Any excuse we can find to light up the charcoal and grill for dinner, you better believe we are going to take it. Lately, my husband has been working on perfecting burgers. (And if I may chime in, they are pretty spot on.) The next thing to take them up a notch is homemade hamburger buns, which is where I come in.
I’ve tried out a few recipes, had some friends test them out for us, and these are the winners! With only a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can make these for all of your summer barbecues!
Let’s jump right into the how-to. I use active dry yeast for my breads. Unlike instant yeast, it has to be activated before mixing it into the dough. To do this, whisk together the warm water (about 110 degrees), yeast, and sugar and then let sit for about 5 minutes. As the warm water activates the yeast and it feeds on the sugar, you will notice the mixture become foamy on top. This is good! If your yeast doesn’t look like this, try again and make sure the water is the correct temperature. If that fails, replace your yeast and then try again.
While the yeast is waking up, stir together the flour, chunks of room temperature butter, a beaten egg, and salt in a medium size bowl.
Once the yeast is ready, pour it into the flour mixture and stir until everything is loosely combined. Pour the contents out on the counter and knead the mixture until it is smooth, elastic, and soft. This will take several minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add extra flour a little bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you could also use that method to mix the dough.
Form the dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Quick tip: I like to let my dough rise in either the microwave or oven. I keep the microwave or oven turned off, but place a measuring cup of hot water in as well to create a cozy environment for the dough to rise. Try it out next time!
Once the dough has doubled in size, it is time to shape it into buns. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto your working surface. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half. Cut each half into 5 equal sections, weighing about 2.5 to 3 ounces each. To shape the bun, fold any edges down and tuck them under with your fingers until the dough is round. Then, gently roll until smooth. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and gently pat down until about 3 inches wide. Leave about 2 inches of space around each bun to allow for rising. Once finished, you should have 10 equally shaped buns. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. After the buns have risen, gently brush them with melted butter. Then, gently brush them again with an egg wash. (Whisk together 1 egg and about a teaspoon of water to make an egg wash.) The butter will add flavor and the egg will add a nice golden brown color to the buns. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden. After baking, brush the buns once more with a clean brush and melted butter. This will add more flavor and a lovely shine. Let the buns cool on a wire cooling rack. Slice horizontally with a serrated knife only when ready to serve.
These truly are a delicious addition to your meal. Make them for burgers, pulled pork, BBQ, grilled chicken, clubs… whatever type of sandwich you prefer! Instead of making regular sized buns, you could also divide the dough into smaller pieces and use as sliders or rolls. So many fun options. I hope you enjoy!
Anna
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Made from scratch and full of flavor, these buns are sure to make your burger dreams come true.
Source: The Little Blue Mixer
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 hr 30 min
Cook Time: 18 min
Total Time: 2 hr 48 min
Yield: 10 buns
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 cup water 110 degrees
- 1⁄4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 3 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter softened and diced
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- Topping
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 egg
Directions
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the warm water (about 110 degrees), yeast, and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, butter, egg, and salt.
- Once the yeast is ready, pour it into the flour mixture and stir until loosely combined. Turn the contents out onto the counter and knead for several minutes until smooth, elastic, and soft. If the dough is too sticky, add extra flour slowly until you reach the desired consistency. Form the dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Once doubled, punch down the dough and turn it out onto your working surface. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half. Cut each half into 5 equal sections, each weighing about 2.5 to 3 ounces. To shape, fold the edges down and tuck under until round. Gently roll until smooth. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and gently pat down until 3 inches wide. Leave 2 inches between buns to allow for rising. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Gently brush each bun with melted butter. Then, gently brush again with an egg wash (whisk together 1 egg and a teaspoon of water). Bake for 18 minutes or until golden.
- After baking, brush the buns once more with a clean brush and melted butter. Let cool on a wire cooling rack. Slice horizontally with a serrated knife only when ready to serve.
- Enjoy!
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