A proper bun should be nothing more than a light, buttery,
airy delivery system for getting a hot, juicy hamburger into your mouth. Oats,
spelt, and flax seeds have no business getting anywhere near this type of operation. That's what turkey sandwiches are for.
They do take few hours, but most of that is rise time, and
when you see and taste the results, I’m sure you’ll agree it was well worth the
investment. By the way, don’t worry if your buns are slightly irregular in
size. We’ll assume you’ll form your burgers with the same precision, so in the
end they should match perfectly. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Editorial Note: Today’s title will only make sense if you watch the video, and are familiar with Sir Mix-A-Lot’s "Baby Got Back."
Editorial Note: Today’s title will only make sense if you watch the video, and are familiar with Sir Mix-A-Lot’s "Baby Got Back."
Ingredients for 8 large hamburger buns:
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) dry active yeast (I used Fleischmann's
“RapidRise” Yeast)
1 cup very warm water
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 pound all-purpose flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
Note: add a 1/2 cup of the flour to the yeast and water, and then the remainder before kneading
Note: add a 1/2 cup of the flour to the yeast and water, and then the remainder before kneading
for the tops:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk
sesame seeds
132 comments:
Oh man, I've been toying with the idea of making these for years. In fact, this may give me an excuse to finally invest in a stand mixer. Any recommendations for a good mixer CJ?
Keep up the great work, you rock!
Great buns, Chef John! A great tutorial, too!
I was just thinking I should try making my own hamburger buns! I will definitely be trying this, but I did have a question about freezing. I generally only ever need 2 buns at a time so at what step could i freeze these? Would it work to freeze them after they have been shaped and before any egg wash is applied? I don't really like the idea of freezing already baked breads but maybe I'm wrong.
Thanks for the help!
The video demo on how the dough should look is invaluable! Novice bakers take heart, follow the Chefs advice and all will be well.
Don't even ask if you can substitute whole wheat flour or butter look-alikes. Just enjoy!
Chef John,
For those of us who were not blessed at birth with wonderful parents who value cooking appliances: Is there any way to knead this dough properly sans stand mixer?
I've done your Wolfgang pizza with the kneading technique and while it was quite the forearm and shoulder workout, the dough came together beautifully. Any chance hand kneading will work?
Many thanks from a deprived teenage cook.
Hand kneading always works! :)
Jennifer, I've never tried to freeze dough, but maybe someone here knows. I've frozen cooked rolls and they are okay, but usually a little dry.
Brian,
I've only had a Kitchen Aid which work great.
How long should these last?
I can't say this about everything you do, but that burger is possibly the best looking burger I've seen that hasn't been photoshoped XD
Hi Chef,
Is the aluminum foil necessary to cover the dough or can one simply use a dinner plate to cover? Just wondering... Thanks.
Yes. You can cover with anything.
They last only a day or two.
I made these right after watching... And you're right - 100x better than what you can get in a bag!
Another 5-star recipe!
Had you been around when I had my last restaurant, I'd probably still have my last restaurant.
Awww. A family classic. (referring to the song and the recipe)
@Jennifer & Chef John:
I've been freezing quite some of Chef Johns doughs, and I usually freeze some before the last rising. So here, After dividing them, I'd (and will) freeze half of them, because my boyfriend and me can't eat as much as 8 burgers, but I like to have some dough for fast pizza/burger/etc making in hand.
Hope that will work and that it helps!
Chef John, I've been waiting so long! It always feels a little bad to buy premade burger buns, and calling the burger "homemade" ;( So I'm really, really happy and I'll be making these today! Thank you so much, you have transformed me from a "I can throw a package of instant sauce and noodles in some water" to "yesss, my friends, come over I'll cook XYZ and it will be AWESOME!"
Don't have a stand mixer but I got a food processor... with a dough setting. Should this work fine or am I making some huge mistake by not using a stand mixer?
As to freezing dough...I have frozen pizza and foccacia dough and it survives for a month or so in good shape. If you portion the dough into storage bags you can pull out just what you need. Make sure you let the dough come up to room temperature before you start working with it so the yeast can wake up.
