Would you believe I’ve been writing here for three years? Three years! I can hardly believe it. So much has changed over these years both in the ‘real world’ and here at my home on the internet. We moved to an Amish farmhouse, grew a teenager out of a little boy*, saw the end of the diaper era in our home (and my teenager would appreciate it if I’d point out that it wasn’t him wearing diapers a mere three years ago.), published more than three hundred recipes here, learned a little bit about using a camera, and made a lot of great new friends.
*The fact that I have a teenager sends my brain reeling. It’s not because of the ‘fear of the teenage years’ because my teen is a really awesome human. What knocks me out is the fact that I’m old enough to have one. If you’ll pardon me just a moment, I’m going to go double over and hyperventilate for a bit.
Three years ago, I posted the recipe for my favorite homemade burger rolls. If you look at the old post, you’ll see what I mean about changes. And yet, with everything that has become different in one way or another, these buns have remained our favorite hamburger and sandwich roll for more than just my tenure here on the interwebs. They have the staying power of a recipe that will in all likelihood -judging by the prodigious quantities eaten at mealtime- be one my kids make when they’re out on their own. They are truly that good.
With Memorial Day weekend -and with it the start of “official” grilling season- starting in seventy-two hours, it is time to get busy with our best summer-esque, barbecue and grill friendly recipes. This one is going to be what elevates whatever you choose to serve, whether it be hamburgers, grilled chicken or ham sandwiches, or a sliced, ripe tomato with mayonnaise and a paper thin layer of Vidalia onion.
Because the old post was still in my “play with the format” era, I’ve updated the recipe here to use my handy-dandy, new-fangled printable recipes. The old post will remain up, crazy formatting and all, to keep the beautiful comments from people who have become great friends and to remind me of how far I’ve come.
If you’re into compare and contrast, you’ll notice that this recipe is nearly identical to my homemade hot dog buns. The hot dog buns are formed differently and brushed with buttermilk. And in the old post, I specified using a water/egg yolk wash before topping the buns. These days, instead of a water and egg yolk wash on the buns, I’ve changed to an egg-only wash. This is a matter of personal preference. I like my buns (heh) with a little richer colour to them and I think the egg-only wash does that better. Besides, I’m awful at saving and using single leftover egg whites, so this is a two-birds-with-one-stone moment. Birds? Eggs?*
*Clearly one thing that has NOT changed is my love of really bad jokes.
Homemade Hamburger Buns
Rate RecipeIngredients
Ingredients for the dough:
- 1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 6 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature, cut into pieces
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups bread flour You can substitute all-purpose flour if necessary.
- 3 tablespoons instant potato flakes
- 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten optional, but it improves the final texture.
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
To glaze the rolls:
- 1 large egg beaten well
Optional toppings;
- poppy seeds
- sesame seeds
- dehydrated garlic flakes or minced garlic
- dehydrated onion flakes or minced onion
- rosemary
- coarse salt
- caraway seeds
- coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
To mix dough in a bread machine:
- Put all dough ingredients in the pan. Program bread machine for the dough cycle and hit start.
To mix dough in a stand mixer:
- Put all dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 10 minutes, or until a smooth, elastic dough is formed. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours.
To mix dough by hand:
- Add all dough ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use a sturdy wooden spoon or your hand to stir until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 15 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours.
- To form rolls:
- Lightly grease an 11-inch by 13-inch baking sheet or line with a silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Divide dough into 3 equally sized pieces and form into logs.
- Divide each log into 4 equal pieces.
- Cup your hand over one piece at a time and roll in a clockwise motion until the surface of the roll is smooth and it has formed a tight ball.
- Transfer to the lined baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between rolls.
- Flatten gently with the palm of your hand, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brush the puffy dough generously with beaten egg and sprinkle with desired toppings.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
- Cool the rolls on a rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
To store leftovers:
- Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to two days. They can be wrapped tightly and frozen for storage up to a month.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!
