Do you know what this is? This is It. This is the hamburger bun recipe I’d been obsessing, dreaming and fretting over when I had my Incident back in May, which was namely that I’d spent a ridiculous amount of time and ingredients fighting a no-good recipe with a decidedly average finish. Since then, my frustration has faded somewhat, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that perhaps they weren’t the end of the world, they just weren’t the thing I was looking for: they were more of a limp white bread bun — the kind so easily purchased at a store under any generic brand, it made little sense to eek them out at home — and I wanted something a little more moist and rich. I wanted something better, the kind of thing that you knew you weren’t going to get in any plastic bag.
In the six weeks since, I have waded through nearly 100 burger bun recipes, all submitted by you kind folks with promises that they’d be better. I saw white bread buns and challah buns and whole wheat sourdough buns and you-name-it buns and, gah, I barely knew where to begin. And then, just as I was halfway through the early steps of a totally different hamburger bun recipe that, if all goes well, will be a wonderful, unusual complement to these, I dropped that effort completely in the pursuit of the Light Brioche Buns run in the New York Times article this week on the elements of a perfect burger.
My hunch that they were onto something grand was duly rewarded. These buns are plush and mildly sweet and slightly buttery; think of them as halfway between a high-quality white bread and a decadent brioche. When you pick them up, they feel heavy for their size and when you lightly toast their edges — a must, says both the New York Times and yours truly — before building your perfect burger dreams upon it, they sing. You’ll sing. Seriously, I had a Moment with these yesterday, part relief that the recipe I’d been looking for was indeed out there and — bonus! — not laden with an excess of steps or labor and part a deep sigh, because they’re splendid, and I can’t wait to give them a proper spin on the grill tomorrow. If they make it that long.
Previously: I’ve been posting up a storm this week, but promise to stop now. Check out the Watermelon Lemonade I’m drinking right this very second or an avalanche of July 4th slaw and sides ideas if you’re just catching up now.
Light Brioche Burger Buns
Adapted from Comme Ça restaurant in Los Angeles, via the New York Times
Go! Make these! What are you waiting for?
Makes 8 4 to 5-inch burger buns
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Sesame seeds (optional)
1. In a glass measuring cup, combine one cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be on the sticky side so it can be a bit messy, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave them tackier than you would a round loaf.
3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours. (In my freaky, warm apartment this only took an hour.)
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for one to two hours. (Again, this only took one hour in my apartment and I suspect, you’ll also only need an hour for a second rise.)
5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with one tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
I really don’t think anyone minds you “posting up a storm.” I know I am delighted, despite a six week separation from my kitchen…
Mmm, looks good! I must say, Deb, I just made the black bean confetti salad and I cannot stop shoveling it into my mouth (on top of tortilla chips). My boyfriend and I (but mainly me – he’s busy washing dishes now, score!) have put a major dent into this dip already. I might just eat all of this and get rid of any ideas of making dinner tonight, hah.
Thanks for another wonderful recipe. I always come to you when I want to make something that I KNOW will be amazing. :-)
Oh my gosh! I’m so glad you found it, and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing in time for July 4th grilling!
Mmmm Comme Ca. Good place to eat. If someone pulls out a homemade burger bun for us tomorrow, we’ll be too through. No weenies for us, only burgers!
i’m with emma…post-away! we’re luckiest when you do ;o)
Just saw this recipe in the NYT the other day and was thinking of trying it for the Fourth…now I know it will be great! Yum and thanks for the suggestion. :)
Comme Ca is one of my favorite places in LA, I miss living right around the corner! Their burger is amazing and with your review this recipe has moved up on my list of thing to try!
Wow this looks like a fun one to try! My kids and I have been making your pizza dough every friday for a couple of weeks now and it has been really fun for them to knead the dough and watch it rise and then shape (and top) their own pizzas. But now I’v got the bread making bug so these will have to be on the menu next week for sure.
Hooray! I’ve been trying to find a great bun too! Though sadly, I won’t have time to whip these up before tomorrow…but soon, very soon!
And thanks for the pictures of the interior. The crumb looks lovely!
I saw the recipe this week and made them for my family. The consensus was they’re better than the one’s I’ve made in the past. So I guess I’ve found my holy grail.
HI. I love your beautiful yummy blog! I have been meaning to write and let you know I added you to my new food blog sidebar recently & enjoy going to your blog as a daily read. Just wanted to stop by and introduce myself! Have a great day.
These look beautiful! Definitely going to give them a try!!
Do you remember when you asked everyone what they were afraid of? I did not answer the poll. But the truth is… it’s yeast / bread baking. Like a lot of other people I think? Wish I wasn’t though… They look delicious!
Just made the confetti salad and it is yummy! This bread might just kill me, but oh, what a way to go. You got lovely buns.
wow! these look great i had a brioche bun with a burger in an american themed restaurant here in the uk and the slightly sweet bun with the burger was crazy good! ive been searching for something like this now its BBQ season here but you cant get them for love nor money in the UK they just dont get it! cant wait to get baking with this one my fiancee is going to love it!
P.S the more posting the better!
These look like the perfect buns. I will save them for when I have time ( and a grill in my future).
No complaints here about the frequent posting although I’m sure it will slow once you have a little one to take care of. Soon right? Can’t wait to see pics of the lil’ Smitten.
I like you when you’re pregnant Deb. Somehow all the recipes you’ve been posting lately have been extra, extra appealing to me. This makes me crave summer…which is weird because I usually love winter…damn you northern hemisphereans…
Oh this stinks–not the recipe, it sounds heavenly! I have been looking for an easy enough (because yeast doughs take a little bit of practice) and delicious hamburger bun. Mere minutes ago I got done mixing up a different (and not as yummy sounding as these) batch of hamburger buns and now I find your recipe!!! I wish I had sat down at the computer an hour ago…
So why did you not go with the whole-wheat sourdough ones?
Last thing the world needs is another vehicle for butter, Deb.
tsk tsk ;)
Do you think these would work for hotdog buns too?
Well, I thought I had found my “perfect bun” recipe a few years ago, to the point that I never even considered trying another one.
But I think I’ll give this one a try, sounds terrific!
:-)
these look really good, been a while since I baked bread this will be next on my list
This is a great, great find. I’ve seen a couple of mouthwatering burger recipes that all said would pair lovely with brioche buns and I had no idea where I would get those in my disjointed metro area. Alas, I can make them!
Happy 4th! I hope the almost- baby likes fireworks
What amazing timing — these buns are doing their second rise on my counter right now! My dough was really, really sticky though…maybe it needed more flour? I haven’t perfected bread making yet, so if anyone knows what I did wrong, do tell!
Nicole — Definitely on the sticky side. I had a good amount of flour on the counter, and sprinkled more on as needed. I tried to resist adding a ton more, when I formed them into rolls they were still quite sticky. I should point you (and others) to my bread tips post — the less flour you can get away with, the more moist bread ends up. If you get frustrated, let it rest a few minutes on the counter so whatever flour you’ve added insofar absorbs a bit.
I just recently got my Hot Shoppes cookbook in the mail (I’m orig from DC area) and need the high rise bun that I can take a center slice out of for a double decker Mighty Mo burger. This looks like it! The book says they had their buns made for them and they were a little on the sweet side. You, my dear, are right on time with this recipe! Thanks!
I have also bookmarked that recipe and am planning to make these along with that tomato compote to serve at my daughter’s birthday party next week (slider sized, so I’m a a little nervous, but will leave time for my back up recipe if these are a no-go). Love that interior shot! Mouthwatering.
Oh, lovely buns. Bring bread on anyway it comes. Happy 4th and if you have more stuff to post we really don’t mind.
Interesting recipe. I made one from Epicurious a few weeks ago and when I compare the ingredient lists, they are very different.
I thought the Epicurious ones were pretty good but I’m going to give your recipe a try soon.
I rolled my dough and cut it out using a cutter and that helped the final buns to be very uniform. You can check out my other tips and a link to the Epicurious recipe on my blog if you’re curious.
Love any kind of homemade bread! These look delicious.
Thanks! This is JUST what I needed right now! I needed to get off the computer and go make some hamburger buns, and this is PERFECT!! :-)
Glad to see you found a recipe and the results look delish! This looks easy to make if I can get past the sticky dough. Thanks for sharing!
Looks good. I’m going to bookmark this for later this summer.
BTW, I made a rendition of your Med. Pepper salad the other day and it was simply divine. Loving it!
LadyC
This looks really good. I’d eat it with butter if i don’t have burgers..heehee
These will be great with the Turkey Burger recipe on my blog! I can’t wait to make them.
I made these buns earlier today from the nyt artickle and they were delicious. As for the dough, it was very very sticky but I didn’t add any extra flour as I was afraid to deviate from the recipe. Also, our apartment is cool so I put the dough in my bottom oven with a pan of hot water on the bottom to creat the warmth. (stole this trick from the joy of cooking cookbook) I also made the burger and sides that were in the article as well…the tomato compote, tarrago pickles and slaw were great on the burger. It really was delicious…we had burger juice running down our elbow…sign of a good burger! spent all day in the kitchen but had a blast! Also, I froze the extra buns for my inlaws who are visiting in a few weeks by wrapping each bun in foil and then putting in a ziplock bag. will let you know if they taste fresh when I thaw and toast.
What a great idea! I never thought of using brioche for burgers!
Oh gosh, these seem perfect!! I’m afraid if I eat one I’ll never want a store-bought one again!
I can’t wait to try this. One of the most maddening food conundrums is how difficult it is to find good hamburger buns. Sometimes we just eat the meat because I don’t have the bandwidth to devote to The Hunt. And you’re right–these look easy. I’m all over it.
Lovely buns! I never thought of using brioche for burgers, definitely going to give them a try!
These buns look simply divine, and I bet they’re healthier than the store bought ones as well.
These buns look perfect!! I wish I could make such good-looking buns too!!
This recipie looks so yummy.. Can’t wait to try it any sugesstions on how to adapt this for a bread machine using the dough cycle?
Hmmmmm- these are begging for a spicy black bean burger….. Thanks so much! -e
I don’t mind you posting up a storm at all – I love the posts! What gorgeous sounding buns :D
Can I make this dough in a bread machine? I have a very active two year old and I need my eyes on her all the time. Deb, you will understand this in about 2 years :)
I’m so glad you did all the work for me. I’ve been struggling with an average bun recipe for the last few months and just gave up. Now I’m back on my game. And speaking of game, I’m really impressed at your ability to steadily eat food and post about it even though you’re pregnant. I’m 21 weeks, and a tree stump is more useful than I am. I’m pretty sure if I eat another container of takeout, my kid is going to come out made of styrofoam. Major props to you.
I made these tonight. Almost disaster, my yeast didn’t yeast itself up, but I fixed the error before all was lost and the buns came out beautifully!
Thanks especially for the “don’t add flour to the sloppy dough” tip. I kneaded the gloppiness into submission and it really paid off.
In the end the buns were a big hit at a birthday BBQ here in Australia.
Don’t apologize for posting up a storm! Love your recipes!
for Emily…can you give us the recipe for the black bean burger…I’ve been wanting to make vegetarian burgers…or Deb, maybe you have one…I’ll check
My 11-year-old son stumbled upon your site in a search for black and white cookies. I am totally in love – it is FABULOUS! I worked on putting together a cookbook a couple of years ago for a woman’s club and know how hard it is to get the right photo. Your photos are incredible and your recipes mouth-watering! Shamefully, I’ve been on somewhat of a cookie hiatus after all the testing for the cookbook — it looks like I’m going to have to start cooking again to try your recipes!
I actually found this more entnatrinieg than James Joyce.
I have a favorite bun recipe that’s very similar. Although I use buttermilk in mine and I always substitute a cup of freshly ground wheat flour to give them that nice wheaty bite a little texture and that lovely wheat flecked appearance. We made mini pub burgers last night for our get-together.
We had a guinness themed party featuring your Irish Car Bomb cupcakes (although I think the original half ganache recepe would suffice, a little too rich with so much ganach). Everything in the menu contained Guinness, including the homemade chocolate ice cream to top it all off. MMMM, nothing like an Irish 4th of July celebration!
Thank you for your due diligence on finding the perfect recipe. Now the rest of us get to benefit from your hard work and angst. These look light, flavorful, and simply delicious!
Who said you’re posting up a strom? I’m enjoying every bit of it! As soon as I saw the buns I knew that you’d finally overcome the sad buns you ended up with a while ago. These look great, Deb.
oh these look so good. They re perfect. Anyways your bakes are always spectacular :)
Ooh, thanks for posting this! I’ve really been wanting a recipe for burger (and hot dog) buns since I live in a part of the world where they aren’t sold, but I have been too busy (or lazy, if you like) to hunt through all the possibilities. I can’t wait to try this!
I am definitely going to make these! they look scrumptious. but I’m worried, what’s the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour? can i use AP flour instead and get the same results?
Laila — Bread flour has more gluten in it than all-purpose. You can use AP instead, but breads generally work best with bread flour.
Elizabeth — There’s no reason you cannot halve, double, freeze, etc. anything you need to with this recipe.
Hi! This looks insanely good… But I never know which parts I can do in advance with dough: at which stage should I freeze it? Should you precook it? What happens if you let it rest a day (while you’re at work for instance) instead of a couple of hours, will it still rise as it should? Also: what is the bun golden rule when you are ready for burger time? Would you recommend placing frozen buns in the oven and just double the time, place in the fridge the night before? Something in between? Thanks for any tips you can give!
