Homemade hamburger and hot dog buns are simple to make and transform the most casual meal into a whole new treat.
My husband and I have a favorite burger spot we visit whenever we can. The burgers there are exceptional—so good they stop conversation. It’s where our kids ask to go for birthdays and where we take friends visiting from abroad for a standout American meal.
Our go-to burger features a perfectly cooked beef patty, sautéed mushrooms, Emmenthaler cheese and white truffle aioli. Every ingredient is great, but what truly elevates it is the bun. The hamburger bun it’s served on makes a huge difference.
When was the last time you had a truly great sandwich that didn’t start with great bread?
We all know that excellent burgers and sandwiches begin with excellent bread. Yet when preparing these casual favorites at home, bread is often overlooked.
Homemade bread is straightforward to make. It usually requires just a few ingredients, some mixing, kneading, shaping, rising and baking. It’s not complicated, though good bread does require a fair amount of kneading—typically 10–20 minutes. A quality standing mixer removes that chore, since the mixer does the kneading for you.
I love my stand mixer. Before I had one, I baked a wide variety of things by hand—bread, tortillas, cakes, cookies—then one year my husband surprised me with my first KitchenAid. It felt extravagant and I still use it constantly. For bread baking, most of the time is hands-off: mix the dough, let it rise, shape it, let it rise again, and bake.
You can easily fit bread baking into a busy schedule. Mix the dough in the morning and let it rise in the refrigerator all day, then shape and bake in the evening. Or prepare dough at night and let it rise in the fridge overnight to bake in the morning.
If you’ve never been the bread-baking sort, this is the perfect recipe to try.
The difference between homemade buns and typical store-bought ones is dramatic. Homemade buns turn an ordinary meal into something special.
If you don’t own a stand mixer, bread baking is a great reason to invest in one. I recommend a professional-grade, 6-quart model to handle larger batches and the demands of kneading. If you’d rather not buy a mixer, hand-kneading is perfectly doable and even therapeutic.
Don’t be discouraged by the length of the instructions below—there’s detail to help ensure success. Read through once, then jump in. You’ll be surprised how easy and rewarding it is to bake delicious homemade hamburger and hot dog buns. Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Hamburger and Hotdog Buns
12
Homemade hamburger and hot dog buns are simple to make and transform the most casual meal into a whole new treat.
Ingredients
- 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup powdered milk
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups room temperature water (70–75°F)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash (optional)
- Sesame seeds or poppy seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl), combine both flours, powdered milk, sugar and yeast. Whisk to blend. Mix the beaten egg into the water and pour into the flour. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low (speed 2) until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass, about 1 minute. If mixing by hand, stir with a wooden spoon or your hands. Cover the bowl and let rest 20 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.
- After resting, knead the dough. With the mixer’s dough hook on low (speed 2), knead for at least 10 minutes, adding the melted butter a bit at a time and alternating with the salt. Each addition may cause the dough to break apart—allow it to knead until it forms a cohesive ball before adding more. If kneading by hand, work the butter and salt into the dough, then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10–15 minutes. Knead until the dough is soft, supple and tacky but not sticky. If the dough is dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the correct texture.
- Grease a large bowl and transfer the dough into it. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 1½–2½ hours, until doubled. Rise time will vary with room temperature. For a longer, slower rise, refrigerate the dough up to 12 hours and bring to room temperature before continuing.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the doubled dough out onto a flat surface and divide into 12 even pieces.
- To shape hamburger buns: form each piece into a smooth ball by stretching the dough and pinching the bottom to seal. Place on the baking sheet and gently press to flatten into discs.
- To shape hot dog buns: form each piece into a ball, seal the edges, then roll into an oblong torpedo shape. Space the rolls evenly on the baking sheets. If they shrink slightly, gently stretch the ends to shape.
- Loosely cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 60–90 minutes, until nearly doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. If desired, brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake one sheet at a time for 15–17 minutes, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 180°F. Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before slicing.
- Fresh bread is best the day it’s made but will keep airtight at room temperature up to 3 days. Freeze individually wrapped buns for up to 2 months.
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