the idea of proofing the rolls in a dryer, such a creative idea. Thanks for sharing :)
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Ok, these are perfect and they are just what I have been looking for!! Thank you!
Who knew throwing bread in the dryer could help?! haha, these look so good! I can’t wait to try!
Those buns look perfectly shaped and such a lovely color. I love homemade hamburger buns too. I’ll have to try this recipe.
Wow, these look amazing – picture perfect! I need to give these a try this summer, for sure. And love that dryer trick :)
These look so good! I am so with you on trying to reach for the non-touched, *hopefully*-the-freshest rolls in the store! I think you are so smart with your dryer trick! Love it!
Gorgeous buns, Kelly! Love your photography of the burger and bun with the dark background for color pop. So impressed with your recipe to include some Parm and a little onion powder for flavor as well as your wicked proofing technique! I agree with you and am a big believer in homemade burger buns. Store bought buns are so gummy and tasteless. Plus, they never quite hold up to the burger and fixin’s and fall apart. Thanks for sharing! xo
Agreed, Stacy!
The most beautiful hamburger buns ever! Wow – they are the perfect shape, height, level of golden color, everything about them is so pretty! Amazing job on these!