It can be frozen at most stages; freezing is like a pause button. I’d probably freeze it after the first rise, though, just to make sure the yeast is good and proofing.
Do you think they would freeze well? Or that the recipe would half well? With only two of us in the house, we probably wouldn’t be able to go through all 8 buns! This recipe sounds perfect though- I love brioche-like buns!
Yay! I was hoping you would find the perfect burger bun. I made some a while back that I wasn’t entirely pleased with (they weren’t thick enough). I’m going to pick up an order of Texas Longhorn beef today that includes 25 lbs of burger meat. I can’t wait to try these!
I’m giving these a shot before I run out of time and have to go to the store for buns! First rise is looking good but my dough wasn’t all that sticky (at least not compared to some doughs I make) so I hope they turn out. Humidity is very low in Seattle right now; no rain for a couple of months… Any chance of providing the weight you use for one cup of each flour type? It might make the recipes more repeatable.
I can’t wait to try these! I like a little whole wheat, so I think I’ll sub in a bit. Do you think I should use some in place of the AP, or use less bread flour? I’m thinking 1/2-3/4 of a cup.
Sharon commented on adding whole wheat–have you tried that and what do you recommend? I’ve been on a fresh bread making kick for a while and these look wonderful!
My rule for substituting whole wheat flour in a recipe where I have not done it before is to start with a 1/3 swap. It’s a pretty safe level to get you that whole wheat heft without throwing off the softness of what you’re baking too much. The next time, if you feel you’d wanted it heartier, you can move up to the 50/50 level.
I was wondering if this would work well in a bread machine, as well…any thoughts?
Thanks
I have never used a bread machine before. I suspect you can use it for the mixing/kneading/dough prep part (though you’ll still need to proof the yeast outside the machine because it’s active dry and not instant or bread machine yeast, which does not need pre-proofing, hm, yes, I believe this is why I never use bread machines: by the time you’ve done all that, you could have had two doughs made and kneaded!).
I’m so glad you tried this recipe out–I was pretty excited when I saw it too but haven’t had a chance to make them. Did you cook the burgers the way the NYT suggested too?
Cindy, I’ve used a bread machine to make dough the same way I use my stand mixer now. I’ve never liked to actually bake in a bread machine, but for kneading it can be handy sometimes. Proof the yeast in the machine, then dump everything else in and let it mix. I guess you could even let it do the first rise in there, too.
I’m thinking the next time I’m feeling bake-y I’ll make a whole bunch of these and freeze them. I hate last-minute crappy fluffy bun purchases. I always feel like a dope when I end up with buns like that because I didn’t plan ahead (like this afternoon, for example).
I dreamt about these last night. seriously. all night long….the perfect bun! weeee!!!!
These look amazing and wish we were having them with out turkey burgers tonight instead of english muffins :-). Just a note – the word you want is “eke” not “eek”. Sorry, I am a word nerd.
and i have a typo, too! our turkey burgers
Oh my goodness…I was just leafing through magazines while waiting for the teenager to finish with his haircut. There was a great little recipe for mini veggie burgers in a brioche burger bun….but no recipe for the buns. See?! Now I have it…ooops and a torn out recipe from a magazine from a salon that shall remain nameless…grin
so cute. Looks a bit like a baked pork bun…
Just made the buns for an awesome turkey burger 4th of July supper. Wow! Those buns are keepers! Just the right hint of everything that’s lovely. I didn’t use sesame seeds on the top and I don’t think I missed them.
Yea for brioche buns!
Just made these, and they are AMAZING! Using a bench scraper saved my life, and this recipe is definitely a keeper for any type of sandwich needing a bun. I look forward to more excessive posting!
Oh I am so thankful to spot this recipe today! I was searching online for a brioche recipe and yours came up (funny enough, I read your blog daily, except for the past 2 days!). I am hoping to make my son a huge cheeseburger for his birthday dinner, I am assuming this can be baked as one large bun as well?
These are fabulous looking…I can’t wait to give them a try. I think anything made from brioche would be incredible.
These look excellent! Too bad I’m lazy and bought the pre-made buns for my grilling party today… :D Oh well. I made lemon bars. That should be good enough.
As a substitute for bread flour I add gluten flour to regular flour, subbing in 1 teaspoon per cup of all purpose or whole wheat flour. Gluten flour is available at natural foods stores, and also many supermarkets, usually in the natural foods section. Keeps a long time (perhaps forever, I have not had any go bad, ever) and makes that nice, stretchy, elastic dough needed for great bread, even 100% whole grain breads. (If you use too much, though, you’ll end up with dough that kneads like a rubber ball!)
I made these last night and they were fantastic (If I do say so myself).
Being the rather lazy type I am, and given the comments that it was a wet dough, I used the technique that Dan Lepard often describes in his recipes – e.g. no 8-10 minute knead, instead, rest for 10 mins, then knead for 10 secs (I do it in the bowl) – repeat 2 more times (10 mins and quick knead), then rest for 30 mins and knead for 10 secs – repeating a couple of times. Then I shaped, left for an hour and into the oven they went… I didn’t egg glaze them – they went into the oven naked, but I still got a great colour on them after 15 mins.
Thanks for the recipe!
I made these, along with your ‘dead simple slaw’, yesterday for our 4th of July dinner and they were spectacular! I was a little nervous, because I had never made my own buns before, but it was actually quite simple. And not having any bread flour on hand, I used all all-purpose and they still turned out great, not tough at all. No more store-bought buns for us!
I woke up yesterday and checked your blog- and I’m so glad I did. Saw this recipe and had enough time to make the buns for our 4th party last night. They turned out well- although I would’ve divided them up into 12. I got many compliments on the buns, so thank you!
Wow. These stand up really well to a juicy, drippy, burger. I was worried that they’d be too crusty, like little hard shells–especially after I made 16 slider-sized buns–but they were fantastic. Cheeseburgers (with guacamole) from the oven have never tasted better. These are not the inedible hockey pucks of meat on crummy bread I ate growing up.
Hi!I’m an italian girl my boyfriend loves burgers so I thought that the healthyest way of eating then was to prepare the myself!Your recipe is very good and i will use it!!!Thanks!!!
I tried to adapt these into hot dog buns. They turned out really ugly, but tasted fantastic. The dough spread out too much. I probably just let it rise too long.
I did all the kneading in my Kitchen-aid and it was much easier than messing with sticky dough on the counter.
Oh, good, I’m glad you tried them. I’ve been looking for a bun worthy of several other recipes I wanted to try. I pulled the Food section this week specifically to try that recipe, but it’s always nice when someone else does first…and posts pictures.
Thanks for doing all the research for us. I tried making hamburger buns once but gave up after they didn’t work out. I’ll have to print this recipe and try it out after all the rave reviews.
I made this today…just my hubby and myself, and it was well worth it. Delicious. Don’t know how I will ever eat a packaged bun again. I’m looking forward to spliting and toasting one in the morning! Thanks, it made for a stupendous burger!
try these with the coffee rubbed cheeseburgers from Bon Appetit and you will not be disappointed.
Oh my! These look amazing, I can’t wait to give them a try!
Sarah, I too, tried to shape them for Brats and they were too big and flat, but like you said, they were good.
I made them in the bread machine where you don’t have to prep the yeast and I would say a success.
Thanks, Deb!
I am blown away by how light, flaky, and positively delicious these look :) great job! (an understatement)
I have been searching for the perfect burger bun for years, so will definitely be giving this a try. But why no weights????
mmmm! I have just sent this to my good friend who was blathering on about brioche for ages on saturday, naming any meal it can be used with…so this will delight him! and i will have to make them – yum and thanks!
I have been on a similar quest. I read your post last night. The flour is already in a bowl and I am about to mix. How excited am I? YAH!
Seriously the best looking buns I’ve ever seen! Yum!
lovely receipt!
Oh my goodness…the one with the little bubble toward the top is calling to me. It really does look like these are “it”. Awesome.
These look really delicious. I just got a stand mixer from my friends last month, and I can’t beleive that I haven’t made a yeast bread yet. This might not need to be done in a stand mixer, but as soon as I can clear off my counters these will be mine!
The look great! I can only imagine how fantastic they taste:)
Hi Deb.
your recipe looks a lot like mine. I like milk and butter in my rolls cuz they make bread soft and flavorful. Mine used all milk instead of water+milk. We made them 1.25 inches in diameter for little appetizer lamb burger sliders. I highly recommend doing these next time you have an event. buns, garlic aioli/mayo, thin slice of roasted beet, olive tapenade, 2 or 3 arugula leaves. pretty! and the guys love it.
I recently did an interview with a chef for my site and he used the Barefoot Cantessa brioche bun recipe for his to die for pulled pork sandwiches… but I just had a baby, I had to turn to the store. However, I did do the 9 hour smoked shoulder and felt victorious!
This is similar to a recipe I have for my bread machine that turns out fine buns. Although I should probably invest in the bread flour – been too lazy to buy it. Will try – thanks for sharing! I love your blog.
Love you! on a bad day I read you recipes and always, always get a good laugh and a great recipe! Keep up the good work! Light brioche burger buns….permenant eats at the homefront now. (always make me look good at the holidays or a picnic)
Wow those look great! Your blog is amazing. Your photos are just top notch, and such a great variety of recipes! You are an inspiration to other food bloggers like me. Keep it up!
Mazel tov upon this yummy milestone! :)
Made them yesterday with Vietnamese pork burgers and they came out beautifully. Thanks for this recipe – it goes in the permanent file!
Will try some whole wheat flour next time – should I sub some for the AP flour or for some of the bread flour?
Ah! Not that I wouldn’t be reading every day anyway, but I have been diligently checking every day since the “Incident” for your perfect burger bun recipe. Thank you, thank you!!
I needed to make these for my La Bella Burger (Italian) I made on the 4th… also made an Irish Burger and a Japanese Burger. Next step is to make buns for each of them. Thanks for the recipe!
I was just saying the other day how much I would love to make the perfect hamburger bun…then I found your blog. I’m so grateful to you for your efforts and good taste.
Can you substitute instant yeast here? How much? Or do you find it’s best to keep two types of yeast – instant and active dry in your pantry?
I have been waiting for this! Will try soon… thanks!
I made these today, and they turned out fantastic. I had made my favorite curried chicken salad this morning and it was divine served on these! I’m thinking of a hundred excuses to make some more in the very near future.
You should defintely do more self kneading bread recipies!
breads so fun to make and you feel so accoplished when it comes out tasting great, and the best part is you can say you made it yourself without a bread machine!
OH MY WORD!!!! These buns were AWESOME!!! Thank you so much for the recipe! We absolutely loved them and they were super easy to make!! The next morning my 4 yr old son asked for one for breakfast! I will definitely make them again and might even make them on vacation next week (though everyone thinks I’m nuts for making homemade bread while on vacation!) they were so good!
I made these buns a couple nights ago – absolutely fantastic. They were delicious with burgers and on their own. They are so easy to make that I don’t understand why anyone would ever buy that wonder bread crap after trying these!
i can already taste the meaty juices running into the bun.. i’ve gotta try this, thanks!
they really are perfect. and very easy.
made these tonight for burger night (happens at our house on most fridays) and holy-bleepity-bleep I’m so happy. once again, THANK YOU for the glorious recipe. it WILL be hard to buy the store-bought version from here on out. love that this recipe is super easy too–especially for a nervous bread maker like myself.
eh, skip the bread making….use a baguette, make a misformed shape burger to fit, add Dijon mustard and Roquefort/Bleu cheese ….happy Bastille Day!
Made these this afternoon and they are wonderful. My son ate a whole one plain. Honey is cleaning the kitchen as a thank you. I also cheated and put it in my bread machine on dough cycle while I did other things. Next time I’ll get my son to do the work, on a double batch. And yes it took under an hour for the buns to rise-beautifully.
echoing you and everyone else — why on earth would we buy the store-made nonsense when these are so simple and delicious? thanks for such a great recipe, along with those for light wheat bread, mediterranean pepper salad, and black bean confetti salad, all of which i’ve made in the last two weeks and can’t get enough of. :)
I’ve just made these, I forgot to add the butter and they’re still AMAZING.
First time poster here, congrats on the baby, I read you religiously ;) When my boyfriend notices I’m reading this site he always goes “Mmmmm great! What’s for dinner?!” hehehe
Regards from Spain!
Just baked my second batch of these fabulous buns. After reading about the stickiness, I did mine in the bread machine through the first rise. I have the full size Zojirushi breadmaker. Put salt and flours in with softened butter and crumbed by hand. Then the yeast mixture. Kneaded for 9 minutes in the machine, then let it rise. No stick, no mess. Then I made into rolls, let rise again and baked. Deliciousness!! Thanks for passing this recipe along.
I made Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread the other day with self-rising flour instead of the bread flour that I normally used, it came out pretty well, could I do the same with these guys?
I tried the self-rising, it worked well for sammies, but fell apart under the turkey burger, maybe that will be where the gluten from the bread flour comes in. Next time… They are delicious though, thanks for sharing, I never thought that it would be possible for me to make bread!
Yeast and self-rising flour are wildly different ingredients. Yeast is a living plant microorganism; self-rising flour has a chemical leavener, baking powder, in it which is a quick-rise element for cakes and cookies. I don’t know how self-rising flour managed to make bread rise, unless you used the yeast as well, in which case the baking powder 24+ hours later probably had no effect left in it and it was only the yeast doing the work. It is not the right flour to make bread.