This brings me to my giveaway. I’d like to give away a jar of my semi-demi-hemi famous Candied Jalapenos to two readers here plus one to a Facebook or Twitter follower. (Speaking of things that make burgers and sandwiches better…) It’s a two-birds-with-one-stone moment, too.
Reader's Thoughts...
Chrissi says
I stumbled across this recipe looking for hamburger buns that use bread flour. I had everything except the vital wheat gluten so I decided to give it a try. I managed to find some sesame seeds to sprinkle the buns with before baking.
Did I forget to mention that I ground up some sirloin, chuck, & rib eye? The buns were amazing! Hubby told me that this was the best combination I’ve made from scratch in a long time! Thanks for sharing the recipe. This one is definitely a keeper 🙂
Marguerite V. says
My family loves these rolls. I, too, don’t buy burger rolls anymore. And,they are so easy to make. I was making them today to freeze for Thanksgiving sandwiches, when I noticed that I used water in place of the milk. Since my family would taste any changes, I decided to make a loaf of bread from the dough made with water and make a new batch with the milk. I formed the dough into an italian bread shape and baked it for 30 minutes. It was delicious. I had to hide it so we didn’t eat the whole loaf tonight.
Thanks for some wonderful recipes, my family and I love them.
Joan says
These are absolutely the best burger/sandwich buns! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store bought rolls again! Love them with the topping of sea salt and minced dried onions.
Melinda says
I just found your blog by google-ing homemade hotdog and hamburger buns! I am excited to add it to my list of frequently used recipe blogs and try these out. I do have a question, and forgive me if you’ve already answered this. A lot. But I was wondering about the mat that I’ve seen in your pictures. Is it a silicone baking mat? And if so, does it really work as well as parchment or would you only use it for things like breads? I have been trying to decide if it worth getting one. Or two. Thanks for the info and thank you for sharing your wonderful talent of recipe wonderfulness with all of us out on the internet!
Rebecca says
Hi Melinda!
That is a silpat baking mat. I absolutely, unequivocally recommend having a couple of these handy. I love them. Madly. I use it for candy making, too, around the holidays. It’s significantly easier to remove once molten sugar from them than from anything else. And thank YOU for being so sweet!
Isaac says
I made these for a barbecue last weekend. I altered it by making each bun 1-1/2 times bigger to hold a bigger patty. They turned out perfect the first time! The texture was great – light yet substantial enough to hold up to the burger. I’ve even been using the left-overs for toast in the mornings. Thank you for the recipe!
Cherie says
Well, I do believe I am a little late! LOL I just figured out this is actually an old post that I just stumbled upon. Maybe you will have another give away this year?? :o)
Cherie says
Me too… me too… me too!! My husband would go ape over those candied peppers. I am so very new to your site and have already fallen in love. As for what I’d like to see more of… ethnic recipes are great for something new. I love trying new recipes – I constantly tease my newlywed husband that he will never get bored with my dinners… never know what I’ll come up with next. Meanwhile, I just today told my in-laws I’d like to have a gathering for Memorial Day – your peppers would be perfect to surprise them.
Chrisi says
I saw these and thought about making them. I’ve ready things that have intimidated me about making my own hamburger or hot dog buns, so it was only a thought. Well, we were to have hamburgers for supper yesterday (hubby’s favorite) and we had used up our hamburger buns. I didn’t want to go to the store so I thought, this is a good time to try to make my own and I knew where to find the recipe. The dough is absolutely beautiful to work with and the finished product was beautiful (even though I forgot to brush them with egg). Hubby enjoyed them as a hamburger bun, and so did I. I even made his sandwich for lunch on one instead of bread. I rolled part of the dough to be used for hot dog buns for later. Thank you so much for sharing this, can’t believe I waited to try it.
Lynn says
I just would love some so my mouth can water and be really, really happy at the taste of sweet and hot, which is my favorite combination in the world. And I would make them last a long time so whenever my taste buds need a song I can eat one 🙂
I love your site just the way it is.
