When the urge for hamburgers strikes…
… You just gotta heed the call. And when you live 45+ miles from the grocery store (and don’t really care for the ingredients list on store-bought buns anyway) hamburger cravings usually necessitate homemade buns of some sort.
I’ve been making homemade hamburger buns for a while now– both with unbleached white flour and whole wheat flour. Usually I get a bit skittish about feeding whole wheat bread products to guests, since such recipes can end up being dry and crumbly. But these buns are an exception to my rule! They have just the right texture that make them a pleasure to eat–without feeling like you’re eating a mouthful of cardboard.
(The recipe contains affiliate links.)
Honey Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil (If using coconut oil, select the refined kind that doesn’t taste like coconuts)
- 1/4 cup honey (This is my favorite source for raw honey.)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)
- 2 to 3.5 cups of whole wheat flour (see note below) (like this brand)
- Sesame seeds or rolled oats (optional–for garnish–only really necessary if you are trying to take pretty pictures for a blog…)
In a small saucepan, gently heat the honey, butter, and milk over low heat until the butter is just slightly melted. Don’t boil or simmer this mixture– you want it just barely warm.
Place the yeast in a mixing bowl. Check the temperature of the honey/milk mixture. It should be warm, but not the slightest bit hot. If you put your finger in the mixture and it’s even the tiniest bit uncomfortable, allow it to cool down to around 100 degrees before adding it to the yeast. Otherwise, you’ll end up with dead yeast and flat buns.
Mix the lukewarm honey/milk mixture into the yeast and stir well. Add the egg and salt. Gradually add in the flour, mixing and kneading as you go.
I add flour very cautiously, as it is easy to add too much. Too much flour results in dry, crumbly buns.
Once the dough gets to the point where it is forming a ball, but is still pretty sticky, I let it rest for 2-3 minutes. The whole wheat flour tends to soak up more liquid as it sits, so giving it a few minutes allows the flour to soak up liquid and prevents you from adding too much. After this resting period is complete, I go back in and add more flour if needed.
I like my whole wheat dough to be slightly stickier than my white flour doughs–not so much that it is goopy and sticking to my fingers, but just slightly “tacky.” I’ve found that if I keep adding flour until it’s perfectly smooth (like white flour dough), the end product is often too dry.
Knead 6-7 minutes, adding flour as needed. Cover the dough ball and allow it to rise in a warm place for one hour.
Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 8 portions (12 if you like smaller buns). Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten it. (I flatten mine right on my baking stone, which is what I will bake the buns on.) You could also use a baking mat or a piece of parchment paper.
I flatten mine so they are pretty close to the size I want my finished buns to be– during the rising process, they will mostly rise up, not out.
Cover the dough circles and allow them to rise 30 minutes in a warm place.
Bake at 375 degrees in a preheated oven for 12-18 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure you aren’t overcooking them–golden brown is good, hockey pucks are not. 😉
A minute or two before they come out of the oven, you can brush them with melted butter and sprinkle on some sesame seeds or rolled oats. This isn’t necessary, but definitely makes for a pretty end product.
These buns are best if served on the same day they are made– and they are splendid with my favorite homemade burger recipe or as a sandwich bun too!
Notes:
- I usually use organic hard white wheat flour (like this) for this recipe–it’s a bit more mild than hard red wheat. However, feel free to play around with a variety of flours–you could even use white flour or a mixture of whole wheat and white.
- You can use water in place of the milk, but usually use milk since it creates a softer bun.
- I have not tried making this recipe with gluten-free flours.
Honey Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil (If using coconut oil, select the refined kind that doesn’t taste like coconuts)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)
- 2 to 3.5 cups of whole wheat flour (see note below) (like this one)
- Sesame seeds or rolled oats (optional–for garnish–only really necessary if you are trying to take pretty pictures for a blog…)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, gently heat the honey, butter, and milk over low heat until the butter is just slightly melted. Don’t boil or simmer this mixture– you want it just barely warm.
- Place the yeast in a mixing bowl. Check the temperature of the honey/milk mixture. It should be warm, but not the slightest bit hot. If you put your finger in the mixture and it’s even the tiniest bit uncomfortable, allow it to cool down to around 100 degrees before adding it to the yeast. Otherwise, you’ll end up with dead yeast and flat buns.
- Mix the lukewarm honey/milk mixture into the yeast and stir well. Add the egg and salt. Gradually add in the flour, mixing and kneading as you go.
- I add flour very cautiously, as it is easy to add too much. Too much flour results in dry, crumbly buns.