Stumbled upon your website and have to say how excited I am to find another Foodie who really puts a lot of time and effort into cooking and discovering the best recipe and truly having fun doing it. Tried your Brioche buns out and had to tell you what a huge hit they were in my family – you made me look good. Can’t wait to make them again – and of course eat them.
Looking forward to trying a lot more of your ideas/recipes out. Thanks!
Made these today. Oh my goodness….you are simply amazing!
Thank you so much for the inspiration. I love that I made hamburger buns!
These are amazing! I replaced the half cup of AP flour with whole wheat, might go for a whole cup next time. Also, they are big…My next batch I will shape into 12 rolls instead of 8. The dough was wet and a bit tricky to work with. I kneaded them in the KA. Mine rose fast too – an hour for the first rise, and less than that for the second.
I made these buns for the fourth of July and forgot to comment here!! They were so good! I made burger and hot dog buns with them, and my guests didn’t say “Oh, what a great burger!”; instead, they said, “Wow! the bread tastes amazing!” It was soo good that you forgot all about the innards of the burger and the hot dogs haha. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thanks so much Deb. I made these today, on a crazy baking tear at 8 a.m. this morning, and they are FABULOUS. We’re making hamburgers this afternoon on our new grill — the first burgers I’ve had since we moved to Mexico six months ago. Suffice to say, a burger on this bun will be the best damn American hamburger ever.
OK Deb,
I made these last night- went real easy on any extra flour and had great rising deliciousdough BUT they were like pancakes expanding out not up! What did I do wrong? how to fix it? the only other thing I can say is I only had about 2 1/3 cup bread flour so a bit of extra plain flour to compensate.. would this make them so floppy though?
I made them again, and made 10 not 8, it was just the right amount for us! I would like to try these for another party but will be short on time. Do you think I’m better off if I make the dough the night before, to do the first rise in the fridge, or shape them the night before and do the second rise in the fridge?
I just pulled out my batch of these buns, and they are fantastic! I can’t believe how light and soft they are. And so easy! Thanks Deb for another great recipe :)
These are truly amazing. I’ve been baking bread for 20+ years and these are some of the best rolls I’ve ever made. My hubby actually said these will take the place of his homemade cinnamon roll requests. My KIDS even love them. I mix mine in the Kitchenaid so it’s easy to knead w/o adding any more flour. To shape I sprinkle a small handfull of flour over the top and grab balls out of the dough, rolling in theh flour. So insanely good. We use them for pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, turkey sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches…you name it. Yum.
Did the first rise overnight in the fridge and they came out great!
I had never made bread before or even baked much at all, but I braved it and made these and they were so good I couldn’t believe that I had made them! Try them toasted with butter and honey mmm :)
I don’t know what I’m waiting for!!! I must make these!
I made these this weekend. And oooh, Smitten Kitchen, I am so grateful for you. :) But I suffered from a stupidhood: I turned the oven on to 200 degrees to get it warm so the buns would rise the second time… and then I forgot to turn it off. TRAGIC. So even though they’re not as fluffy as they would’ve been, they’re still delicious and I can’t wait to make them again (you know, the right way).
Seriously, reading/viewing your cooking experiences has led me to make all kinds of foods that I would never have bothered trying before. I LOVE cooking, and this site has made me love it even more. So thank you!
I’ve been on the same quest- making my own burger/hot dog/sausage buns- and many recipes/methods have been disappointing. But this recipe came out of the oven about 20 minutes ago and they are beautiful- I’m sold. My daughter and I already ate one with butter an honey b/c they smelled way too good to wait for the sloppy joes we’re eating for dinner. I love being able to make breads that I would other wise have to buy; its the control really but also it just tastes better. Your description- the picking up and slapping it down- really helped. Also your pie crust directions- pie crust has been my nemesis for years- and I feel like I can bake- but no longer! Thanks!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I ordered some Wagyu beef burgers for my brother’s birthday, and decided to make these. (Of course I bought a back-up bag of Sara Lee buns in case I screwed it up! LOL) They turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Your recipe is great, especially the emphasis on leaving the dough a little tacky. They elevated the already great burgers to a new level. This is a definitely a new standard recipe for me. Thanks again for this excellent recipe.
What am I doing wrong? I followed the recipe to the letter and have crumbs, not dough!
Maggie — You’ll have to give me more information about what happened, if you’d like feedback.
Oh, Deb! I have literally drooled over these since you posted and finally got around to making them this week. I sprinkled Eden Shake all over them (two kinds of sesame seed, nori chunks, and sea salt).
Made a luxury vehicle for the best sandwich fillings I could possibly muster.
Thank you!!!
VERY sticky. So very sticky that I figured out what I did wrong- bummer. I put both eggs in at the beginning, I didn’t see that you save 1 for brushing on top. See what happens when you try to bake with two little peanuts racing around under your feet! They are on their final rise, cross your fingers for me.
Stupid question, but where does one place the pan of water on the oven floor – on top of the element? My oven has heating coils on the bottom, held up by little legs to elevate it from the floor. Do I put the pan underneat the legs? It’s such a silly question but I’m totally stumped!?
Introducing steam in the first few minutes of baking bread is a classic technique to help bread crust formation. If you can’t put it on the oven floor, just put it on a low rack. You can also skip the step, but as I said, it does make for nicer bread.
Thanks Deb! I’m doing my second rise right now!
Made these last night for burgers and they are fantastic! I did make them with 1/2 whole wheat bread flour and they turned out delicious. Thanks Deb for this great recipe!
There’s just two of us so I would like to make a batch and freeze what we don’t eat. (We don’t eat burgers too often). Question: Do I freeze the dough, thaw, then bake as usual or do I bake as usual, thaw, and then warm in the oven before serving? I have frozen pizzza and bread dough before, but they didn’t contain milk or eggs so I’m wondering how this dough will hold up.
Excellent post! I made these over the weekend, and posted about them on my site, A Bread A Day [dot] com. Really, really fantastic bread.
Breanne — You can freeze a bread dough at any point in the process. You simply need to let it fully defrost and get back to room temperature and pick up the recipe where you left off.
Deb –
Not enough moisture, very dry dough. Added another 1/2 water and 2 eggs to get a moister dough. OK, but not the raving results or other commenters.
Made this using only all purpose flour, and I thought they turned out great!!! Great texture, perfect! Next try I used half, or was it a third? whole wheat flour, and they were denser, didn’t like them as much.
Hmmm…I think I’ll try these next week..shape them in oblongs and serve them with your lobster salad!
instead of rolls, i made this in a rustic loaf shape. took about 6 more minutes to bake; turned out just as delicious.
I’ve made this recipe three times now with stellar results each time. I have found that rising them in the refrigerator overnight up to 24 hours yields the best, easiest results–I can mix the dough up the night before and the next day cook them up and look like a star. The recipe is also great for hot dog buns, by the way.
These were exactly what i have been searching for, and was about to give up. This is the best bun recipe I have ever made. All others pale in comparison. These were nice and soft, not dense. I made 6 instead of eight and they were perfect for big burgers. I have been tuning in here for a while and have tried several other recipes. I havent been dissapointed yet. Keep up the good work :)
Just tried this recipe for buns for my beer brats, they turned out perfect despite me not having any parchment paper, only having all-purpose flour, and not having a dough scraper. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Deb,
I tried these today to have with some turkey burgers and they were fantastic (like everything else I have made of yours!). I should be posting the buns on Saturday so feel free to stop by. :D
I can’t even remember how I found your site but I bookmarked this page because I can’t find any hamburger buns on the market without High Fructose Corn Syrup. So I’ve been eating hamburgers without the buns for over a year. I finally got up the courage to work with yeast, it’s never been successful in the past. But this time…everything worked out perfect. My husband nearly choked on his own spit when he asked where I was going with the digital camera and I told him, “to take a picture of my buns”…hamburger buns of course. Thanks for the recipe. I’m making another batch today.
Mine came out perfect, the dough was so wet they seemed to spread outwards rather than rise upwards. They are the perfect golden and rustic looking buns ever. Toasted they were crisp, yet fluffy. But they were a bit off in taste – I found them FAR too sweet. I’m a bit nervous about touching sugar quantities in a bread recipe, so I probably wouldn’t make these again. Such a shame – other than being too sweet, they were perfect!
Becks — There’s no reason you cannot dial back the sugar. It is not like a cookie or cake, where it could adversely affect the structure.
This is IT. Delish. I was so proud of them I was worried whatever I cooked up to put on them wouldn’t live up to the buns.
I make all breads with my stand mixer. For now I can’t imagine kneading by hand. It allows me to keep the dough wetter than I would like if it was sticking all over my fingers and counter. And this is working well for me for now. I have been telling all my friends, if you have a stand mixer there is no need to be scared of yeast. Baking a good cake seems just as challenging…and then you need to decorate it.
I made these today, and they were awesome! One problem I did have is they stuck to the parchment paper after I baked them. I used honey instead of sugar because we were out. Could that be the problem? They tasted great though!
Hi Anna — I wouldn’t think it’s the honey. Actually, I’ve never heard of things sticking to parchment — you don’t perhaps have the Whole Foods brand of “natural” parchment, do you? It is my nemesis, as it is parchment-like but without the high-heat nonstick properties of real parchment paper. (Can you tell it has burned me before?)
::light bulb:: I bet it IS my parchment paper! It’s not the Whole Foods brand though. It’s pre-cut sheets of sandwich wrapping paper. I thought it would work the same, but apparently I was wrong. I’ll be sure to steer clear of the Whole foods brand as well! Thanks =)
dear deb,
first of all, thank you. i have been inspired by your words and fulfilled as i make your recipes. again, thank you.
secondly, i made these buns for dinner this evening and they turned out beautifully. the only think i did differently was i baked the buns on my baking stone. delicious!
sincerely,
jani
Respectfully,
This recipe is simply a common white bread recipe, nothing special about the recipe.
The word Brioche in the title is a misnomer.
Brioche is characterized by a high butter content, the brioche lite recipes containing 20 percent butter, with the rich brioches going up to 100 percent at the highest.
This recipe contains 7.5 percent butter. Most enriched white bread recipes call for the same amount of butter. No one ever considered them to be a brioche.
Lightness and soft texture texture in a hamburger bun is more about technique, proofing method and the brand of flour being used.
The best bun I ever ate was made with common grocery store RobinHood bleached and bromated AP flour, the worst was made with King Arthur unbleached unbromated bread flour.
Thank you! See I know if you have posted a recipe then it is trustworthy. I am still learning to cook, and even more learning to bake. But I am making pulled pork sandwiches for the Lost Premiere and thought how cool would it be if I could successfully make the buns to go with it. I am currently eating one all on its own and am now thinking that’s how they all should be eaten. No butter, no nothing. So even if it is a common white bread recipe with nothing special about it… Its fantastic. My only problem tonight will be convincing people to eat the pulled pork with the bread!
I planned on making burgers today and decided to skip the store bought buns and make them myself. I remembered seeing this recipe and decided to try it out. It was one of the easiest breads I’ve made so far and I feel well worth the effort. The buns came out light and beautiful. I cannot wait for my delicious burger later!
Blogs like yours make cooking for people like me so much easier. :) You searched out the best recipe with your time and effort and I believe you’ve found a winner!
I’ve recently just come across your blog and I think it’s great. These little buns will be perfect for the trio of pork sliders that I will be making for a school project. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made these tonight in my breadmaker on the dough cycle. Then removed from machine, divided into 8 pieces, rolled into balls & allowed to rise on baking sheet for 45 min. Then baked on Silpat covered baking sheet. The result was an absolutely wonderful bun. I used King Arthur Bread Flour and King Arthur All Purpose Flour. We make all our bread at home, as well as our pizza dough..we will now remove buns from our grocery list as well.
I made these today for our Easter Grill Out. They were fantastic! Thanks for sharing. And yes very sticky, thank goodness for Kitchenaid with dough hook…
Hi. I’ve made these a few times and they always turn out good but not great. The problem is I seem to be adding too much flour. How many ounces of flour do you put in this recipe? If I put in less than 36 oz. (in my stand mixer) the dough doesn’t ball together and it is extremely wet. Is this ok? Thank you for your reply.
I don’t know the ounces I used (though my cups usually measure in at 4.5 ounces). Keep in mind what I said in Step 2, which is that this is a sticky dough but the less flour you add, the more tender and soft the rolls will be.
Advice on doubling a batch, please? Should I make two separate batches? Or, knead it all, do the first rise in one bowl (from my KA), then refrigerate half while I shape and rise the first half? Or none of these things? Thanks!
No reason you can’t double it. I can’t remember if these filled up the KA bowl enough that you’d need to rise it in two bowls, however.
Your site was the first I used when I got into baking. Over a year later, and I was scouring the web for hamburger bun recipes and came across smittenkitchen. Tried them out and they were perfect! Thanks so much!
Update: The double batch perfectly filled the KA bowl (but I have the biggest version) on the first rise. Made 20, perfectly-sized buns.
My fam LOVED these buns! My son has a severe egg allergy so I omitted the eggs and used honey in lieu of egg wash to get the sesame seeds to stick. These were TASTY! Thank you. :)
Is it ok to use SAF yeast, and the KitchenAid? Thanks!
Margie — There’s no reason you can’t use a stand mixer but SAF yeast is instant, this calls for active dry.
