Description
These beautiful burger buns are soft, buttery, and delicately golden with a shiny crust from a melted butter glaze. Perfectly sized for burgers or sandwiches, these homemade buns use simple ingredients and a straightforward rising and baking process to achieve bakery-quality results at home.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 1/2 cups (420g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (198g) lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
- 1 tablespoon (9g) instant yeast
Finishing
- 3 tablespoons (43g) butter, melted; divided
- 1 large egg white, whisked with 2 tablespoons cold water
- Sesame seeds or seeds of your choice
Instructions
- Weigh or measure flour: Weigh your flour or measure it by gently spooning into a cup and leveling off the excess to ensure accurate measurement.
- Make the dough: Mix and knead all the dough ingredients—flour, water, butter, egg, sugar, salt, and instant yeast—by hand, mixer, or bread machine until a soft, smooth dough forms.
- First rise: Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until it nearly doubles in size, approximately 1 to 2 hours.
- Shape the buns: Gently deflate the dough and divide it into eight equal pieces, about 100g each. Shape each piece into a smooth ball to create uniform buns.
- Flatten the buns: Using the palm of your hand, flatten each dough ball to about 3 inches in diameter to prepare them for the final rise.
- Second rise: Place the shaped buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them and let rise until noticeably puffy, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F toward the end of this rising time.
- Add butter glaze and seeds: Brush the buns with half the melted butter. For seed-coated buns, brush the egg white and water mixture over the melted butter to help the seeds adhere, then sprinkle sesame seeds or your choice of seeds on top.
- Bake the buns: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes until the buns are golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with the remaining melted butter to achieve a shiny, buttery crust. Apply the remaining butter gently if seeds were used to avoid losing the topping.
- Cool: Transfer the buns to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing horizontally for burgers or sandwiches.
- Storage: Store leftover buns wrapped well at room temperature for several days or freeze them for longer storage.
Notes
- For smaller or larger buns, adjust the weight of each dough piece accordingly.
- The egg white and water wash helps seeds adhere to the bun surface.
- Using melted butter after baking gives the buns a rich, shiny crust.
- Ensure the water is lukewarm to activate the yeast effectively without killing it.
- Buns freeze well and can be thawed at room temperature or warmed before use.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