- Once the dough gets to the point where it is forming a ball, but is still pretty sticky, I let it rest for 2-3 minutes. The whole wheat flour tends to soak up more liquid as it sits, so giving it a few minutes allows the flour to soak up liquid and prevents you from adding too much. After this resting period is complete, I go back in and add more flour if needed.
- I like my whole wheat dough to be slightly stickier than my white flour doughs–not so much that it is goopy and sticking to my fingers, but just slightly “tacky.” I’ve found that if I keep adding flour until it’s perfectly smooth (like white flour dough), the end product is often too dry.
- Knead 6-7 minutes, adding flour as needed. Cover the dough ball and allow it to rise in a warm place for one hour.
- Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 8 portions (12 if you like smaller buns). Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten it. (I flatten mine right on my baking stone, which is what I will bake the buns on.) You could also use a baking mat or a piece of parchment paper.
- Cover the dough circles and allow them to rise 30 minutes in a warm place.
- Bake at 375 degrees in a preheated oven for 12-18 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure you aren’t overcooking them–golden brown is good, hockey pucks are not.
- A minute or two before they come out of the oven, you can brush them with melted butter and sprinkle on some sesame seeds or rolled oats. This isn’t necessary, but definitely makes for a pretty end product.
- NOTE: I usually use organic hard white wheat flour for this recipe–it’s a bit more mild than hard red wheat. However, feel free to play around with a variety of flours–you could even use white flour or a mixture of whole wheat and white.
- NOTE: You can use water in place of the milk, but usually use milk since it creates a softer bun.
WhenPigsFry says
I think those are the best looking homemade burger buns I’ve ever seen! And now I’m hungry for a big juicy burger off the grill.
Meagan says
Yum! Can you freeze these? Have you frozen these ever?
Kristen says
Good question! I am wondering the same thing. These sound amazing!
Heather MacKenzie says
On my 2nd batch! They really are the best WholeWheat buns I have made.
RWHemme says
I’m sure you could. People freeze bread dough all the time, and freeze baked bread. I don’t see how this would be any different ???
Steinamo says
When you freeze bread, place it inside of a paper grocery bag first. This keeps the bread from forming ice and becoming freezer burnt.
Bonnie says
I always freeze them. They stay perfect and thaw very quickly.
Joy says
Thank you so much for this recipe Jill, I’ve been really needing a good hamburger bun recipe. Without one I usually revert back to bread ends for my hubby. Won’t he be delighted when I serve GOOD buns with our burgers, joes, etc. 🙂
Tracy says
How you ever used this recipe to make loaf bread, sandwiches? Or do you have a recipe that you use for that?
FarmerMike says
I made this recipe as soon as I received the e-mail, today. It is an excellent bun recipe. I did use equal parts of white and whole wheat flour. For my personal tastes, I’ve learned that I am not happy with rolls made with 100% whole wheat flour so I went with what I know. My oven has a “proof” setting and I used it, but have to say it took much longer to rise than suggested in your original recipe. Not a problem as I had lots of time.
They turned out very well and have a wonderful flavor and texture. Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe.
FarmerMike says
Forgot to mention, I did use the coconut oil rather than butter.
Darlene says
Coconut Honey Pumpkin Bread
I absolutely love this recipe and so do all who attend my church. I changed the recipe just a little. I treated 1 cup of craisins the same as raisins by soaking in hot water and then coating them with a bit of the flour called for in the recipe and added them at the end. Superbe!!!
Thank you
Carly says
Am I correct in assuming this is calling for instant yeast?
Thanks!
Jill Winger says
Yes. 🙂
Holly (Your Gardening Friend) says
Thanks, Jill. One of my goals this year is to make homemade bread – for the first time ever! 🙂
Stoney Acres says
Great looking recipe! We are now making 100% of our own bread so of course we are making buns now too. Homemade is soooo much better than the store bought rolls! Thanks for a new recipe idea!
ball says
thanks for this nice information.I like to eat Hamburger.
Kristi says
I am just diving into milling since my hubby bought me a mill for an early anniversary present (raw milk is next on the list). I only had hard white so that is what I used. I did notice that after an hour it hadn’t doubled in size. It had risen but since it was already late I didn’t have extra time to let it sit. Nevertheless the buns came out delicious but I’m wondering what I did wrong with the first rise. Any suggestions?
Jen says
I just stumbled on this recipe and I’m making these today. But to your comment Kristi, I have stone countertops and they suck all the heat from my breads so I now let my bread rise in a slightly warmed oven. Its a huge help– no drafts, no kids peeking. And it’s a dramatic difference with the rise that I get. I also find that the humidity on a given day affects my bread too so using the oven takes care of that as well.
Jessi says
For a lighter recipe, I used half the oil and honey. My husband could barely detect a difference in a blind taste test.