I tried to make these the other day. This is my first time trying to make buns. The color and flavor were great. Unfortunately, they came out very flat. They were puffy and nicely shaped after the second rising, but they fell down when i brushed them with the egg before putting them in the oven. The dough was super sticky (as you mentioned) but I still refrained from adding more flour while kneading and slapping it around. These are the perfect buns for the 3-pigs sandwich i am working on, is there any advice you can help me with please? Thank you for the great recipe and your help!!!
Actually, forget the above. I just made them again and they came out perfect. Thanks anyway.
These turned out beautifully, but when I made them, they spread out, not up, on the second rise. Now, I have buns that are about an inch high but 4 inches in diameter! I kneaded them in my KitchenAid, so I didn’t have to add any additional flour except to my hands to roll them into balls for the second rise. Do you think I needed to add a touch more flour? I did use bread machine yeast, but my research showed that active dry yeast was pretty much the same as bread machine yeast. So you think that is the problem?
Jane — Bread machine yeast is the same as instant yeast, not active dry so that could have caused it. You use instant/bread machine yeast in smaller quantities than active dry…
These are amazing. You are amazing. This blog is amazing. I am so in love with your *smitten kitchen*! :)
What is the best way to store these buns overnight? I want to make them today to serve tmw, and don’t want to lose all that precious moisture! Very warm kitchen.
I think in cling film in a plastic bag and in the fridge, then warm them in the oven tmw – but putting bread goes against the brain/grain – only time I’ve put bread in the fridge was when living in the middle east because it used to get moldy too fast otherwise.
sorry, meant to say putting bread IN THE FRIDGE goes again the brain
I made them and they were EXCELLENT. I actually did a third proving while I had dinner then baked them. I put them in ziploc bags overnight and they were fine today.
I used bread flour and some italian pizza flour, the bread worked perfectly with our burgers and looked picture perfect.
I am now feeling extremely smug.
I saw that Sharon’s go at this recipe worked fine when she did the first rise overnight in the fridge. Is that what you would recommend for preparing these ahead? First rise in the fridge, then bring it to room temperature in the morning and go for the second rise? Or does doing the second rise in the fridge make more sense? Still learning!
Could someone translate it to spanish for me, please. I´m from Madrid, and i understan the ingredients, but instructions are a bit dificult for me.
Thanks in advance.
Wondered if anyone could weigh in on a couple of short-cuts that I’m considering for this recipe. One, I’d like to cut in the butter by pulsing in a food processor. I’ve seen Ina do this for her scone recipe. It’s over in seconds and no sore hands. Two, I’d like to knead the dough using the hook attachment on the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Quick and no stick.
So I wonder if these two steps would change the end product. Any thoughts?
TJ – I’m an avid baker, and I like your shortcuts. In my opinion and experience, those two things shouldn’t have a noticeable effect on the final product. If you’re concerned that you may miss the point at which the dough needs no more kneading, you can test for a “windowpane”: pull off a lump of dough and carefully stretch it with your fingers. If it breaks easily, it’s not done; if it doesn’t break and stretches well enough to allow light through, it’s ready for the next step. (This isn’t crazy talk that I conjured up — it’s a time-tested method. Really!)
Once I noticed the recipe called for cutting in softened butter, I ended up doing this by hand. I did use the dough hook for the kneading part. I had to run it on 2 for about 8-10 minutes. Made two batches, and I had to add a fair amount of extra flour to the second. I’m guessing this was due to humidity. Either way, I ended up with two beautiful batches of buns! Everyone agreed that cutting the dough one more time would turn out some fantastic dinner rolls. I’ll try that next time.
I made these again this summer, and put them outside to rise and that worked perfectly! No one could believe I had made them. Thanks!
Success! These were delicious and mostly a cinch. I definitely had a mess on my counter top as I did want to keep these tacky (lots of yeast doughs end up tastier that way). I topped some of mine with dried minced garlic and black sesame seeds. Heaven!
I made the dough in my food processor (per Mark Bittman’s usual methods). It is a bit less work, and one less scrubbing of the counter after the first kneading.
Proof the yeast, and add the egg to the liquid mixture.
Put the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor. Process to incorporate the butter. With the motor running, pour the liquids through the tube and process for about a minute until the machine starts to labor.
Put melted butter into a bowl rather than buttering the bowl. Pour dough out of food processor directly into the bowl. Turn the dough to tuck the ends under and make a nice round ball for the dough to rise. (I am not expressing this well, but Deb’s break baking instructions will make it clear what I mean if you do not know what this means.)
I floured my hands before punching the dough down, but the mixture was not horribly sticky after I let it rise. I just kneaded each of the buns separately so they did not need much flour. I had one fresh out of the oven last night, and could not resist one for breakfast this morning, so now I have to make a second batch for dinner tonight. I am going to try freezing four of the formed rolls and will report back on how well it worked if I remember.
thanks! I made double batches of this into hot dog buns (around 20). it work out great as it properly honor the fancy sausages we have instead of those things that sticks to the roof of your mouth!
Deb- I know that you posted this over a year ago, but I just wanted to say that these are the best buns I’ve ever had, hands down. I decided to go old school and do it by hand as you suggested, and they turned out perfect. It was a sticky dough, but it turned out just fine. I think I’ll try the food processor next time as someone suggested.
We hydrated some dried onion and sprinkled it on for some.
PS- made your challah last week to much fanfare. Made it into French toast and served it with bacon. Talk about a “A shonda for the goyim” ;-)
I made them last week for a party also (actually twice within this month). These are great for hotdogs and imagine these to be even more fantastic if i stuffed these with some peanut butter and sugar. yums!
so i’ve been making these for a while, and they are divine. sometimes i wrap them around hotdogs so i can be my son’s hero for a little while.
but, i’ve been wondering, if i add more flour during the kneading process, do you advise all purpose or bread flour?
My 7-year-old son and I made these buns to go with bison burgers last weekend (7/24/2010). I found that I could easily make 12 or 13 rolls about 3 to 3.5 inches across, with one recipe. I did not use any “bread flour,” I just used all purpose (King Arthur) flour (all-purpose flour also added during kneading). I didn’t use plastic wrap–just used the lid that came with my bowl–no “crust” formed when rising. For the final rise (on the pan), I just covered with a tea towel. Also, in step 1, I heated the cold milk and cold water (together) in a small saucepan until there was steam rising–just a few minutes. The buns were great and we received lots of complements.
Thank GOD! My partner and I have been obsessing over burger buns every time we visit the states. We’ve been convinced that they were served on a brioche-style bun, but not convinced that they were entirely brioche. So glad other people seem to have had the same problem. Recipe looks great and am definitely going to give these a go. Quite a small amount of butter too which is always good.
I made these to go with some leftover burgers from lunch. They were delicious, even though -as usual- I didn’t pay enough attention to the directions, and added both eggs in the dough! Still, they baked in the time you specify, and were lovely and tender, and ever so mildly sweet!
These ARE perfect. How do you recommend storing them overnight for eating the next day?
Deb: I’m really looking forward to giving these a try! My mother has a wonderful Christmas Brioche recipe that I deeply love (with Orange zest and LOTS of butter and eggs). Thanks for all your helpful responses to earlier posts! Especially about using the KitchenAid and yeast. I’m looking forward to some pulled pork sandwiches with brioche buns. My mother was also keen…..Thank you!
These ARE fantastic, but I made the following adaptations and they worked great!
1) Using a food processor, I combined the flour and salt then the butter went in followed by an unbeaten egg and the yeast mixture. Worked it about a minute after the liquid went in. The dough was too warm by my usual methods (89°), so I placed it in a spot where it was about 70° for the first rise. In two hours it had risen about 2 1/2 times its original volume.
2) I transferred the buns with the parchment paper directly onto a preheated baking stone. In 16 minutes they were perfect.
Thanks!
Can I just say..these are AMAZING! and I’ve actually been making them since summer of last year. Everyone loves them and they think I spend hours making them, but I don’t. I don’t even knead them…and I put more butter in, only because I’m lazy and don’t want to convert TBSP to grams. Actually, that’s why I don’t knead the dough either…too lazy. It’s just as wonderful, even a little more so, to stir it up, leave it rise for a couple hours, put a lid on and stick it in the fridge. It’s easier to work with when you want to bake off a couple rolls as well…no need to add more flour. It lasts a week in my fridge before its too sour/yeasty a smell for my tastes.
What I was really wondering is, can I put it in a loaf pan instead of rolling out individual buns? Would this work?
Seriously you’ve done it again! I just made burger buns but when I tasted it, bahhhhh. Its shelved, but THIS THIS looks much better. I can’t wait for your cookbook to come out!
deb, these buns are outstanding and a blast to make. I will never ever buy buns in the supermarket again! Thanks for sharing.
Hello, I am not sure you are still responding but I had a problem with this recipe and hoped you might tell me where I went wrong. The problem is that the buns when formed for the second rise spread out like crazy and did rise but when I brushed on the egg wash they went completely flat. I baked them and they stayed very flat. They did taste good, just not a very good hamburger bun. I followed your recipe carefully. I did the rise in my oven with a pan of hot water to get the temperature because I keep my house rather cool in the winter (62F). Any thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Wally — They might have risen too much. It’s always hard for me to guess what happened but it sounds like what happens when a dough expands too much and can’t “bounce back” in the oven.
Hi Deb and thank you for such a quick response. That very well could have been the case, I was thinking along those lines. I let them sit in the bowl covered with plastic wrap in the oven with the pot of hot water in the oven for maybe 2-1/2 hours. Then as a formed bun for about 1-1/2 hours. So I am going to try again with less rise time. Thanks again. Wally
Whatever buns you want to call them…they are the best! I also made Challah bread numerous times and they’re excellent as well. Thanks.
Hmm…my dough is in its the first rise now, an upon coming back to read the comment section, I’m starting to worry. My dough was not sticky at all, as a matter of fact, it was probably one of the more manageable doughs I’ve made so far. I wonder if my buns will turn put too dry. I did use AP instead of bread flour, so that could be the problem. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
AN i’m interested in knowing how it came out.
Are all the measurements correct? I am working the recipe right now and am finding my dough to be very dry. very. So, I’m adding more milk, in increments *fingers crossed*. I love your site, and have had great success with most recipes I’ve tried here, but am wondering what I did wrong…I should add that I make bread often (daily), and don’t usually encounter issues.
Thanks, and thanks so much for doing the bun research!
UPDATE…a few hours later, and the beautiful buns turned out perfectly. I did add more warm milk while mixing. I wonder why I had that problem- I see from past posts that everyone else had sticky dough. I must try this again sometime, I am definitely satisfied with the result. THANK YOU!
Hi — I’ve been making these buns for a while now and they are PERFECT for wrapping around hot dogs. Bring the hot dogs to room temperature and rinse and dry them. The liquid in the packaging will not allow the dough to adhere to the dogs – don’t skip this!
Shape the dough around the dogs after the first rise, and then let them rest for about 20 minutes before baking as directed above.
We use Oscar Meyer All Beef Hot Dogs and deli sliced colby cheese. I usually cut the dogs in half and the cheese slices in quarters to make the portions smaller (perfect for kids). Also, I use poppy seeds instead of sesame for that Chicago dog kind of feel.
They freeze and reheat very well; put them on a plate and into the microwave for 3 – 30 second stints, turning the dog over after each 30 seconds (this avoids a soggy bottom).
O. M. G. These are soooooo good! Im eating one right now. We are having a BBQ in a few hours and these will be perfect!! we topped some with cheese and they are sooooo delicious!! gonna go roll some into hot dog buns now… THANK YOU!!
AMAZING. I made a half recipe (stupidly, they’re already gone) and am floored-so light, such good salty, yeasty, slightly sweet flavor-YUM. I put the ingredients in my bread machine on the dough setting, and then when that was done I shaped them (loosely) into small disk-ball things and let them rise (very quickly!). I baked them on my pizza stone with a muffin tin full of water on the bottom (I did the egg wash and sesame seeds per the recipe on only half, but will definitely do for all next time) and poof! Light, airy, still chewy (is that possible??) delicious buns!!!!!! My guests were clamoring for the recipe and as usual, it’s a smittenkitchen gem. Thanks Deb!
These are awesome!
Fabulous! I cut the recipe in half, ostensibly to make four, but ended up shaping them into 3 because we apparently make ginormous burgers. They were FABULOUS, so light and puffy and flavorful. They needed to cook for ~22 minutes instead of 15, owing to the larger size… thanks again, Deb!
This is the same recipe for brioche buns that I have. I am pretty sure I found in in the New York Times, and they are truly awesome and couldn’t be simpler to make. A perfect combo!
YES!!!!!! Finally!!!! Like you, I have searched and searched for a good hamburger bun recipe and have been very disappointed, until now! Thanks for sharing this =)
Dang. No bread flour in the house! I’m gonna go all AP. Fingers crossed!!! :)
Although I haven’t splurged and ate one yet, I followed the recipe exactly while my 18 month old napped and they turned out just like your photographs! I am anxious to try them with the sophisticated sloppy joes I am making tonight! Thanks again for an amazing recipe!
I just made these, and could not control myself and had to have one straight out of the over (with a pat of butter of course ;] ) and all I can say is WOWWW these are incredible! I hope they are just as good when they are cooled down. I only need 4 for tonight- so that leaves 4 to snack on! :D
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have also been searching for a yummy bun recipe. (Though not nearly as diligently as you!) I saw this page a few months back, but only just made your recipe today. I used my Zo bread machine and shaped them into 12 hot dog buns. I also skipped the egg wash because that’s the kind of day it is.