Anything that kneads the dough to that texture should work.
Awesome! Thank you! I've been experimenting with some burger recipes and now the meal will be complete!
I make the dough in my bread machine on the dough setting and then take the dough and shape them into buns, freeze them at that point, before the second rise. You can wrap them in waxed paper and place in a freezer bag.
This looks fantastic, plan to make these tomorrow. Quick question though, your posts used to have a "complete recipe" link with printable instructions... Are you not doing these anymore or am I simply missing where they're at in the newer posts?
This looks fantastic, plan to make these tomorrow. Quick question though, your posts used to have a "complete recipe" link with printable instructions... Are you not doing these anymore or am I simply missing where they're at in the newer posts?
These look great, looking forward to trying tomorrow. Quick question, your posts used to have "complete recipe" links where there were printable directions. Are you not doing these anymore or am I simply missing where they're at in the newer posts?
Those links, are done when someone from allrecipes.com posts a written version of the dish. If you don't see a link under a recipe that means they haven't done that yet. Thank you!
For 3 years now I have been watching and making your recipes. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please, never stop.
Also, these buns are the best that I EVER tasted.
To answer Jennifer, I freeze raw pizza dough all the time, but I also freeze baked hamburger buns with great success. I would definitely bake all eight buns and then freeze six rather than freeze the raw dough. That way, making a burger involves only thawing rather than thawing and baking.
Can i do this with out a mixer i dont own one
I freeze already baked bread all the time. It is edible just thawed, but fabulous toasted (since it does get a tad bit drier when you freeze it). Since toasted buns are nice for burgers, I would personally go with freezing the baked buns and toasting them to thaw ;) YMMV
I love that you gave the weight of the flour,it has improvement my baking significantly. I make a similar roll, but I always learn something from you. I was not shaping my rolls correctly so thank you again for all you do.
Hi Chef John. Been a fan for a while. These buns look great! I was wondering whether you use the same camera for video and stills and which one it is. I am looking to get into photography and have always loved the image quality on your site.
Hello Chef, I need your help! I'm going to make these rolls tonight to make fish(jack)sanwiches with remoulade sauce (tartar) but can't seem to find the sauce on the sight. I know it's just mayo,relish,lemon,worch. and maybe capers, etc. but...any other ideas to make it extra special or direct me to that recipe. I do have some dill pesto to put in it. Thanks in advance chef!
Not sure what happened to the tartar sauce post but here is the video! http://youtu.be/1i4rtgP3B1M
I use canon 3ti for all. Thanks!
Why was my comment not approved? I make hamburger buns all the time and I think my tips about using the bread machine dough setting and freezing in wax paper was of value.
Can i use whole wheat flour?
Sure but not nearly as good.
SurprisingWoman, you must have had an Internet error when you left it as this last one was the only comment from you.
Oh me, oh my! Just made these and talk about soft! Mine were huge, perfect, soft. Will have to make more for pulled pork this week! One secret that I picked up along the way, place your dough on a LIGHTLY floured towel, cut to size,place dough on pan, and flip the floured towel on it (flour side down). No mess to clean up. I will use that towel a couple of times before washing. Sooo easy and no mess. May try a 1/2 c. whole wheat on the next try just for fun! Keep um' comin'!!
Chef John, the bun looks toasted. Did you put them on the grill or in a toaster oven?
Jon
San Bernardino CA
Under broiler!
Alright your killing me with these buns, any chance of getting a Poppy Seed Kaiser roll tutorial in the future? Thanks
Do you think this dough recipe would work for hot dog buns too? Or is it optimized for maximum burger delivery?
Should work perfectly fine for hot dog buns!
Is this a convection oven? Every time i try a bread or bun recipe, it doesnt work very well, I think it is becouse I dont have a convection oven.
No it's a regular oven! :-)
I can confirm that this works perfectly fine for hot dog buns and sandwich bread.
I make about the same recipe, from foodwishes dinner rolls, except I use just the egg yolk. I came up with the yolk idea coz I only wanted 4 rolls.
