Homemade Hamburger Buns

Learn how easy it is to make homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns from scratch. They’re delicious and a great addition to your summer BBQ!

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Creating This Brioche Hamburger Buns Recipe

A few weeks ago, I was really craving a BBQ hamburger. I had everything to make them for dinner, except the buns. And I don’t really like a burger without the bun to go with it. I thought, I’ve got some time to spare and I’m totally capable. I’ll just make the my own hamburger buns from scratch!

Now, you might be thinking: What kind of crazy person makes their own hamburger buns? Who has time for that?

Let me tell you. I used to think the same thing, but now I am totally hooked. I don’t think I’ll ever purchase hamburger buns at the grocery store again when I’ve got the craving for a BBQ dinner. No way. These taste so much better, and are likely better for you because you know exactly what’s going in them.

Even though that late afternoon I had some extra time, I didn’t have a ton of extra time to babysit yeast dough, so I turned to my favorite quick fix yeast breads book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

I’ve written about this book before when I made Caramel Pecan Brioche Rolls, Light Whole Wheat Baguette, and Totally Awesome Pizza at Home

Now, back to the crazy talk about who has time for this? That’s the great thing about this book’s dough method. You can make the dough a day or two ahead when you have time, and then just bake the buns the day of.

I’ve used the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day master recipe for Brioche Dough before when I made the Caramel Pecan Rolls. I really loved that dough’s flavor and workability so I knew I wanted to stick with that.

I did a quick search on their blog and found instructions for how to use the brioche dough to make some amazing homemade hamburger buns.

I substituted a portion of the flour for freshly ground whole wheat (I use a Nutrimill Grain Mill to grind my own hard white wheat for whole wheat flour) in my buns for a little extra nutrition. I like to do this as often as possible.

We really enjoyed this whole wheat hamburger bun recipe and have made it a few times. I hope you’ll give them a try next time you have a hamburger BBQ for dinner!

Ingredients in Brioche Hamburger Buns

If you’re nervous to make this brioche hamburger bun recipe, don’t be! The ingredients list is simple and I walk you through the baking process step-by-step in the recipe card below.

Here’s what you’ll need to make hamburger buns from scratch:

• Warm water
• Granulated yeast
• Kosher salt
• Eggs
• Honey
• Melted butter
• All-purpose flour
• White whole wheat flour

How to Make Brioche Hamburger Buns

Believe it or not, making hamburger buns from scratch is actually quite easy! Here’s an overview of the process:

1. Make the dough: Add the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, melted butter and water to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. Add the flours to the liquid mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
3. Let the dough rise: Cover the dough and let rest for 2 hours, at room temperature, or until doubled in bulk.
4. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill. After chilled, remove a 1 1/2 lb. portion of the dough.
5. Prep the hamburger buns: Divide the dough into six 3-ounce portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place each ball onto the parchment paper and press into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
7. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow the buns to rise for 20-40 minutes.
8. Brush the tops of each bun with the egg wash and then sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds, if desired.
9. Bake rolls at 350 degrees F until cooked through and golden brown.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can You Freeze Hamburger Buns?

Absolutely! Let the hamburger buns cool completely on your counter, then seal inside a freezer bag, label, and store for up to three months.

How to Defrost Hamburger Buns

For best results, I recommend setting the frozen brioche hamburger buns on your counter and letting them thaw that way. This will take around 20 minutes, but the texture of the buns will be best this way.

If you’re in a rush, you can gently warm the frozen hamburger buns in a 350F oven for roughly 5 minutes.

How to Toast Hamburger Buns

You have a few options when it comes to toasting hamburger buns. You can cut them in half and place them cut side down in a lightly oiled skillet, or you can place them cut side down on a grill just until lightly golden brown.

Toasting hamburger buns adds flavor and texture to them, and it also prevents them from becoming soggy once they come in contact with toppings like ketchup and mustard.

Tools Needed for This Recipe

This is a very straightforward recipe that can be made with just a bowl and a wooden spoon. However, there are a few extra tools I use to make the process even easier.

• Digital kitchen scale: Makes measuring out the dough easier and ensures that each bun is the same size.
• Pastry brush: Essential for brushing the egg wash on top of the hamburger buns.
• Parchment paper: Don’t bake the brioche hamburger buns on an unlined baking sheet, otherwise they’ll stick to it.
• Stand mixer: Not needed to make this easy recipe, but this is the mixer I use and I love it!

Tips for Making the Best Hamburger Buns

• This recipe makes 6 pounds of dough total, which will yield roughly 20 hamburger buns. The recipe card below explains how to make just 6 buns, but feel free to make the entire batch.
• If you don’t have whole wheat flour on hand, feel free to make this recipe using only all-purpose flour.
• Make sure your yeast hasn’t expired. If the yeast is too old or has gone off, the dough will not rise properly.

More Summer Cookout Recipes:

You can find all of my summer recipes here. Some of my personal favorites include:

Gouda Stuffed Burgers are the perfect burger to transition dinner time from warmer weather favorites to hearty, fall family meals.

Between the moist turkey meat, blue cheese crumbles, and mesquite barbecue sauce, these Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers are packed with a powerful punch of flavor and are perfect for any barbecue.

Smoked Pork Shoulder is a classic summertime BBQ recipe. Come check out my tried and true method for making Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork along with my 9 pro tips for the best smoked pork!

Fresh, summertime vegetables are tossed in pesto and balsamic and cooked with boneless pork chops in this Pork Chop Foil Dinner recipe.  

Mango Habanero Pork Ribs are full of flavor and perfect for your Memorial Day BBQ or your next summertime picnic.

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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Whole Wheat Brioche Hamburger Buns

Yield: 6 buns

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

I don’t think I’ll ever purchase hamburger buns at the grocery store again when I’ve got the craving for a BBQ dinner. No way. These taste so much better, and are likely better for you because you know exactly what’s going in them.

Print

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Brioche Dough

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 packets granulated yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 8 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups melted butter
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups freshly ground whole hard white wheat flour

Instructions

To Prepare the Whole Wheat Brioche Dough:

1. Dough is best prepared the day before.
2. Add the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, melted butter and water to a 5-quart bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the all-purpose and whole wheat flour to the liquid mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, or use a stand mixer with a dough attachment.
3. Cover the dough and let rest for 2 hours, at room temperature, until doubled in bulk. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill. After chilled, remove a 1 1/2 lb. portion of the dough. Store the remaining dough covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, otherwise you can freeze it in 1 lb. increments for up to 4 weeks.

To Prepare the Hamburger Buns:

1. Divide the 18 ounces dough into 6 three-ounce portions. A kitchen scale helps with this. Roll each portion into a ball.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place each ball onto the parchment paper and press into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Alternatively, for uniform buns, you can press each ball inside of greased English Muffin Rings.
3. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow the buns to rise for 20-40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Place the oven rack on the middle position.
4. Brush the tops of each bun with the egg wash and then sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds, if desired. Bake rolls at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Let cool before slicing in half and serving.

Notes

adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Sesame Seed Bun

Recommended Products

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  Baking Sheet
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  Parchment Paper
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  Digital Kitchen Food Scale
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  Wooden Spoon
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  Stand Mixer
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  Pastry Brush

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1165Total Fat: 54gSaturated Fat: 32gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 370mgSodium: 2054mgCarbohydrates: 144gFiber: 5gSugar: 24gProtein: 26g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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