OMG! They are so good. You know how you get mobbed by ducks at the park when you have a bag of bread? That’s how I was with my two kiddos. I tore them some bites off of my roll and they mobbed me! I was thinking “Oh, we’ll just try 1 roll and save the rest for the meal.” Guess again, we demolished 3 buns like that. We ate another three at dinner an hour later. Yum! Thanks again! :-)
Just tripled the batch to make slider buns for a party! They’re in the oven now – can’t wait for them to come out. Would you mind if I post this recipe on my blog??? I would, of course, link it back to your post. I’m hoping to write about my party preparations and show how I made all the food. Thanks!
can you please explain the need for the water bath in the oven and give more detailed instructions about it? i’m a bit confused, thanks!!
Lisa — Water is often introduced into the oven in bread baking at the start of the baking time. This is to emulate professional bread ovens, which pump in steam in the first few minutes of baking. The steam contributes to a better crust on breads and rolls. You’re welcome to skip it, but it does add a nice professional touch to breads. I don’t use the method consistently — most of my recipes here don’t include the step — but it never hurts to add it.
just made these again- double batch. subbed in (after doubling) 1 cup and 2/3 of whole wheat to 5 c bread flour- i think I could up the whole wheat a tad, but I didn’t want to experiment too much this time as I really wanted some good buns for our local pasture raised beef burgers I wanted for dinner. ;) They are of course, as last time I made them, so delicious. And yes, that dough is sticky! kept putting the slightest sprinkle of flour so that it didn’t completely stick to the counter. I love that they actually bring something to the party, rather than detract or just fill space. They aren’t just a “meat holder” they are delicious and enhance whatever might be placed upon their delicate goodness *sigh*. Hubs loves them too. I make some of them into what resembles a hot dog bun (though kind of flat) for all the local brats we eat throughout the summer as well(These do freeze well if well wrapped. I did this last year as well and can say that I noticed no change in flavor or texture). I’m sure I’ll make this double batch at least a couple more times throughout the summer. Thanks again for such a delicious recipe!!
I have made these several times and absolutely love them. But, on Friday, I decided to give a King Arthur recipe that landed itself in my inbox a try, and the results were wonderful. No knead burger buns with Cheddar! So quick, so easy, tender interior and a slightly flaky outside. We loved them– highly recommended for those days you don’t feel like kneading (or working much at all).
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/06/02/no-knead-cheese-burger-buns-so-easy-so-cheesy/
love baking bread and just never felt the need to create hamburger buns…until we planned a farm to table dinner for tomorrow evening. grass fed beef burgers from the grill demanded something special! i just took the first batch from the oven and they are fabulous :)
i can’t wait to serve with the farm fresh fixin’s we’ve assembled for the burgers. started a second batch straight away…this is a KEEPER! namaste
I made these for my family on Sunday….they came out wonderfully. Everyone fought over the leftovers the next day for sandwiches. I will definitely make these again.
PS- forgot to add that the dough was actually not sticky at all but quite dry. I was a bit worried but they tasted perfect!
I made a double batch of this recipe last night, and shaped them to mini hot dog bun size for our picnic-themed church refreshments today. I had intended to use your recipe exactly as written, but discovered, too late in the evening, that I was down to one egg (my kids enjoyed one too many hard boiled eggs for breakfast this past week). I contemplated going to the store to get more eggs, but it was really late, and the yeast was already activated, so I used by flax substitute. 1 T ground flax + 3 T water – for each egg. I skipped the egg wash. The egg-free / mini-hot dog bun size version of this recipe turned our wonderfully. It was enjoyed by all, especially my egg-allergic child. I do look forward to making this again, with the eggs, and in hamburger bun shaped in the future, but glad the egg-free version came out moist and delicious. Thank you for this recipe.
Made these…awesome! I didn’t have bread flour (I never use it, I bake mostly with whole wheat)..so I used mostly unbleached all purpose white flour with about one cup of whole wheat. Worked perfectly. As opposed to bread dough, the dough was definitely still sticky after kneading, and kneading was a bit difficult…but I’ll just have to get used to it :)
Wonderful! Made them and put a breakfast sausage and fried egg sandwich on them! Delish! As always, thank you Deb! You are an inspiration! http://theearlyriser.blogspot.com/2011/07/great-midwest.html
I mistakenly added 2 eggs…and they were still fantastic. What would have happened if I added just 1?
How much in advance can I make these buns? Can I make the buns today and bake them on Tuesday? How would I store them?
I made these and they were amazing. Thank you so much, and can’t wait to buy the book.
Made these today….the taste is really good! Tip to not adding flour…spray the dough and your hands w/ non-stick spray. Repeat on hands as needed. I made 8 hot dog buns and 5 burger buns. Best bun recipe I’ve come across. This one is a keeper!
Hi smitten kitchen! :)
well first i love love your blog :)
second i have a little doubt… do u know what’s the difference between bread flour and all purpose flour?… cuz i’m not sure we have it in mexico ..
xo
Bread flour has extra gluten in it, which helps make for stronger, stretchier bread doughs. However, you can just use all-purpose flour if you can’t get it. It will be just fine.
making these for the zillionth time….using part whole wheat (just a touch)….making a batch of brat buns- here’s what I’ve learned in modifying for this shape….
(I’ve found the trick with those is, after forming the longer bun shape, put them quite close together on the sheet so that once they rise they are all touching. This gives you a taller, rather than flat, hot dog style bun. When they’re cooked they naturally come apart at that “seam” or you can cut….if you set them far apart in this shape they tend to spread out more than get tall and while tasty, are difficult as a brat bun (too thin). just fyi!!)
oh- and to those who asked about advance
—if it’s just a few days, keep them in the fridge (like any fresh bread really or it will mold) they also freeze beautifully and I often take them out just a bit before cooking time and they thaw very quickly, esp. since we usually warm them a bit on the grill anyway. No worries and no advance planning necessary- or just take them out of the freezer that morning and transfer to fridge- they’ll be ready for you!!!
Wow! This is a fantastic recipe! I’ve been playing with the yield to try and get a size similar to the cheapy hamby buns… my question:
I’ve made these before and they have fallen flat and I am not sure why. Is it the plastic wrap maybe (I’ve had it stick to the buns quite a bit) Is it necessary to use wrap to cover if you are doing the egg wash?
Everytime I’ve made these the flavor and crumb is MONEY but wish they had a bit more crown :)
I just made these, literally just this minute they came out of the oven! I’m curious, as a new student to bread baking, can I make these smaller? Even slider sized? Also, I noticed in Sara’s post she had the same problem with some going flat even though I tried very carefully for the plastic wrap not to pull as I was removing it. Any pointers?
I am loving the web-site. I am so happy that I found it and now also your FB page!
Thanks
I made these a couple weeks ago and they are the best buns I have ever made they were perfect no flaws at all. So glad I found a recipe I can stick with took a while to find one too. But these were so tasty. They held together with pulled bbq chicken very nicely. Thanks for the blog
Terrific buns. I’ve tried several burger bun recipes, but these are a keeper. I did add
a bit of whole wheat flour–always makes me feel a little bit better about the flour I’m consuming–so they are probably a little heavier, but the taste is wonderful.
I found you on Zite on my iPad. SK is a great website. Thank you.
Hi, well I am at the point of waiting for the first rise and thought I would read the rest of the replies. The only dough recipe I have ever made is a pizza dough recipe. When you add the yeast to the liquid and wait for it to bubble, aren’t you supposed to mix the water and yeast and milk and sugar up before letting it bubble? I used a whisk to lightly mix it up and dissolve the yeast a little and my wife told me I just ruined the dough because your recipe doesn’t specify to mix it. I told her some things are just implied and that’s why I whisked it a little. Who is right here?? I always mixed it up before the bubbling when I made pizza dough.
Hi Jay — The first step says to combine the milk, sugar and yeast. You can combine it by whisking, stirring, etc.
I just made these and it was the first time I have made bread, let alone an enriched bread like brioche. I did not realize that these are the “poor man’s” version, in that the “lite” means it’s less butter. So as I was waiting for the second round of rising, I got a little worried, but they came out absolutely EXCELLENT. I worried about a number of other things during the process, too, like not having warm enough water, so the pre-ferment didn’t ferment as much as I needed, or not knowing exactly how much to knead the dough or knowing when it would be kneaded properly. All those worries went right out the window when we tried them. And my neighbor’s parents were in town too, so I shared some with them. They knocked on our door the next morning to tell me that it was absolutely fabulous with their breakfast. Little did I know that his father used to be a baker!!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! This is definitely going in my vault :)
I’ve been a cook and chef for many years. I often rift on recipes I find on blogs. This one I followed exactly. Perfection. I could say more, but why? Perfection. Thank you.
Amazing! I made sliders for a dinner with friends yesterday and these buns (made half size) were the most popular component. Thanks for the post and the recipe :)
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. I have tried it three times now and although I use slightly less water than stated in the recipe, it comes out just the way a burger bun should be . My kids love it !
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us .
Jean
Though I didn’t make these immediately after reading it, your telling me to makes these was one of the best pieces of advice I have ever listened to. These buns….I’m almost overcome.
The plump, golden brown, thin-skinned, soft little breads were exactly what I imagine a baby’s bottom would be like if it was baked.
In short, this is one of the best things I’ve ever pulled out of my oven.
I pass on your advice to everyone who sees this page.
Make these now.
They make a wonderful In-n-Out Animal Style.
These were tender, sturdy, tasty, tempting. So soft if not fluffy.
Tears apart satisfyingly.
I’m sorry, I’ll stop.
I just feel strongly about bread.
OMG! Just made these tonight. Been saving this recipe since you first posted these. I don’t know why I waited so long. They were soft pillows of delicious goodness. Thanks, Deb!
update: I have made these twice now, no plastic wrap for rise #2 nor did I brush with an egg wash. I make 10 buns on two pans so that most of them do not touch (I was trying to eliminate ANY risk of collapsing)…. they worked perfectly for me with these small changes. I struggle with getting the sticky dough balls a uniform size, but the smaller buns turn out to be the perfect size for my four and six year old :)
This is my second ever baking attempt. I’m shocked that they turned out perfect despite that half-way into my kneading, I realized I didn’t add the beaten egg, so I added it at that point. It was ridiculously slimy and hard to incorporate, but I kept at it for 5 more minutes. So fluffy and tasty.
Made these last night to go with Heston Blumenthal’s burger recipe and they were superb.
There was a bit of a schoolboy error in that I forgot to oil the clingfilm for the second rise and for a moment I thought all was lost, but they fixed themselves during cooking and ended up perfect.
Thanks :)
I’ve made these a few times before and they’ve been truly fantastic – definitely the finest burger buns I’ve ever tasted, and it’s good that they are there in their own right, rather than just as a means of delivering the burger.
Last night, however, I followed the same recipe only I didn’t divide the dough to make buns. Instead I baked it in a loaf tin to create a rich bread to have for breakfast with poached eggs, ham and a tarragon mayonnaise/mustard (French’s + Mayo). The bake is superb (180C for 25mins) and it makes some of the nicest toast!
Oh no! Just made these and realized i put both eggs in the dough. Hope they work out. Anybody else make this rookie mistake?
LISA, I did the same with the eggs (oops) and they came out great!! Thanks for a great recipe SK !!
Great recipe! I’m trying it right now.
Thanks. :)
YAY for the burger bun recipe, but I’d love to see a burger recipe on SK! (Unless, of course I should expect to find it on the 9th page of Google custom search results…)
Wow, these are dreeeamy! So mad it’s midnight and nary a burger in sight. :( Was wondering if I should store these in large Ziplocs-although I swear I can always taste some sort of plastic-y aftertaste when I do that- or should I put them in a paper bag, or just in tin foil? I seem to recall on your pretzel recipe (maybe that one? or maybe one of your bread recipes…?) you mention you stored them incorrectly and they got damp and weird…..Thanks!
I made these last night with chorizo and manchego burgers (from serious eats). I used all strong white bread flour. I just threw all of the ingredients into my breadmaker in a random order with 1tsp of fast action yeast on the dough setting – left it an extra 30 mins to rise after the dough cycle completed then made into buns and left to rise another 30 mins while the oven heated. It worked really well, nom nom nom.
I followed this recipe exactly. When I took the plastic wrap off, the buns fell spectacularly. They ended up so flat I just used two buns — one on top, one on the bottom. I’m not sure what I could do differently.
I let these rise a bit too long and a bit too hot (I popped them into my oven which had not finished cooling from baking a cake) so they spread a bit too much, but the taste is awesome. I’ll definitely be making these again.
I did everything in my stand mixer–used a beater blade to cut in the butter and the hook to knead.
The dough was a complete sticky mess and I was close to throw it all away, but luckily I didn’t, because the buns came out fantastic… definitively worth the fight (and the cleaning)…
Great recipe! Although I did tweak it due to lack of bread flour and personal taste. I added 3 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup wheat flour (too wheat much makes me sick). While it was in the kitchen-aide, I added a little less than 1/4 cup olive oil and let it mix in. I also coated the bowl with a light layer olive oil as well, and the sheets I baked them on.
Thanks for this recipe…I went to no less that six bakeries yesterday and not one sold brioche! So I just made these and they are delicious…and my house smells lovely! @Dan, I’m wondering if you let your yeast sit with the warm milk and sugar for a few minutes until it got foamy? No foam/bubbles means the yeast is not activating and the dough won’t rise. Or perhaps you didn’t oil the cling wrap and it got stuck to the dough?