Use milk instead of water for soft white loaf of bread.
And I don't have mixer, I use my hands. That's home cooking.
Just in time, as tomorrow i gonna make some burgers :D
But just curious to ask, whats going better or worse if i gonna use milk except water? Or it doesent matter?
It will be slightly different, but can't say if you'll like better or worse! Try it and see.
I laughed so hard at your title! Half the fun of your recipes is the hilarious comedy references you sneak in.
I baked these buns on the same night I was cooking my burgers - a mistake, as it turns out. These are not very hardy when straight out of the oven and even after toasting, they led to a mushy, lackluster burger. However, the next day we tried again and after pan frying them 'till their insides were golden, everything turned out splendidly. 8D They're buttery and slightly sweet and look like they're from a commercial when you pull them from the oven.
Just don't forget to let them cool. ^^;
Hey Chef John,
If I want to double (or possibly triple) the recipe, should I double everything like the eggs and yeast and stuff??
Thanks!
Yes, you can scale up as much as you want.
Yes, complete cooling is critical! :)
Hello Chef John,
I live in Holland, and over here we use grams instead of cups and spoons... So I'm a bit confused. How much is a cup in grams? Could you help me out here? I would love to try your recipe, the buns look very tasty! Thank you very much in advance!
Here you go, just use this calculator! https://www.google.com/search?q=metric+conversion&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
Thank you so much for this recipe. They look and taste amazing. I'm in Australia but I convert the ingredients myself. It's not hard to do :)
Hi John, I was wondering what substitute I could use for the egg in both the dough and the topping, since I am vegan. I guess the beautiful brown color comes from the egg? I would use "No Egg" for the dough. Thanks for your help. Magdalena
Hi Chef John, I'm wondering if I'm going to use whole wheat flour, what is the best ratio so that the buns are still fluffy? I'm thinking of 2 cups whole wheat and 1 1/2 AP flour. Thanks Raymund
Hi chef, I made the burger bun I'm speechless !! Great recipe it's my first time and my family loved it it's amazing chef ... I'm really happy ... Keep going I do appreciate ur effort
Thanks again chef
I made these yesterday! Turned out really good! Everybody said it was the best burger (and bun) they ever had! :) Thanks Chef John!
Hi Chef john, I used the dough to make a bread loaf instead of buns and it came out undercooked. Is there an alternative baking temp/time I'd need to follow?
Perfect texture, Chef John! Thank you for the recipe! The only thing I'd do different the next time is one extra Tbsp. sugar, for my husband's desire for sweetness. But I still can't get over how light and fluffy these are!
I divided the dough in half and shaped one half into 4 hamburger buns, then divided the other half into 6 pieces for hot dog buns. Topped some off with poppy seeds and they were gorgeous inside and out.
Chef John thank you for the wonderful videos and your wondreful recipes! May I ask you something? I made those burger buns and they taste so good!!! BUT.. (yes..there's a "but") they didnt came out inflated...and my dough was very stiff... :(
Maybe the problem is that I live in Europe and "converted" us units to European?.. :( Can I find the dosages for Europe? :(
Thanks!
As I remember I put 450gr. of all-purpose flour, 45grams melted butter, 45gram sugar, 6,5 grams salt, 12,5grams of yeast, 128grams of water...
I read a comment about freezing the buns, if u want to keep them from drying out place them on a cookie sheet I line mine with unbleached parchment paper and pop them into the freeze as is to freeze before placing in the ziplock. Then take them out the night before place in fridge and let come to temp. They r prefect when toasted lightly and topped accordingly (: I do this with pancakes, breads, muffins, broccoli, anything really.
Have an unhealthy idea for this recipe. In fact I did do it and it turned out super great. You can substitute butter with equal amount of the remained fat/oil from cooking some good quality beacon in its own fat. This way you can have some beacon for breakfast then a good burger in beacon flavored buns for lunch/dinner :)
Got an unhealthy idea. Substitute the butter with the remained fat from cooking some good quality beacons. This way you can have a perfect day starting with beacon for breakfast and then some awesome burgers later :)
Best buns ever.
