With grilling season right around the corner, you may find yourself trying to make that perfect burger. Unfortunately, even the best burger will be held back by a thin, bland, unimpressive bun. With this how-to, I’m showing you how to make great hamburger buns at home. Best of all, you won’t need any fancy equipment to do it.
The only ingredient you may not have on hand is instant yeast. At most, you probably have a packet of active dry yeast laying around, somewhere. You can use active dry, but you’ll want to proof it in warm water beforehand. If you don’t have either, I highly recommend getting some instant yeast. It doesn’t require proofing, and lasts for quite a while in the fridge.
Other than ingredients, you’ll want to mind your technique and patience. You’ll be working with dough, and a somewhat sticky one at that. I consider this easy as far as dough goes, but it’s possible to lose patience and mess up this or that. If you find yourself floured, doughy-handed and frustrated, know that this (and other doughs) only get easier the more you make them.
While you don’t need any special equipment to make these, I highly recommend using a bench scraper. It’s great for both cutting the dough, as well as scraping sticky dough off a work surface; the latter point makes sticky doughs infinitely more tolerable.
If you like this how-to for homemade hamburger buns, check out my burger-friendly recipe for loco moco.
Ingredients
For the dough:
12 ounces all-purpose flour, about 2 1/2 cups, 340 grams
2 tsps instant yeast*, 7 grams
1 tsp kosher salt, 6 grams
2 Tbsps sugar, 31 grams
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted, 41 grams
5 ounces water, 141 grams
For the egg wash:
1 large egg, beaten
A splash of milk or water
Makes 8 medium hamburger buns
Preparation
Combine the dry ingredients, then set aside. Mix the wet ingredients, then add to the dry. Mix until mostly combined, then turn out onto a floured work surface.
Knead for 6-8 minutes, adding flour as necessary**, until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. Once kneaded, add to a large lightly-oiled bowl, cover and let rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size***.
Deflate the risen dough with your hands, then turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Form into a rectangle about half an inch (1.27 centimeters) thick. Cut into eight equal pieces, then form the pieces into balls by folding the top of each piece downward until the top becomes smooth.
Place dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 2-1-2 order (see image for reference). lightly flour the tops of the dough, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size and the pieces of dough are touching.
Brush the buns with an egg wash, then bake at 375 f (190 c) for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. If using sesame seeds, add after the egg wash but before baking.
Notes
* If you’re using active dry, you’ll want to proof the yeast in warm water beforehand. Mix the other dry ingredients, then add the proofed yeast and 5 ounces of warm water along with the other wet ingredients. Be sure to use the called-for water as the proofing water.
** You’ll probably need more flour, so don’t be afraid to add it. That said, always add a small amount and see what happens before adding more.
For reference, the dough should be sticky enough to leave only a small amount on your hands. If a large amount stays on your hands, or it’s aggressively sticking to your work surface, add more flour.
*** This will take less time in warmer conditions, and more time if it’s colder.
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