First of all, thank you so much for your blog. I hope all the questions don’t make you feel like throwing things and exclaiming it’s not your problem, you don’t know why we’re screwing up. :) I know it’s not your problem, I know it’s not your recipe, but I also know you’re very nice and very helpful. So…I made these yesterday and and I had some difficulties. First of all, the dough was more like a batter. I added flour but I was afraid to add too much, so I think I erred in not adding enough. I did use 3c bread flour and 1/3 c AP flour. I’m just guessing that perhaps I was measuring light. I’m more used to using weight when I bake. Next time I will try and get an estimate as to what the flour should weigh and go with that. Also, probably related, when my dough was rising on the second rise it tended to spread out instead of raising up. I know that Annie from Annie’s Eats had the same issue. As she did, I just reshaped them and threw them in the oven and they did rise, but they were a bit dense. I’m wondering if that’s the nature of the bun or if it’s because I squished all the “rise” out of them when I reshaped them. We enjoyed them, I just would possibly like them more if they were a bit less dense. I did use active dry yeast and followed the ingredients and recipe to the letter up to the end of that second rise.
Hi — The dough is, in fact, on the wet/battery side. This makes is harder to work with — often times, cooks want to add more flour to compensate, but it’s better to resist because wetter bread doughs lead to the final product being more tender and less dry. Mine were, in fact, incredibly moist and had a wonderful crumb. I found that mine spread instead of rising up-down too — this wonderfully shaped the final rolls. They’re not tall burger buns by any means.
I don’t mind answering questions one bit. Promise!
I made these tonight for some well-deserving grass fed ground beef that will become hamburgers tomorrow. I decided to try one as I was a little skeptical with the dough being so sticky. These buns are so tender and delicious! My entire house smelled fantastic. I used my kitchen aid stand mixer for the kneading and it was super easy. I just let the dough rise in the KA bowl then used a scraper to scrape it onto a lightly floured cutting board. I added very little extra flour. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hey Deb, made this recipe last week and it was great! I used ice instead of water to really get the steam going. I was wondering about making them multi-grain or whole wheat… could I just swap out the flour?
Instead of using minimal flour when kneading on a surface, can you use oil to stop it sticking to the surface?
Hi, I made these last night in a bread machine, to go with my home grown, well hung, Dexter beef burgers- Delicious combination BUT I was in a rush and it was so sloppy I had to put the dough into a muffin tin to bake! They were lovely- just a very strange shape! I can see from all the other responses that it’s not the recipe that’s wrong – just perhaps my measurements- I’m English,living in France and although I have a ‘cups’ measure for the flour etc the concept of ‘table spoons’ of butter is beyond me! Is there any chance you could translate this into “English” for me ie weights( oz or grams) rather than volumes PLEASE ??
I have TWO freezers full of fantastic beef and a huge 4th July party coming up so I really need to get this recipe right!! Thank-you.
Is this milk whole milk? or does not that not matter?
My goodness the questions keep coming 3 years after you first posted this recipe! I am wondering how to replace the active dry yeast with the bread machine/quick yeast?
Love your blog, It is amazing the number of other cooks that post your recipes on their sites….they do give you the credit for the original recipe
What a awesome recipe:-) they turned out great and made excellent cinnamon rolls the next morning!
I’ve made this recipe a few times but don’t understand the ratio of flour to liquid. With the amount of flour specified I don’t end up with a dough, I end up with a batter. I’ve made ciabatta buns and I love to made english muffins so I’m no rookie but how wet are these suppose to be. This isn’t specified in the recipe. I’d love to see a couple of in process pics.
Even after adding what I think is too much flour though they are still great and pretty much exactly what I’m looking for.
Hi Kevin — Sorry that you’re having trouble. I assume you mean more process pictures than are shown above? The dough is definitely on the batter-ish side. It’s intentional; they’re supposed to spread into not terribly tall buns. (You can hopefully see this from my photos.) You can stiffen it up with extra flour and it will hold a taller shape. Glad you’re enjoying the taste.
Made these for the first time for 4th of July 2012. They were PERFECT!! My house was freaky-warm too so they rose up pretty fast. Very simple and very satisfying.
If it’s still useful, Sonia, here’s my attempt at the recipe in Spanish (I’m still learning, sorry for mistakes!)
1. En una taza de medir vidrio, se mezcla una taza de agua templado, la leche, la levadura, y azucar. Se lo deja hasta que esté espumoso, más o menos 5 minutos. Mientras tanto, se bate un huevo.
2. En un tazon grande, se baten las harinas con la sal. Se añade la mantequilla y se la frota en la harina entre los dedos, hacer migas. Usando una espátula de masa, se las revuelven con la mezcla de levadura y el huevo batido hasta que una masa forme. Se pone la masa en una encimera cubierto de harina y se la amasa, sacandola de la encimera, y tirandola y volteandola, hasta que esté sin grumos y elástica. Es 8-10 minutos. La masa puede ser pegajosa, y puede ser dificil, pero se recuerda que con más harina, los bollos van a ser más duros. Se intentan dejarlos más pegajosos que un pan redondo.
3. Se forma la masa en una bola y se la regresa en el tazon. Se lo cubre con plástico y se lo deja en un lugar cálido hasta que le dobla, 1 o 2 horas.
4. Se cubre una bandeja de horno con papel de pergamino. Usando la espátula de masa, se la divide en 8 pedazos iguales. Se forma cada en una bola, y se las pone en la bandeja de horno, 5-8cm la una de la otra. Se las cubren con un pedazo de papel film que está cubierto con aceite en aerosol, y se las dejan para subir por 1-2 horas.
5. Se pone una cacerola grande llena de agua en el fondo del horno. Se precalenta el horno hasta 400F (~200C) con el estante al centro. Se bate los huevos restantes y se los rozan en los bollos. Se los espolvorean con semillas de sésamo, si se quiere usarlas. Se los hornean (y se voltea la bandeja de horno a mitad de camio) más o menos 15 minutos. Se la pone en un estante para enfriarse.
I made the brioche buns last week……but had to put the batter into the fridge after the first rise. The batter stayed in the fridge overnight. The buns were wonderful. This week – I again had to put the batter into the fridge after the first rise and then was unable to bake the next day. This afternoon, I have formed the rolls (10 using a large ice cream scoop) and they are rising. I will let you know if a two day refrigeration enhances the buns or detracts from their potential! It is very liberating to have the dough ready to go just when you need it!
Alas – Two days in the fridge is one day too many…..The buns took a very long time to rise and then did not rise very well……..One day in the fridge is just right!
I made these as 36 mini burgers for our housewarming Saturday night and served them with tiny beef patties. They were a huge hit but were quite small (I’m thinking that number should have been 32 perhaps!) and I accidentally let them rise too long on the second rise so they were a little flat so next time I’ll just add a little more flout it or use a little less water and see if that makes them a little taller :)
I substituted the water for some whey I had as a result of over culturing my yogurt and these babies were absolutely incredible. Definitely a keeper and very easy to make!
For a long time, I have been searching for a recipe for burger buns that works. Found it!!! This is as good as its gonna get. Followed the method to the letter and achieved fantastic results. I used wholemeal bread flour and they look and taste great. Everyone should try this….
Great web site, will be using again.
I just wanted to follow up to my previous comment… These are incredible! I have come back time and time to this recipe and every time I make them I get a ton of compliments! If it were a printed recipe page in a cookbook or recipe card it would surely be tattered. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and blog posts.
I tried making these and they came out amazingly well!! Other than a few teething issues I was so happy with the way they came out. The way you write recipes is absolutely fantastic. I spend a lot of time cooking your food in my kitchen.
Check out my review of these buns, and the way they came out :)
http://twicebake-d.blogspot.com/2012/07/twice-baked.html
I’m amazed at how well these buns turned out!! I could just smell them all day. I divided the dough into 16 balls and the buns each came out about 3.5 to 4 inches – perfect for the mini hamburgers I made. They must be immense buns divided into 8! Thanks for a perfect recipe. Have to agree with Nicole just above that your writing helps me stay on track.
There are no good bakeries in my area, which means that I do a lot of baking myself. We really like different types of burgers… ranging from bison to pork to turkey.. with various themes. But the problem has often been.. the bun. As you state, most bought buns are either too limp and ultimately don’t hold the burger, or in some cases they are too hard and crunchy, which makes for difficult eating. Equally, most bun recipes I’ve tried have yielded similar results.. until I found this… I’ve made them twice now, and they are fantastic.
I had no at all trouble with the dough being too sticky, I’m not sure if it’s because I used 3 1/3 cups organic unbleached flour (worked great btw) or if it has something to do with the exceptionally dry weather we’ve experienced over the last few months.
Thank you so much for sharing!
After making these, I honestly don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat a home-cooked burger on any other bread-like device ever again. These are FANTASTIC.
I haven’t read through all the comments, so someone may have already offered this advice, but: I used my stand mixer to knead, and, after seeing how slack the dough is, switched from the bread hook to the paddle attachment, with success.
My only quibble: I stuck to your recommendation of making 8 buns, and my buns were HUGE. Much bigger than my burgers, which were a solid 6-7 oz pre-cooking. Wasn’t a huge problem, since it gave us an excuse to eat delicious brioche-bun edges, but next time, I’ll make 10ish buns instead.
These were amazing, I have never had a nicer bun in my life. Thank you so very much for posting this recipe :)
I too have been on the hunt for the best homemade hamburger bun. I flew through this recipe in anticipation of great results. This is THE best hamburger bun recipe!
My new husband (of almost 2 weeks!) and I got a smoker as a wedding gift. Today, as a thank you to the friends who got together to buy it, I made smoked pork and these buns. Best thank you ever. Keep up the beautiful work, Deb!
Hi Deb,
my son asked for a dinner at McDonalds for his sixth birthday which neither my stepmom nor my in-laws would be excited about ;)
So I remembered your recipe for burger buns and asked him if homemade burgers and fries would be okay as well and they are. I’d like to make the dough with my Kitchen Aid and with fresh yeast since that’s what I have on hand. Is there anything that I need to pay attention to?
And my oven has a fan – will that be a problem?
Thanks for taking your time and answering my questions!
Love from Munich,
Valerie
Valerie — Ha! I haven’t worked enough with fresh yeast to be able to give recommendations, sadly. And I don’t have an oven with a fan but if it speeds up the baking time of other recipes, it will do the same here. Sorry I could not be more help!
SO good! This is my first time making rolls, and I have only made bread once before so I wasn’t sure they were going to work out. I used my Kitchen aid to knead (it was SO sticky I don’t think I could have done it by hand). After the second rise, they got huge then deflated like pancakes and I was really worried they were ruined. Since I had nothing to lose, I simply rolled them back into balls, put the egg wash on, and put them in the oven. They turned out perfect and everyone raved. So worth it!
Hi deb, I made these today and am soooooo happy. They turned out perfect!!! Next time I will try and make them flatter as I made them a little high (funny critism for bread lol!!!)
That’s 2 for 2 for me with your recipes this weekend – these rolls and crackly banana bread. Both were just perfect. As always thanks a heap for sharing :)) Simone
Hello, I am a french girl living in Switzerland where good buns cannot be found. I just wanted to say a big thank you for this wonderful recipe that turned out soooo great. I adapted to make it dairy free and more “wholewheat” and it worked just fine. This was my 10th attempt at making hamburger buns and I was starting to lose my patience. I posted your recipe, with a link to your site on my brand new blog Veggiegourmande (it is still in french but working on an english version).
Hi Deb,
I was wondering, instead of putting s pan of water in the oven, can I lightly spritz the buns with water before I bake them?
Thanks!
Hi Lindsay — You’re looking for steam, not a directly application of water, so it’s not the same effect. However, I have seen it done with larger loaves and so it might be worth trying here.
Hi Deb – I tried the recipe last night after seeing a link to it in a mail-out from the East London Steak Company. What a fantastic recipe. As there are only two of us I halved it with no problems and of course being in the UK I needed to use the proofing setting on my oven to get it to rise. I couldn’t be happier and I can’t wait to try some more of your recipes. Thank-you!
Just made the rolls tonight. They were amazing – although I must admit I ate one of them fresh out of the oven by itself and didn’t wait for dinner (or the black bean burger to go on top).
We will be testing this recipe near future for our signature BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches at the Fire Grill in Girard OH.
Thanks.
Jay C
Finally made these. Compliments galore! They were wonderful and I will definitely make them again. I doubled recipe in KA and had no trouble. Delicious!
Delicious! I added a touch of tumeric to them and used them for delicious curried lamb sliders – spectacular! Thanks, Deb!
i must know a question: what are the top 3 burgers you’ve ever had in your life?
The only burger I feel strongly about is the Corner Bistro burger in the West Village. And I like In-and-Out Burgers. The rest are fine but none stand out.
Turned out great…used a bit more flour (maybe 2/3 cup) since it was fresh red fife wheat out of the grinder…. thanks for a great recipe!
I was lucky and found this recipe first when I was thinking about making my own burger buns – they are Fantastic!! A huge hit with the whole family, and I have been sharing the recipe with anyone who will listen. I think everyone can and should be making these at home, they are so astronomically better than store-bought buns. Thank you thank you thank you!