This recipe is AWESOME. I messed up a few parts (I used a packet of instant yeast, and the dough rose super-fast, so I did a triple-rise; I didn't properly shape the buns). However, they turned out AMAZING. As dinner rolls, but still, I'm so happy. Thank you so much for this recipe, and for your easy-to-follow videos.
I looooovvvveeee your recipes. Buuut, I have one issue. As a european it's very hard to get around with those cup mesurements. Would you mind additionally writing the measurements in the metric system?
Love, miriam
i love èm! These are the best buns in my life! Hope my girlfriend don`t read this... ;)
Recipe called for 3 and 1/2 cups of flour total, but I found this to be too much flour! My dough was not sticky at all. I made a second batch using only 3 cups flour total, and it came out much better and similar to the texture I seen in the video. Thanks!
I absolutely love this recipe!! It's absolutely wonderful! I really wanted to make my own hamburgers with hamburger buns too and this recipe was perfect! Except that I didn't have sesame seeds so I didn't make hamburger buns. I merely made buns! But still, awesome!!
Chef John. Next time you make these would you please weigh one out in grams so we have a frame of reference as to how big to make them. Thanks
These buns turned out picture perfect. I notice although it isn't mentioned in the video you toasted the buns after slicing. Did that in a skillet?
Those were the best buns ever... We loved every one of them. Thanks! I would like to add a pic, but I don't know how?
Love your videos! These look great. What brand of AP flour did you use?
Thanks so much for this recipe chef. Ive been needing a good burger bun for a while now. Going to try them this week, will let you know how they turn out! P.S. Love your blog!
Wowzers chef John! Ive just pulled them out of my oven and they are the most amazing burger buns ive ever seen! Just had to tear off an edge and try. So soft and yummy. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I use so many recipes off your site now, these are another regular ;-)
Great recipe chef! I use this recipe well.....like every time I need burger buns. It wasn't until today that I tried doing it with whole wheat flour, following your advice and techniques, they turned out awesome! PS. Every time I shape my buns, lol, I find myself singing "I like big buns and I cannot lie!" Oh ya....and I put oats on top not sesame and it was more like 2:1 whole wheat to white flour. Thank you chef for this awesome recipe! MUAH!
My family loves these hamburger buns! Every Chef John recipe I have tried, comes out perfect! Thank you so much!
Hello Chef John!! I need to make around 40 buns. How do you recommend me to proceed? Can I double the recipe to make 16 instead of 8 or should I just make one batch at a time?
Thank you!!
Yes, u can double!
And i left so many Euros in the supermarket for bad buns...
It's so easy and they taste great.
Thx Chef
Hmm not sure if I'm posting this twice. I got a weird error.
Do you know the weight of each bun? I think weighing will be easier since I want to triple the recipe.
Hi Chef,
Thanks for these great videos. You really inspire us with cooking ideas. i have one issue regarding the baking stage at very end. when i put them in the oven the will not rise though my dough just looks like yours. can you please advice when baking in 375F in the oven do i have to put on the bottom first for a few mins or up and bottom together.
Thanks
Hemin
Hi John,
we really love your buns, but everytime we bake them they become a little to soft. Can you please tell us how we can get the a little harder?
Best
Steve
You can't! This is a soft bun recipe. You'd need something more like a hard roll recipe.
Hi John,
many thanks for your quick reply. Can you recommend a hard roll recipe (of your own?) which is nearly as awesome as your soft bun one?
Best
Steve
can i use bread flour instead of all purpose flour?
I'm sure you can!
Hello chef John, thank for the wonderful recipe, i made this burger twice and those come out perfect, i just use hand to kneading the dough in about 10 minutes, now i can make the buns every time, i don't made any changes just according the recipe, this is really great recipe ever for the burger bun.
Hello chef John, thank for the wonderful recipe, i made this burger twice and those come out perfect, i just use hand to kneading the dough in about 10 minutes, now i can make the buns every time, i don't made any changes just according the recipe, this is really great recipe ever for the burger bun.
