How to Make Homemade Hamburger Buns

Making hamburger buns from scratch is not hard (and lots better tasting) than varieties purchased from a store. If you have a bread machine or a stand mixer it is very easy to turn out delicious homemade hamburger buns. They can be made from your favorite bread or roll recipe – it is just a matter of how you mold them before baking. If you want light and feathery ones you might want to make them with white flour or a combination of white and whole wheat flour. I prefer a mixture of half white and half whole wheat. Fresh ground flour is always best if you have a grain mill or grinder. You will find that they are moister and have a lot more flavor and nutritional value.

To make one dozen buns, you need to start with a recipe for a two pound loaf of bread or uses approximately 4 ½ cups of flour. 

Here is my recipe that I have used for many years and is a family favorite. This recipe is for a bread machine or stand mixer (not intended for a hand mixer as it is too stiff and will burn up the motor). It can also be mixed by hand.

Place in order given in bread machine or stand mixer:

• 1 ½ cups of warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
• 1/3 cup of sugar (use ¼ cup if using all white flour)
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil or melted butter
• 4 ½ cups or all-purpose flour or bread flour (approximately)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon of instant active dry yeast (the kind that is meant to stir into flour)

(If you prefer to use active yeast that is meant to be dissolved in water, it works well too. Just dissolve 1 package or 1 Tablespoon of yeast in the water and sugar mixture and let it dissolve and rise before adding the oil and dry ingredients – about 10 minutes)
¼ cup powdered milk (optional – not necessary)

Mix on dough cycle if using a bread machine. Mix until the dough forms a ball that clings together and doesn’t stick to the bowl. The dough should be just firm enough that it doesn’t stick to your finger when touching it. However, if the dough is too stiff your bread will be dry.
 
Keep the dough covered and let rise until double in bulk – about 20 minutes.
 
When the dough is almost ready, heat your oven for about 3 minutes so that it is warm enough to let the dough rise well (turn oven off after 3 minutes as even the lowest warm setting will be to hot and kill the action of the yeast). This will help the dough to rise faster – any dough will do better if kept warm. Place your baking sheet (bakers half sheet works the best) in the oven to warm. Bring it out when the dough is ready and brush pan with butter, shortening or use non-stick spray. 

Rub your hands with butter and place dough on baking sheet. Divide dough into 4 pieces and then divide each one if these into 3 pieces so that you have 12 equal sized pieces of dough. 

Form each piece into bun shape by holding it in your hands and folding the top edge over and press to back of each piece turning as you go. When piece is formed into a flat circle, place on baking sheet and continue until you have 12 nicely formed pieces – you may need to keep greasing your hands if dough starts sticking to your skin. 

Brush the tops of each piece with melted butter, etc. and then flatten each piece of dough with your hand. This will give them the shape that you want for hamburger buns. Place in warm oven to rise for 20 minutes. When they are almost double in size, turn your oven on to 350 degrees – do not take them out of oven. Let them bake for 20 minutes. They should be golden brown to be done.
Remove from oven and brush with butter. Let them cool slightly and then remove to a cooling rack. (Watch them carefully as they may disappear when you are not looking). These can be used for sandwiches and are great for breakfast as a bagel. They freeze well so you can keep them on hand for a quick meal. Be sure to use freezer bags so they won’t dry out.