soft homemade hamburger buns

one recipe for any method

This recipe works for buns by hand, in standing mixer, or the bread machine and it will give you super soft hamburger buns every time. There is also the option to do wheat buns by following the easy substitution method in the recipe below.

Choose the method that works best for you when making this bun dough, whether that be in a bowl on the counter top, in a standing mixer with the dough hook, or in a bread maker on the dough cycle. It might come down to the type of equipment you do or don’t have in your kitchen, which is why this recipe is great for anyone. If the bread maker is the method of choice, be aware you’ll have to form the bun shape by hand. The dough cycle of the bread maker just takes care of the mixing of ingredients, kneading and first rise. The recipe card at the bottom includes very detailed photos of what the process, and the dough should look like.

by hand

You can easily make soft, homemade hamburger bun dough using no equipment whatsoever, other than a bowl and spoon. Combine all the ingredients until a nice, sticky evenly combined dough has been formed. Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. The kneading time is important. You don’t want to under knead, because you’ll have tough buns. On the other hand, over kneading can overwork things and cause the finished baked product to be dry and dense. So keeping an eye on the time is a good idea when kneading by hand.

kneading bread dough by hand

Not sure if you’re kneading correctly? On a well floured surface, push the dough with the heel of your hand (the bottom of the palm), fold in half towards yourself, give a quarter turn, and push with the heel again. Repeat this process over and over until dough feels elastic and soft. Kneading dough is so easy, and almost therapeutic! Take a look at the short kneading video below to get a better picture of what kneading looks like:

in a stand mixer

Adding all the ingredients to a standing mixer, and letting the dough hook combine everything on the lowest setting is a simple way to get the mixing and the kneading done in one bowl. Make sure you scrape the bowl every so often until all of the ingredients are fully combined. Then, the dough can be covered, and let to rise in that same bowl. Because the dough is a little bit more aggressive than the by hand method of kneading, 6-8 minutes is a good time to let the dough hook knead.

in a bread machine on the dough setting

The most hands off method, and perhaps the most accurate when it comes to kneading and rising time, is in the bread machine on the dough cycle. All of the ingredients are thrown into the machine and set to the dough cycle, where they will be combined, kneaded and let to rise for the perfect length of time at the perfect temperature.

forming the burger buns

Forming the burger buns is a simple process. This recipe makes 8 buns. Dividing the dough into 8 equal parts at the beginning ensures that you come out with evenly sized buns. (If you have a kitchen scale, you could determine the exact weight of each one by dividing the entire dough weight by 8, and separating it into 8 equally heavy dough portions.) I find that eyeballing it works well every time. Start by getting the dough into one even oval. Divide the oval first in half, then those two halves into equal halves, and again to yield 8 equally portioned dough sections.

Without working the dough too much, pull every edge together underneath one side, pinching it together on the bottom, revealing a smooth, even top. Flatten it with your fingertips, gently. Work each portion into a flat, 4-5 inch discs and lie them on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. The recipe card below has more visual instructions on what this process looks like.

this bun recipe can be customized!

Another reason why this recipe is so great is it’s versatility. They are great left untouched and baked as is. However, you could choose to top with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, minced onion… you’re the boss here! They are also delicious brushed with melted butter. Brushing with a light egg wash before baking (which is just a beaten egg) will give you super golden, shiny bakery style looking buns.

Splitting the top before the second rise, so right after you place them on the baking sheet, gives a nice, tall split top bun. It also helps the dough to rise which means it’ll be slightly softer inside.

For additional information and how to make homemade bread of all shapes and loaf styles, check out my post on Bread for Beginners. It’s a super simple approach to homemade bread baking using one recipe for 3 different loaves, and visual instructions on how to make them!

However you like your burger buns, this recipe will definitely fit that need. Happy bun making!

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