These look delicious! A quick question - salted or unsalted butter?
I am in the process of making these right now. my buns are in the final rising stage may not use them until tomorrow but im glad I found a bun recipe that looks nice in raw form... btw do you think this dough would work well for hot dog buns? my family eats hotdogs like they are going out of style and I've been trying to find a good bun recipe for them for years.
Hey Chef!
Made these buns several times now and they have been great. Even better than great :)
I just seem to have one small problam while doing them. At first the dough rises as it should and gets fluffy and nice but after making them into buns and letting them rise for the second time, there is not much rising going on. What could be the problem? Done exactly as in the video.. cheers!
my buns are getting very hard few minutes after taking out of oven .. what to do
Hey Chef John,
I love this recipe... It's great for steak-buns, pull-apart buns, and general-purpose rolls too. I cut the sugar by a factor of three, skip the salt (low sodium diet), and use a mix of whole wheat (226g) and white flour (226g)... They turn out great every time.
Thanks so much :-)
Chef John--
What a great recipe. Turned out great! Thank you very much. Since Food Network went all game-show, you are my #1 source for what and how to cook.
rp
Long time viewer...first time commenter. I think.
Anyway, these were fantastic. After the first burgers, popped the extra buns in the freezer and have used them for breakfast sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and tonight's sloppy Joe's. Takes everything up a notch. So easy to make but the photos seriously impressed my friends. Bonus!
Hey, these recipe is great. These buns are delicious! This is the first time I prepared and it was not very nice shaped like yours at the video but when I took out of the oven I was WOW!... Amazing!
Thanks for share with us and I'm sorry for my broke english. I'm a brazilian living in Japan.
Blessings!
Hey Chef, This recipe is great and the tutorial too. I had few times experience making breads but didn't result good enough...but this burguer buns recipe I made for the first time by hand (no mixer) and the dough wasn't perfect because I missed a little bit the proportions but even with those mistakes the buns came out great and delicious.
Thanks for sharing and I'm sorry for my english. I'm a brazilian living in Japan.
Blessings.
Hello everyone!
I'm trying this recipe right now and because I'm using the metric system I used 235 ml of water and 453 g of flour (type 550).
Can't wait to eeeeat the result! ;-)
Thank you chef for this recipe and the nice video!
I do not know what came out wrong with my buns :( when I did the sponge it was good, very fluffy, but then the dough did not rise nearly as much as yours. I did the bun shape nevertheless but is still not growing :'(
Next time just let it keep rising until it is at least doubled in size, before forming buns. Other than that, I'm not sure! Generally yeast won't die once they are going and the sponge is bubbly.
I've made these several times. they are my go to bun recipe.. today I'm going to bake them on my Weber charcoal grill.. Just because. o and PS my wife says I have a Man Crush on you. Guilty as charged... thanks Rick from Rochester NY
Can I prepare the dough and then put it in the fridge so that I could use it after around 3 days??
Working on a second batch of these beauties! I did cut the sugar back a little and was thoroughly pleased at the results the first time through. So far, this batch is looking as lovely as the first. The video was invaluable to help me achieve the correct dough consistency. A lovely recipe and video.
Hi...wonderful explanation... But i have a Qs? can I leave the dough to proof overnight because I don't have a machine nor the strengthen in my hands to do a kneading, but if I can do it, can I leave it outside or in the fridge due to the ingredients....Thanks a lot
I have some big chicken fried steaks that I want to put on sandwiches with lettuce/tomato/mayo. I think the buns would need to be oversized. Would I have to adjust the baking time (I am hoping I can just make 4 buns instead of eight using your recipe)?
This is a simple foolproof recipe for buns. I made it exactly as CJ; however, due to the major lack of a stand mixer I kneaded my dough with my hand. It's sticky in the beginning MN so i used a spoon to mix everything up, then knead with hand until I saw the window (for gluten). Then did everything as CJ and my buns turned out amazing.