Jill Winger says
Good tip Jessi!
Sandy says
I made these with organic hard red wheat n oh my! They were fabulous! People tried to tell me they weren’t homemade (giggle.) Lumnah Acres keeps recommending ur cookbook n this recipe just sealed it 4 me, ThanQ
Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says
Yay! That’s so awesome to hear!
Megan says
hello!! This is a GREAT recipe my family loves it! Have you ever doubled or tripled the batch? I have a party coming up and was wondering if it doubles well? Thank you, love your blog!
Jill Winger says
Yes– I’ve doubled it with success! 🙂
Kelly says
Made these today for the first time and they are perfect! Decided to experiment so I made another batch of dough and made a loaf of bread from it! It’s amazing! Didn’t change the recipe at all…baked bor 35 mins
PatsyT says
Just made these. Followed the recipe exactly. Turned out perfect!
Preethi says
I was so inspired after I went through your post that I immediately made a batch since I already had all ingredients ready. Also added a tsp of poppy seeds. They are just out of the oven and smell amazing!!. God bless you for this wonderful recipe.
Jill Winger says
I like the poppy seed idea!
Adel says
Found this today and did a triple batch for a lunch I’m hosting tomorrow. I’m used to using white whole wheat flour for everything, but only had stone-ground available, so I was a little concerned they’d be heavy. I used a little over 1 cup white flour to finish kneading. I used powdered soy milk because that’s what I had on hand, and if used 1/3rd the amount of honey. I was amazed how nicely they popped up in the oven! I’m eating one now–yummy! So light and fluffy! Why doesn’t my homemade bread turn out to nice??
Adam Brown says
This recipe is utterly perfect. I had some leftover pulled pork but no bread, so I just tried it and got eight perfectly risen, fluffy, delicious buns. I appreciate your note about adding flour cautiously. I have less experience working with whole wheat flour than with strong white bread flour, so I started with 2 cups and monitored the consistency, gradually adding more (I ended up using all 3.5 cups, incidentally, but I think that adding flour gradually aided the kneading and helped build the gluten structure better). For the second rise, I left the buns covered for 45 minutes rather than 30 because I love what yeast does to the flavor of bread. I also brushed the tops of the buns with a beaten egg because, well, an egg wash is a beautiful thing. I sprinkled sesame seeds on them while the egg was still wet, and I found that they didn’t burn in the oven. The bake took about 16 minutes in all, which left them just baked—perfectly soft. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll certainly use it again when it’s time for burgers (which I’m sure will be soon, as it’s summertime and I live in Texas, which loves its beef).
Jill Winger says
I’m thrilled the recipe was a success for you, Adam! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
Monique Morvant says
I’ve made these twice without changing the recipe at all (except the second time I did them in my stand mixer) and both times they were absolutely delicious! As a matter of fact, they were so good I was wondering if this recipe could also be made into sandwich bread in a loaf pan?
Ryan says
I like this recipe a lot. I’ve had some difficulty with burger buns in the past. It’s so easy to buy buns that it’s tough to find something that’s worth making. These were easy enough that they’re not frustrating, and the flavor and texture is perfect. I took some videos and made some little adjustments and stored my own version here: https://craftlog.com/us/cooking/honey-whole-wheat-burger-buns-33BJm
Naomi Martin says
Just made this recipe and it was a huge hit with the family! Made the burgers way more filling too. My buns might have been a little dense because the house is cool and so I am not sure the second rise was complete when I baked them.
Thank you for the recipe and all the details, they really helped me be successful!
Charlotte Moore says
Just took these from the oven a few minutes ago. I did smaller buns and a few small bread sticks. Made one small personal size pizza to see how that would work. I cooked all of them and am anxious to see how my husband likes them. They are very soft. I grind my own wheat and used hard white.
Thanks for the recipes!
Alyssa Folk says
Does this recipe transfer into a loaf of bread well? Because the texture of these buns are perfect!
Kate says
Very good flavor – used milk and butter in my batch.
Santhi says
Hi, thanks for the awesome recipe!
My son is allergic to eggs. Can I make this recipe without egg?
Amanda Longpre' says
I believe (though I could be wrong) that vegans substitute applesauce for eggs in baking recipes 🙂 You might try that? Not sure on the ratio but in theory it works. You could also substitute flax seed as well in baking for eggs. I’m not vegan but had run out of eggs a time or two and the flax meal did work 🙂 I wouldn’t recommend using it for scrambled eggs though… 😉
Alice says
These were amazing! I used whole grain spelt flour, because that’s all I had ?
But other than that I followed the recipe exactly and the buns turned out perfect. Used them for veggie burgers and my kids and husband also loved them.