Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe • The Prairie Homestead (2024)

83 Comments | Jill Winger | Last Updated: June 13, 2023

It’s 2ºF outside and here I am making homemade hamburger buns…

By the time some of you find this recipe, we’ll be deep into summer and you’ll have stumbled upon this post after searching for a homemade bun option for your upcoming BBQ.

But we’re not BBQing here at the moment. The grill is buried under snow and everything outside is frozen. The pick-up truck door was frozen shut the other day. And the poo is frozen to the ground. And the water hoses? Forget about it… Everything just feels harder in the winter time.

Anyway, enough whining– let’s talk burgers. I realize hamburgers aren’t typical January fare, but I just submitted my cookbook manuscript for its first round of edits (more to come on that soon. Eeek!), and dang it! I just felt like burgers. The problem is we are bun-less, and I can’t really justify driving 40+ miles just for buns, celebration or not.

Thankfully, homemade burger buns take less than 15 minutes of hands-on time, and taste a million times better than storebought. I’ve tried a number of recipes over the years and they often felt a bit lacking. They were too dry, or too bready, or too crumbly, or whatever. But this recipe is perfection, my friends. These buns are soft and fluffy with the perfect crumb, not to mention they are show-stopping gorgeous! Who cares about pretty buns? Well, I do. Who wants to eat an ugly bun? No one, that’s who.

Slide a hamburger patty between one of these babies and you’ll be a burger rockstar, and if burgers aren’t your jam, try them with the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork instead.

Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe

Makes 8 buns

(Adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm milk (100ºF)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup granulated whole cane sugar (I use this sucanat)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (I use this one)
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (where to purchase)
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
• Sesame seeds (where to purchase)

Instructions:

Combine the milk and yeast in a mixing bowl (this one’s my favorite) and stir until dissolved. Mix in the sugar, butter, and egg, then add the salt and flour.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Set aside in a warm place to rise in a covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes.

Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal balls. Press each ball into a 3-inch circle. Rise for 30 minutes, or until the buns are round and puffy. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. These are best if eaten within 1 to 2 days of being made– store leftovers in an airtight container.

(P.S. If you want to try your hand at making 100% whole wheat hamburger buns, here’s a recipe for that.)

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