Hello Chef John! I'm living in Italy... even though people here are serious about bread, I cannot find "Fleischmann's “RapidRise” Yeast", at least until now. What I did find so far is "Active Dried Yeast" (Brand: Colombo). May I use this one to get same results? Is there any other alternative yeast in Italy (Milan) that replaces the one you "recommend" (Fleischmann's “RapidRise” Yeast)? Should I use the one I have just following the 20min activating time as written on the package? Thank you for your great tutorial, veeeeeery nice! ; )
I made these and you are absolutely right... They are the BEST hamburger buns in the world...
Thanks a lot Chef...
Love from India...
This is a great hamburger bun recipe, Chef.
Since I'm lazy, I just switch on my mixer, toss in all ingredients one at a time (don't proof my yeast) and by the time I've cleaned up, it's finished kneading.
I then pop the mixer bowl (as is) in the oven set to dough-rise mode (40C with mist), and in 45 minutes it's done, I then form 10 buns (83 grams each) on two baking-sheet lined trays, sprinkle some flour on top, cover with plastic wrap, and pop the trays back in the oven set for dough-rise mode with mist for 45 minutes.
Fast, easy and delicious!
Seriously? These came out looking like something from a high-end artisanal bakery! What a success...hamburgers over a charcoal fire, served alongside your world famous macaroni salad...we felt no pain. Thanks for this awesome recipe. This has ruined store-bought buns for me from now on.
My dough came out extremely sticky, I added and added more flour yet same results, what did I do wrong?
My dough came out extremely sticky, I added and added more flour as you suggested yet I got the same results, what did I do wrong?
1 Pound = 2 Cups NOT 3 1/2 cups.
hello chef john, i hope you are having a good day.
first of all, thank you so much for the videos and the time and effort you put into each one.
i tried this recipe and everything went well, my dough was a bit too sticky so i had to adjust the flour. it doubled perfectly for the first resting. then i divided it exactly into 8 pieces by gram. but unfortunately my disks did not raise as well after an hour. so i ended up with slightly thin buns, thinner than the ones you made for sure. i was wondering if you could give some tips for the second resting phase.
thank you so much in advance.
Can I make these without salt?
HI Chef John, can butter be replaced with 3 tablespoon oil and more specifically Olive Oil?
Why the sugar? Isn't sugar used commercially to speed the rising process??
Oh my gosh, I just signed on here to say that these are the most excellent burger buns. They are exactly the right texture, ever so slightly crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, and they - as promised - held up beautifully to my meatball parmesan filling. Yes, even a wet filling did not turn the bun to mush... what a joy!
Some notes on the process: I used 3 1/2 cups as my measure, and my dough was just about right on the edge of being dry - wasn't as sticky as I expected, but ended up being perfectly smooth and silky after the kneading - so all's well. Next time to account for any irregularities with egg size and using volumetric flour measuring instead of weight, I'll withhold a 1/2 cup and add as needed. Just for control. As I said, today's resulting buns were perfect, but I want to make sure I replicate that same dough consistency every time.
I cooked mine for 15 minutes exactly, on a dark cookie sheet lined with sheet of parchment paper, not having a silpat, and that worked well.
Kudos, Chef John, once again. You have become my go-to when I want to perfect a recipe. Plus you have the sexiest knees in the business.
Just triest these amazing buns, and even with me Boeing sloppy enough to forget mixing in the efg with the dough they turned out amazingly beautiful and tasty. The new Challenge is keeping them away from the kids until the burgers are done
Hi Chef John, I cook for a group of 40-60 tree planters up here in Canada. I usually end up 6-10 x your recipes, and they always come out great. I have used a lot of your recipes including hamburger buns to keep them well fed. Thanks for your hard work! I have pictures if youre interested!
I tried this hamburger bread recipe yesterday and the bread tasted so good. They were a big hit with my family!
Made them today for supper tonight. Hubby and the teenager loved them. Printed the recipe and it will be my go to from now on.
Thanks for your recipe. Tried with nearly half the measurements and made 6 buns. They look so good,soft.
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