From Scratch Soft Burger Buns
These soft burger buns can be sized as needed for sliders up to large burgers! The best part is that you can use this recipe for soft rolls too!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm milk
- 2 teaspoon yeast
- 4 cups + 2-4 tbsp all purpose flour (or bread flour)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon raw honey (or white table sugar)
- 1 large egg
- drizzle of olive oil to knead dough before rise
For On Top of the Buns
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat milk on medium-low heat until warm to the touch but not hot (you should be able to dip your finger in past your cuticle and feel warmth but not hot). Remove from heat and add yeast. Stir in and let sit for about 10 minutes to activate (if you're using instant yeast you can skip the activation stage and pour milk on top of all other ingredients, including yeast).
- While the milk heats, in a large mixing bowl, add flour and cut in butter. I just use my fingers and rub it in until it’s evenly incorporated to feel like sand. Add salt, honey, egg and combine.
- Add yeast milk and mix with a fork or bread hook if using a mixer. I start using my hands at this point to mix together and begin kneading. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and continue kneading. If it's so sticky that it doesn’t come away from your hands then add a little flour. It will still be a tad tacky and not dry to the touch and that’s okay. Spray a large bowl with olive oil and add dough. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.Tip: It's best to let dough take its time to rise at room temperature or super low heat, don't rush it. But, if your room is fairly cold you can heat your oven to the lowest temp (usually around 170°F), turn it off, then let your covered dough rest in the oven while rising. This does rush the process and it's not the preferred method but works well.
- Remove dough from the bowl onto a lightly oiled or floured work surface. Tip: You can also just break off pieces 1 at a time and form them in your hands and no flour or oil needed.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cut dough into 10 equal portions (8 for large buns). Remove 1 portion at a time, leaving the rest covered. Roll the dough into a ball and stretch the dough gently from top to the bottom and roll the ball in your palm to seal the bottom smooth. This is to create a smooth surface because if it's bumpy now, that's how the end product will look. (Think about the motion of rolling/folding 2 socks together).
- Lightly spray a cookie sheet (12 x 15 inches) with olive oil (or use parchment paper), and place dough balls 2-3 inches apart in pan. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and press down to help them stick as well as flatten the buns a bit. Cover and let rise, even for 5 minutes.If you're making rolls, use a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Using a glass pan helps because you can check the bottom of the rolls to make sure they’re browning. If they’re undercooked they’ll taste yeasty! Cover and let rise for a few minutes.Bake on middle rack for 22-25 minutes.
- Adding butter is optional- melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Brush onto rolls immediately out of the oven and let rest to cool before cutting them in half for burgers. Store in an airtight glass bowl or Ziploc bag to help keep them soft. They will store well for about 4 days before starting to dry out.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!