Kim in MD says
I stumbled upon your blog from your comment on PW’s site. First of all, congratulations on your win! Can I just say how jealous I am that you are going to the ranch? You must be so excited! That said, I am so excited to find your blog. Your recipes look amazing, and I love your sense of humor! I can’t wait to explore all of your recipes!
I bookmarked your candied jalapeno recipe, and then saw that you are giving a jar away! I would love to give a jar of this to my young daughter, who loves anything spicy! If I don’t win a jar (and probably even if I do), I am going to make this recipe as soon as my crop of jalapenos comes in this summer! The buns look scrumptious, too!
What would I like to see more of? Anything you create! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
CourtneyEliz says
Love the hamburger bun recipe. I’ve come to absolutely hate the store bought buns. I recently moved to Sweden and I can’t get a decent burger anywhere except out of my kitchen! Oh-and the cowboy candy looks wickedly addictive! I’d like to enter, and I figure they cant be shipped to Sweden and that is OK. Since I moved, my father doesn’t get any home made food anymore. I figure he is living off frozen pizza and I’d like to enter this as a present to him at home so he gets something special even though I’ve moved too far away now 🙂 We both love spicy food a little too much. I’m gonna have to make these for myself for sure..
Oh! I would love to see frugal delicious meal options/tips. I’m always looking for ideas since I’m newly married and we don’t have any money to spare! Trying to get my husband to learn to enjoy food as much as I do without breaking the bank! 🙂
Llamabean says
I love coming to your site and reading the great recipes and all the fun stories of your family. I think my favorite thing is seeing all the stuff you could buy at the store but choose to make from scratch instead. I can’t wait to try making candied jalapenos sometime but like others above need a benchmark to check them by!
The buns look delicious too and will be trying them soon this summer. Thanks!
Marlene says
I would love a jar of YOURS. I canned a batch last summer and wonder if they turned out the same. Well, that and the fact that I’m down to the last couple in my last jar and it will be quite awhile until jalapenos are in season here in Delaware.
Oh! And I drizzled some of the extra sauce onto a dish of Breyers Vanilla Bean ice cream – BEYOND DESCRIPTION!!!! I can’t wait to can more!
Ranee @ Arabian Knits says
Did I enter this already? If not, please enter me! I would love these. You know I would.
jenny says
My hubby would love these! i love DIY recipes that are better than you can buy at the store. Canning ones are great too!
Ed says
I have been CRAVING these ever since I first saw your recipe in my inbox. I live in a tiny apartment so cooking ANYTHING is a challenge, never mind canning anything. A friend of mine always does the cooking and invites me to try her latest discovery, but just once I’d like to surprise HER! I look forward to your wit and wisdom daily. Oh, and the recipes. Pesonally, I can’t think of a thing I’d change or add more of. I like things just they way they are. ( except a jar of those jalapenos sitting in my cupboard. Enough sucking up?) Jalapenos, PLEASE?!?
Aggie says
Wow, congrats on 3 years. It sounds like we started on almost the exact same time, mine is the first week in June. I love looking at old posts and seeing how far “we” (us bloggers) have come!
These buns look awesome. I don’t make bread often, but for some reason you have instilled some confidence in me and have me thinking I might be able to make these. They look so impressive. I would love to brag that I made them 😉
And the jalapenos…yes please!!
Cara M says
Yum! I first found your blog while I was searching for a candied jalapeno recipe, and these are da bomb!
I love the DIY recipes – buttermilk, yogurt, ricotta cheese, etc., but it’s all great. 🙂
Melissa says
Hoo-freaking-ray for three years. I don’t think I need to tell you how happy I am you started your page…
I do want to try these buns, but it will take a move to Dallas – PRE-finding a good bakery – for me to do so. I’ve told you, the ones I get right now from my local shop are so good that when I open the bag I just want to stick my face and there and breathe the aroma for a while. Now that’s good bread.
(though yours STILL look better!)
Anyway, I’d love a jar of your juh-la-puh-noze, even if I do already make ’em myself!
Rita says
I would love to win these! My boyfriend loves them. I like the variety of recipes you post. I wouldn’t mind seeing some more frugal recipes.