American in AU here and been trying various buns to try and find a great one like you can find back in the US…looks so promising, but I’ve made the recipe 2 times and they keep coming out flat. I am kneading in my kitchenaid with bread hook and used self rising flour, instead of all purpose. Could this be causing the flat buns? Otherwise they taste great! Thanks for the help!
We made these last night for our burgers and they were perfect! We will never buy hamburger buns again. We will be using the leftover buns to make tortas tonight! Thanks for sharing!
These are in the oven now… I looked for my usual brioche buns at the store today, in preparation for the Super Bowl and the buffalo burgers my husband is making. They were all out so… here we are :) These are time consuming but I think they will be worth it. The dough is quite sticky; if you have a KA mixer, use it and your bread hook to do the kneading, then use as little flour as you can manage while shaping the dough into rolls. It was challenging but not impossible for me.
I really like a more eggy/buttery brioche and so I added a (small) egg and a couple of tbsp. of butter. Might bite me in the butt but I think it will be ok. Sprinkled the buns with flaky salt instead of sesame seeds.
Um, yeah… these are amazing. They needed 2.5 extra minutes in the oven (might be because of the adjustments I made to the recipe) and they came out beautiful. Split one open to make sure it was done in the middle, slathered in butter and shared with the husband. REALLY good midnight snack.
These have been on the “to try” list and finally made them tonight. Mixed in 1/2
2 c whole wheat flour (reduced bread flour to 2.5 c), making for a little Wheatiness (might up to 1/3 2/3 next time). Used my Kitchen Aid mixer (approx 5 min; until dough was pulling away from the sides) for the kneading – glad I did since the dough was *really* sticky. They came out amazing! They look so beautiful too!
Making these for the second time to use as buns for a mushroom venison burger! These were delicious when we had them before (mid November), so I can’t wait for take two!
Hi guys, i’m gonna attempt to make these this weekend for my homemade lamb burgers, but being from the UK we don’t use cups! could someone give me the conversion rate for Cups to Grams? much appreciated!!
This is the best burger bun recipe I’ve ever tried! Also the only burger bun recipe I’ve ever tried…. But they turned out absolutely perfect the first time I made them… I turned them into slider buns.
However, I have a question– would you please let us know what the recipe is using weight instead of volume? That would really help me because the second time I made them they didn’t turn out as perfect, and I’d like to eliminate variables.
Thanks!!!
Just an update. I don’t really like milk, so I was getting tired of buying an entire litre that I struggled to find uses for (it is very difficult to buy smaller quantities where I live). So.. I tried this recipe with vanilla soy milk figuring that the creamy, slightly sweet taste should work OK. I reduced the sugar content down to about half/ three quarters of a tablespoon (I had already been using just 1 Tbsp. with regular milk since I am not keen on really sweet breads with a savoury destination). It worked great! In fact, I think the dough actually came out just a little more satiny and pliant with the soy milk.
Hi, Ive been looking for a recipe to make buns for a while now, I am quite new to baking/cooking and have a quick question, when the yeast is rising in step one, should all the mesuring bowl be the frothy yeast or should it be half yeast and half milk mixture?? any help would be great, thank you!! :-)
I made these tonight and they were fabulous. Any suggestions for the best way to store the baked buns/how long they will keep?
Hi!
Interestingly enough, (since you’re practically famous…) I just discovered this site yesterday through Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I’m glad I did! Your recipes have a sophisticated edge without being too stuffy.
I made these burger buns tonight and they were great. I live in Denver, so I didn’t need as much flour, (it’s very dry here.) I’ve worked with plenty of sticky doughs, but I took this one to just tacky, as I like an even crumb in burger buns. The dough rose quickly both times, and I sprayed them with water instead of using a pan of water in the oven. They turned out gorgeous! We toasted them on the grill too. Yum!
These really are perfectly flavored for burger buns. There is good flavor, but it’s subtle and I like that it compliments the burger flavors instead of competing. Thanks for posting this recipe!
I have a tendency to skip steps when in a hurry- so the first time I made these I didn’t put the water in the oven AND didn’t egg wash them. Big mistake- they turned out slightly dry. Last night I followed all of the directions and boy-oh-boy… They were amazing! Best bun recipe I have tried yet:) They stay nice and fresh too. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my.
The crumb is even more wonderous than your picture gives credit. I just cut one in half and ate it plain, hoping that I could fend of my desire for the other half.
Upon a friend’s advice, I have been using an unusually efficient way to rise dough that I now recommend to everyone: Before starting the recipe, microwave your dough bowl to warm it a little. Once you’re ready for the first rise, place a glass of water in your microwave and heat it until the microwave becomes quite steamy and warm. Remove the glass and place your bowl of rising dough in the microwave (do not turn it on!) for the entirety of its rising time. This warm, humid environment is perfect for the dough. It decreases rising time too.
I found your recipe by googling hamburger buns! You raved so much that I tried yours and I won’t need to try any others! Very wonderful! I used my bread machine on dough setting and added just a touch more flour because it was very very wet. I had every intention of putting the pan of water in, but with 2 little ones distracting me, I totally forgot but they came out fabulous anyway! The only thing I would add, is that they were monstrous sized with dividing into 8 but if that’s what you like, great! I think I would divide into 9 or 10 next time for a touch smaller size. Amazing, brilliant recipe! Thank you!
hi. i tried these and they were great. thank you, really. was just wondering why they kind of spread when i brushed them with the egg wash (i was kind of sad ’cause they had risen beautifully the second time)Thank you again.
Hi deb! At the moment I’m living in a country where bread flour isn’t widely (or maybe not at all) available, and it’s been too long since i’ve had a decent burger! Is there anything I can substitute bread flour with? Can i make these with all purpose and whole wheat flour? If so, in what proportion?
Hi Robina — You can just use all-purpose flour.
This recipe is AMAZING. Best bread recipe I’ve made. I was distracted by my four year old, and misread the recipe and added 3 eggs by mistake. And it turned out absolutely perfect. I’d probably make it the same way next time. I also only used AP flour as it was all I had on hand. Can’t wait to make again. Thanks so much.
I have finally found the flavor and texture I’ve been searching for in a good bun.
I used the dough cycle on the bread machine – did the warm liquids and yeast first to sit a few minutes, cut the butter into small chunks and threw everything else in. I used 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups all purpose unbleached white flour. Thanks for being the tester!
Made these while I was off sick from work today. I forgot the egg, oops! They turned out great though, I think it was the added snotty nose and sneezes.
I love all your recipes I’ve tried so far, thank you so much.
This is a great recipe and it is even better if you simplify the process by using “instant” yeast instead of “active” yeast. By making this simple change, you can avoid heating up water or milk. Cold water and cold milk is fine!
And you can add the yeast directly to the flour and salt before adding all the other “wet” ingredients to make the dough. It is so simply that I now make it once a week. Thanks!
I’ve been working on homemade burger buns for a couple of weeks getting ready for my son’s birthday. These look delicious. I will have add them to my list to try.
These are fantastic! I’ve made them a few times now! They always turn out light and very tasty! Today I made them into hot dog shape. They are raising now.. I can’t wait! Thank you so much for posting this and sharing!
Cheers!
Love your buns Deb! ;) The right bread is so key to dishes. I do prefer ingredients listed as 1 egg + 1 egg for wash as my quick reading brain added two eggs to the mix. My mistake. BTW- I o/n your cookbook for my cabin getaway weekend and had a great time feasting on new recipes. Another bit of usability input I like from using the Cook’s Illus. phone app, use bold on the time references (I wish they did this on web/books). Makes it great to read through and see the overall timing especially on bread recipes with multiple steps. Thanks again from me and my family!
IF you respond, will I see your response without checking back at this location?
I saw that someone asked for a blackbean burger recipe and I was wondering if you had one. Or any other type of vegetarian burger? I didn’t find one in your indexes. Thanks so much! I love your writing and recipes.
Hi Grace — I haven’t put a vegetarian burger recipe on the site (yet!). Still figuring out my favorite.
This one! This one! http://thefitchen.com/eggplant-veggie-burgers-2/
I’ve made (and eaten!) way too many mediocre or less veggie burgers, but this one totally won me over. Used APF instead of the millet flour, but really loved the little bit of crunch that the whole millet gave–reminded me of your crackly banana bread! Definitely the best texture-flavor combo and pretty easy to boot.
Made these for a friend’s birthday dinner, she requested burgers, and they are lovely! Thank you for a terrific recipe.
hi! tried making these twice and for some reason, the dough comes out so dry i can’t even get it to come together. i don’t know what the problem is, since i figured maybe the first time i’d mismeasured or something. any chance you’ve made this with the ingredients measured in weight instead of cups? thanks!
Ive just made these to have with pulled pork and they are without doubt the best rolls ive ever tasted in my life! Out of this world good!!!! :)))))
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. But we make them dairy-free. If anyone else needs to do this, just use rice milk and earth balance d-f buttery spread in the same quantities as the original recipe. Also, I use my food processor for cutting in “butter.” Works like a charm! Sometimes we use honey instead of sugar and vanilla rice milk. Gives the buns a lovely sweetness.
Thank you so very much for this recipe!
Hey, what can I use instead of warm milk?
Thanks
I’ve made these 2x now. Once for burgers on the 4th of July, and again as sandwich rolls for some crockpot chicken cheesesteak. Love ’em!
@Tali,
We don’t really like diary milk so buying the stuff for such a small amount was becoming wasteful. I have very successfully replaced it with vanilla soymilk, which we have in the house all the time; just bear in mind I have also reduced the sugar down to 1 Tbsp.
Att: Deb Perelman
Hi there I recently found an instantly adored your site…haven’t FULLY acquainted myself but since I discovered S.K. when googling burger buns (to sit under and rest atop my recently perfected Meatless-Monday “Historic-TREMPEALEAU-HOTEL-WalnutBurger-influenced burger” (recipe a tightly kept secret but I think I came close :-) and the recipe you posted for Light Brioche Burger Buns are exactly what I needed to make a proper meal out of them (and free me from the soggy-n-sad lentil burger recipe hunt I had been on :-).
Anyhoo you’re right they’re UH-mazing but I just have a query…I’m currently living/cooking in Australia so naturally I converted your instructions 400 degrees (for 15 minutes to) 205 degrees since of course they on “C” down here. HOWEVER after 15 minutes the buns were only half cooked ????? So I rotated the tray (as per your suggestion) and reset the timer and at thirty minutes the buns were acceptable. I know every oven is different but I was wondering if I aught to increase the temp next time (and there WILL BE a next time :-) and reduce the time back to 15 minutes? I only ask because maybe they’ll be even MORE wonderful (if that’s possible) if baked as close to “as per your recipe” as possible?
Cheers
J-
Grace and Deb:
I didn’t at first see your exchange about “veggie burgers” when I was typing my question (above which happens to mention MY long drawn-out “lab-work-in-the-kitchen” to reproduce a walnut burger I had in Madison Wsc (while visiting home). Now that I have a bun recipe I have served them a number of times and they even satiate the meat eatin Aussies down here :-)
I have made a black bean/red lentil based adaptation which is IMHP pretty good too. As I mentioned I have been on a many year quest to beat the “soggy-veggie burger-blues” and I think I have FINLLY managed to do so.
If Deb is interested (I would NEVER presume to post a recipe on someone else’s site) I could email my attempts to her and she could decide if they’re up to par.
????
A “Newbie”
Jenifer
Jenifer, I cannot believe I ran into you here, so randomly: having also lived in Madison, I ran across your walnut burger recipe about a year ago on your blog while googling (not for the first time) something that would come close to the Harmony Bar’s walnut burger. Your recipe was SO GOOD. So good! I need to make them again soon. I hope you’re well and happy wherever you are!
I don’t have bread flour :(. I have just used plain all purpose flour, so far they’ve risen well. I did notice regular dough is not as ‘elastic’ when kneading. Fingers crossed they’ll be ok :)
Used this as-is for pepperoni rolls and it was amazing! Thank you so much for a great recipe that is so versatile!
You do realise that this is exactly the same recipe the clever carrot has on her website. She also says the recipe is from the NY Times but I would think you should make sure that the recipe is CORRECT. You forgot the 1 cup of water. That really irritates me when folks use other people’s recipes that they find and then they can’t write them down properly.
Your buns look blotted on the top so you aren’t baking them at the proper temperature or not using a good egg wash and the inside of the buns looks funny. They are either too moist or too dry.
Please at least make sure the one cup of water is in the recipe please.
This recipe is sourced (more than once) to be from the New York Times as well, well, via the NYTimes, from a restaurant. The one cup of water is in the first step. Not all recipe writers list water in ingredient lists; it’s not standard practice.
Great bun recipe! I keep coming back to it. I’ve made it a number of times now and my friends and family love the buns. Thanks so much.
Hi,
I’m a caterer based in Sydney and stumbled upon your recipe when I looked for brioche buns for my scotch fillet burgers last year.
I must say that time and time again, these are a hit!!! I knead them for a loooong time and hence do not need to add the additional flour outside of the baker’s flour), and usually quadruple the recipe to get 50+ 90g buns (which suit 70g burger patties). I top with nigella seeds or black sesame…
I have made these in 30g sizes and served with wasabi mayonnaise and cured salmon (with rocket).
Happy to send professional pix!!!
Hi Deb, or whoever can help:
I’ve made these buns several times and absolutely love them. I want to make them again, but I’m in Argentina right now. I can only find live yeast (the kind that comes in a cube). Any help/suggestions on how to use live yeast in this recipe? I’ve never used it before…
Thank you!!
