Recipe: How to Make Burger Buns From Scratch

We’re in the thick of summer BBQ season, so why not try and level up your next backyard or patio grill session with homemade burger buns. It might be easy to just grab a pack from the store, but I promise these taste so much better than the plain ones full of preservatives.

I’ve based these ones off a brioche recipe, so they are super buttery—and the best part is that they don’t just have to be for burgers, you can shape them into hot dog buns, or even buns for things like lobster rolls. They freeze well too, so feel free to double the recipe up.

This recipe makes approximately four burger buns.

Burger Buns Recipe Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of whole milk
• 1 tsp of active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp of water
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of butter (softened)
• 2 eggs: 1 egg beaten and 1 egg yolk
• 1.5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (you can also use a combination with whole wheat if you’d like)
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• Sesame seeds (optional—I used both black and white)

You will also need a food thermometer. A stand mixer is helpful, but you can also make this burger buns recipe mixing by hand.

Burger Buns Recipe Instructions

1. Prep and measure out all of your ingredients so they are ready to go for each step.

2. In a small pan, heat the milk until it is steaming but not boiling—you want to aim for about 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. When it reaches that temperature, add in the water, yeast and a small amount of the sugar. Whisk it all together.

3. Let the mixture stand until the yeast bubbles form (about five minutes) and then mix in the softened butter and beaten egg.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer (with the dough hook attachment on).

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and remaining sugar until combined.

6. Going in stages, with the stand mixer on low, slowly add the flour a little bit at a time until it’s all incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high for about 10 minutes until a sticky dough has formed.

7. Oil a large bowl and remove the dough from the mixer (oiling your hands will help it not stick to you!). Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (I also covered it with a clean tea towel) and set it aside to rise.

8. You want the dough to double in size—this could take up to two hours depending on the time of year, your location and the temperature of your room, so just keep an eye on it.

9. Once the dough doubles, punch it down and remove it from the bowl. Divide it into four equal pieces, either by eyeballing it or weigh it and divide it by four.

10. On a clean countertop, gently roll the balls until they are smooth, and you can pinch the seam together on the bottom. Once rolled, place on a baking sheet—spread evenly—and cover with the plastic wrap from earlier for about an hour until they puff back up.

11. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water.

12. Uncover the buns when they’re ready, and using a pastry brush, coat the buns with the egg wash and then immediately sprinkle with the sesame seeds (if you’re using them).

12. Bake the buns for 15-18 minutes (each oven can be different) until they are a golden-brown colour. Then remove them from the oven and place the buns onto a wire cooling rack.

These buns are best used the same day they’re made. But you can also freeze them and let them defrost on the counter and toast them up when you want to use them. (I pre-cut the buns before I freeze them to make defrosting easier). Now all that’s left to do is enjoy them.