<3 Liz
Hey Liz,
no problem you can use live yeast as well. In germany we often use live yeast and I have tried making the buns with it. Works like charm.
Thanks for the recipe, btw.
Thomas
Thomas, Thank you for the advice! I actually ended up finding active dry yeast anyway.
But… in Argentina they have “000” and “0000” flour. I had no idea what the difference was, and the nutrition facts were the same (which I assumed meant the protein content was the same). I chose “0000.” Oops…. 0000 flour is similar to cake flour, and 000 is more similar to AP flour. Low protein content combined with super hot and humid Argentine summer –> I ended up with flour soup instead of dough. Oops!
Liz — I think that the more zeros, the finer the grind. No need to go super-fine on bread (as you saw; they’re already quite tender, even with regular flour). Try adding more flour next time, so it doesn’t go to waste.
Hi Deb – any idea if this recipe will still work without the sugar? Looks delish but need something with no sugar or the like. Thanks!
Alison — Probably, but you might need to dial back the salt slightly then too because they work together.
Really love this recipe, had a bbq last weekend and used the buns for the burgers and they went down a treat, so simple yet effective.
Just made these and they are delicious! I did 1.5 hours for the first rise, and the dough way more than doubled, to the point where I was worried it was over-risen, so I only let them rise about 30-45 minutes for the second rise. I cut the dough into 16 pieces to make smaller rolls for the black bean sliders I’m making for dinner tonight. I just ate one buttered and warm from the oven (quality control, of course), and it’s going to take some serious self control to have any left for dinner!
I finally got around to make the buns after the recipe was bookmarked for some time! Sooo good! I will never ever buy hamburger buns again!
Ps I put the i to the fridge over night (second rise) because i was short on time. Worked perfectly!
These were phenomenal and really raised our burgers to the next level! I’m going to make another batch for my daughter’s 1st birthday! Along with your best birthday cake, of course! Exclamation points! :o)
Me again. The first batch turned out perfectly on the day of my first comment, but last week’s batch fully deflated when I applied the egg wash. Maybe due to the humidity? Still tasty but nearly impossible to slice in half. Did anyone else experience this?
I made these this weekend for an impromptu cookout and they were remarkable! It had been a long time since I made bread and these were a great way to ease myself back into the bread game! I only made 7 because I underestimated how much they’d rise the second time and I really should have made 8 or even 9. My only question, after I warm the milk and water and put in the sugar and yeast, do I stir everything together or do i stir up the liquids and sugar then add the yeast on top? I was hesitant to stir the yeast and I ended up with a lot of sugar on the bottom of the cup. Are my fears founded at all, or am I just a crazy person? Thanks!
These made great burger buns. Mine were a little dense, I think I added too much dough while kneading on the counter. Next time I will make these in the Kitchenaid. We toasted the leftovers for cold cut sandwiches the next day.
Best burger bun recipe I’ve tried, and I’ve tried a few. Yum.
I just made this recipe using my Kitchenaid to knead the dough, I didn’t use extra flour, baked them for 13 minutes, and they are really good! This is my first time baking burger buns, maybe next time I’ll press them down a little before baking them, they rose a lot, after baking they look very tall. The texture and flavor are amazing, I’m making a big batch tomorrow!
thanks so much, SK! i just made these and they are super delish! my oven is a bit smaller so the heat didn’t distribute well so for the second half of baking (8mins and then 7mins) i turned them over. they turned out amazing! x
I’ve made these burger buns several times, they are delicious! I do have a question, do you put all 8 shaped rolls on 1 baking sheet? I know the recipe only says 1 sheet, but I’ve always used 2. My oven bakes better with only 1 sheet at a time, so if they’ll all fit on one that would be great. I’m baking them today. Also, I’m using instant yeast, is that a problem? Do I need to make any adjustments?
Christi — I never fit 8 rolls; I think this recipe was original from a bakery where they probably had a bigger tray than any of us can fit in our home ovens. (Mine especially.)
These were so good!! I let my KitchenAid knead them for 10 min, and resisted the urge to add more flour early on (but I did add some to form the buns), and was greatly rewarded for the effort and long’ish rising time. Excellent texture and taste.
I probably over proved them, but they are nevertheless huge! I’m making a bunch for this weekends barbecue, and when I make the next batch, I think I’ll get twelve rather than eight. Lots of the guests at the barbecue are going to be children…
I made these this week. I have been looking for an easy burger bun to make at home as the ones in the grocery always have about 10 more ingredients than I prefer. They were great! I did substitute one cup of the flour with white whole wheat flour and they still came out wonderful. I may try to make 10 next time as they were rather large. Or maybe make half into regular buns and the other half into slider buns for the kids. Also, they rose very quickly. Next time I will use less sugar and see what happens!
Thanks for this recipe!
Yummmm is the one word for these fluffy, homemade buns. I just love to cook and try new cuisines every time but when it comes to breakfast snacks my first choice is and always Little Debbie products which I usually purchase from http://bonvera.com/join/product/LD024300861796. But coming in through these relishing savors, I am surely trying in to make them for my family.
Is it possible to add weights to this one? I made it but umm… I guess I miscalculated :/ Danke!
I’ve made these a bunch of times, and they are fantastic. Easy to freeze the extras unbaked then pull out a couple and bake as needed. I never have bread flour so just use regular white flour. I also leave out the sugar because I’m a weirdo. They get rave reviews from everyone I’ve served them to!
I have used this recipes twice and had great results both times even though I made some adjustments my second time. I realized I only 1.5 cups of bread flour so I replaced the rest with AP, I completely forgot to have a pan of water on my oven floor while baking the buns, and I sprinkled some sea salt on the tops along with the sesame seeds. Following the recipe yielded delicious tender buns. Making my changes yielded slightly firmer buns. Both were great!
These were amazing. I used only all-purpose flour and added a teaspoon of straight gluten (I live in Germany and can’t get bread flour). I used the Kitchen Aid to knead for 10 minutes, and made 10 instead of 8 (they were still big)… They are amazingly light and airy, beautiful, and perfect. Only had to let them rise for 1 hour each time. So easy…this may become a Sunday ritual. Thanks!
This sounds so good. At what point can you freeze half the dough, if not using immediately?
Cheers, Thanks, M McGovern
Absolutely.
Is it possible to make these Brioche buns using the paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid?
I think so. If not paddle, the hook will do.
Smitten Kitchen has been there for every major cooking first I’ve had, and today I made these buns as first bread attempt!
It turned out perfect as written. Thank you for giving me the courage to cook.
Here’s to smitten kitchen!
wow ! These all look delicious and easy ! Love this recipe ! I will definitely be trying it !
I made these twice now and they are very light and delicious. They were gone in two days and there are only two of us! Made as directed and the dough rose nicely, was easy to handle. Great match for the homemade black bean burgers!
Just took these out of the oven & they are delightful. They rose wonderfully (both rises) and used APF- the rolls are a little dense, but I’m OK with not purchasing another type of flour for the recipe. I’m making hamburgers tonight so I’m excited for this homemade touch! Thanks!
Been making these for years. LOVE this recipe. Even the pickiest foodies give high marks for this bread. I follow the recipe exactly.
Hi Deb!
These buns have become a BBQ party staple and never fail to waow :)
Have you ever tried turning them into a whole “brioche” instead of buns? Do you think the dough would hold its shape and what do you think the baking time would be?
Thank you for your help,
Céleste
I’m not sure I’d use these for a brioche because there are so many good recipes out there, I just don’t think this is formatted with loaf perfection in mind.
I use this as a loaf of bread all the time! I cut a few pieces off each end before the last rise to make some slider size or regular size buns. I then put the rest in a loaf pan to get a small loaf of bread. Works great – I cook only for one person so this works!
Linda– what size loaf pan do you use and what temp/time do you bake it for?
Sorry, obviously I don’t check here often – just saw this. In my oven I still do the pan of water on bottom rack but often bake the loaves and rolls at 380 degrees. About 13 minutes for the small buns. About 30 minutes for the remaining dough made into a loaf.
loaf pan used is 9″ x 5″ x 2.5″
Finally, a tender and rich bun recipe! I made these into hot dog buns by shaping them into two logs in a baguette pan where they did their second rise and baked for about 22 minutes. I cut each log into 4 pieces after they cooled and froze for when I need them later. I let the kitcheaide do the mixing for 8 minutes. I skipped the egg wash, using up a good pasture raised egg for looks isn’t cost effiecient.
They really are best burger buns I’ve ever made!! I’ve also tried many recipes and all were a disappointment. Thank you for posting this incredible recipe!
Can I make these a day early? When do I stop in the process or do I just bag them up after they cool??
You pause at almost any point but it’s the least work the next day if you form the rolls on the tray and put them in the fridge for the final rise. Bake them once they’ve warmed up a little.
The buns are beautiful and will easily outshine whatever goes on them. I also discovered a few years back that this recipe yields a heavenly sandwich loaf if, instead of dividing the dough into buns after the first proof, you shape it, put it in a loaf pan, let it rise again another 45 minutes or so, depending on your kitchen temp, and then bake for about half an hour. It has become my go-to sandwich bread, excellent for toast, grilled cheese or eating straight.
What a great recipe! This recipe was my first try at brioche. They came out perfectly, with a nice flat shape and soft crumb. I’ll repeat this one for sure!
Delicious!
What size loaf pan and cooking temp/time would I use if I wanted to do a loaf instead of rolls?
Total collapse (I apologize if this question has already been asked and/or answered, but I did not see it anywhere)! After the second rise, the buns were quite large. Yet, upon the slightest brush to apply the egg wash, each bun collapsed! They rose a bit in the oven, and they were still tasty, but they were 1/4 inch tall at best. Thoughts? Was my second rise too long? Should I just skip the wash? I am a novice baker, so I apologize if this is an elementary question. Thanks y’all!
I think your first guess is right on – the 2nd rise might have been too long. Did you try again and have success with a shorter second rise? Best of luck!
I made these yesterday. Tired of store buns that dry out when frozen. Husband said they were good. I used unbleached flour as I didn’t have bread flour. Dough was not sticky at all, in fact felt a little dry. Not sure what I did to arrive at that. Will try with whole wheat flour next time.
Shaped into longer rolls for meatball subs, they do spread a bit but are amazing – had a few left over and greatly feared something so delicate would go stale so I cut into thin slices, brushed with rosemary olive oil, and cooked at 325 for 15 minutes, they make great “brioche chips”, good with hummus, cream cheese, or just to nibble.
Thanks Deb, always great to have you in the kitchen!
Abby
I made Light Brioche Buns today!!..I followed recipe exactly & they turned out wonderful;I’ll never buy hamburger buns again😀
Love these! Very easy and turned out light and beautiful.
Hi, I am wondering if you think it would make a huge difference if I used all purpose flour instead? I know it may not have the same consistency but just wondering if it would still be good. Thanks !
I want to share that this might be the family favorite find of coronacooking, making them at least once a week! We eat these as toast with homemade strawberry jam (Or Nutella!), with turkey or salami as the best home sandwiches we’ve ever made, with burgers yes, as breakfast sandwiches, etc. Curious to try them as French toast. I get nine buns out of the recipe. Just wanted to inspire others to see these as the perfect backdrop to your sandwich dreams!
Great light addition to our artisanal sourdough for tomorrow’s Mem Day BBQ–bison burgers and your cabbage slaw! I have made these twice now, I made 10 this time, a bit smaller. Accidentally added BOTH eggs to dough so used milk instead of egg wash. They rise fast–even in a 70 degree house. Wondering if less yeast might slow them down, increase flavor? To prevent soggification from meat juice, just before using, I oil or butter the split buns and pan fry. They are 100% better than purchased buns and can be used with anything.
If I only have instant yeast should I use the same amount? Less? More?
Same amount, but rising times can be slower.
Oh no! I just made the dough & have it on it’s first rise but realized I accidentally used both eggs in the dough instead of reserving one for later. 😭 Will the buns still turn out? Or do I need to start over?
Reporting back on baking after freezing: I froze after I shaped the buns, before the 2nd rise. I took them out of the freezer as the oven preheated, then baked still frozen. I forgot the egg wash, and the crust was a little tough, but otherwise they were fantastic. Took maybe 15+7 minutes in my oven.
This is exactly what I was looking for! So 22 minutes? (15+7)
Made these brioche buns last night to make burgers a little more special. These were perfect! Nice, pillowy soft rolls with great texture and flavor. No need to ever try another brioche recipe. Thank you so very much!
Use YOUR old-school dinner roll recipe for hamburger buns! They are the best!
Second time making these and I’m glad I tried the recipe again as my first time was a complete bust! Not sure what happened the first time around but they turned out totally flat and dry 😖
I used AP flour thr first time I as I did not have bread flour, so I chalked it up to that and also the fact that I live near Alaska, so it’s a rather cold, dry climate.
Anyhow, just made these again today and after getting started, I realized that I never restocked my bread flour!! Haha so I used AP flour again with a tablespoon of corn starch (not sure why but it came up as an additive to AP flour for bread when you don’t have bread flour), and then I also accidentally added the second egg into the mix (my fault for not reading clearly), but wow, they just came out of thr oven and look fantastic!!! Will post again once I try them for my burgers tonight 🙂
Thanks as always Deb.
Ok…these are lights out!!! The addition of a second egg makes them a bit chewier I believe and I did not miss the bread flour, although I will try that next time if I have it. ‘WOW!’ is all my husband could say during dinner! Have. I will be making these regularly.
Thanks!