These super soft burger buns are fun and easy to make. They use the Tangzhong method, which gives a super soft hamburger bun which stays soft for days. These homemade burger buns can be made either in bun rings or freeform, and freeze extremely well. This burger bun recipe is super versatile and can be used for everything from burger buns to homemade slider buns.
Hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for these homemade burger buns with you! I have been working on this homemade hamburger bun recipe for a while, testing and testing. I am so excited to finally share it with you! These buns are easy to make, and the dough is super soft and really easy to work with. You can either make them using bun ring molds or freeform, and they can be scaled to any size that you like. I have made these about ten times since getting the recipe right, testing different combinations, and I know that you will love them just as much as I do.
The role of Tangzhong in bread dough
The Tangzhong method is an Asian Technique, and involves cooking part of the flour and water in a bread recipe to form a thick paste, or a roux. The process of making the Tangzhong gelatanises some of the starch in the flour. This means the flour is able to absorb a lot more water, and also holds onto it throughout the dough making process. This gives an incredibly soft bread which stays soft a lot longer than other bread does. Tangzhong (which is a Chinese word) is made by cooking the liquid and flour together, while the Yudane method (which is Japanese) involves adding boiling liquid to the flour and leaving it to set overnight. The benefit of using a roux means that the bread dough can stay 'lean' - so very little added fat etc but still stay extremely tender and soft.
I used this method recently in my hot cross bun recipe and loved how stretchy and smooth it made the dough, and had been meaning to work on a burger bun recipe for a while, so here we are! The Tangzhong means the bread stays soft for a long time, which means these keep and freeze super well.
The dough is super versatile - you can scale it as you like. I have a dinner roll recipe which does not use a mixer which uses the a variation on this dough, and I also use this same dough as the base of my homemade iced buns and garlic knot recipe.
Making Burger Buns with Burger Ring Molds
I made these burger buns with these super fun ring molds that my friend Campbell made for me! They are 10cm in diameter and 3cm high, and the perfect size to make burger buns! The ring means that the bun rises super evenly but also gives it a really nice ring around the edge, making it perfect to cut into burger buns.
You don't have to use the rings if you don't want to, it will still work great. There are instructions for both ways in the recipe.
The timing game - when are buns ready to bake?
It is important that when you make bread you go by how the dough is behaving and not just the time in the recipe. While the recipe is a good general guide, the starting temperature of your dough and also the weather and temperature of your room can affect how fast it rises.
The best way to tell that dough is ready to bake is to poke it gently with your finger. If it springs back straight away it is not yet ready. If your finger leaves a small indentation which springs back slightly, then you know that it is ready to bake. Remember to preheat your oven about 30 minutes before you think your dough will be ready in order to give it time to properly preheat. There is nothing worse than realising your buns are ready to bake and having a cold oven. If this does happen though just pop them into the fridge so that they don't over proof while you preheat your oven.
It's sad but it happens - over proofed dough
Sometimes this happens, and it's a huge bummer. Either you leave them proofing too long, or you forget about your buns rising, and they over proof. This means the yeast produces all the gas it is capable of making while doing the second proof and it has nothing to give in the oven. It's sad but it happens.
If you have over proofed your buns, they will probably deflate while egg washing them. Then, over proofed dough doesn't do much in the oven as there is no gas to rise the bread. They should still taste fine they might just be a bit saggy.
Scaling the recipe for larger or smaller burger buns
I made fairly big burger buns with my dough - 9 buns, each weighing in at about 90g worth of dough. You can make these whatever size you like. To figure out the weight of each bun, weigh the whole batch of dough (it's about 810g but weigh yours just to check), then divide by the number of buns you want to give you the dough weight of each ball. For example if you wanted 12 buns, each would weigh in at 67.5g.
Remember that if you make the burger buns smaller, the rising time for the second proof will be different. I made these and divided them into 12 and the rise time was only about 45 minutes as opposed to 1 ½ hours so just keep an eye on them.
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Recipe for Homemade Hamburger Buns
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Super Soft Burger Buns
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 9 buns 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super soft burger buns are fun and easy to make. They use the Tangzhong method, which gives a super soft burger bun which stays soft for days. These burger buns can be made either in bun rings or freeform, and freeze extremely well.
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 25g bread flour
- 120g whole milk
Burger Bun Dough
- All of the Tangzhong
- 200g cold milk
- 20g granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (7g) instant yeast
- 30g milk powder
- 1 ½ tsp (7g) kosher salt
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 360g bread flour
- 45g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Egg wash - 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
TANGZHONG
- Combine the milk and bread flour in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens into a paste. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.
BURGER BUN DOUGH
- Add the cold milk and mix to combine, checking with your finger that it is not hotter than lukewarm (the cold milk should cool the hot tangzhong enough). Add the sugar, yeast, milk powder, salt, egg, and flour. Transfer to the mixer and fit with the dough hook.
- Mix the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and elastic and clearing the sides of the bowl, about 12-15 minutes. Don’t freak out, as it is sticky - if you have made it by weight you will be fine. Set a timer and walk away from the mixer if you need. If after that time it really isn’t coming together and you’re worried, add flour a teaspoon at a time just until the dough just comes together.
- Add the butter and mix for a further 5 minutes until incorporated. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and pass the windowpane test.
- Turn the dough out onto a surface and flour very lightly if needed to bring into a tight ball with a bench scraper. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Place the dough in a warm spot and rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 ½ hours.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If you are using rings for your buns (I used 100mm rings for 90g buns), grease them lightly.
- Divide the dough into 9 equal portions, each weighing about 90g. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten out the piece of dough, then tuck up into a ball, then turn the ball seam side down and roll into a tight ball by cupping your hand to create a 'claw' shape, using the tension from the counter to roll the dough tightly. Place to the side and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, grouping the balls together on your counter with a little space between them so they don't touch.
- Leave the buns to rest for 10 minutes, then give them a quick roll to tighten them back up. Place them in the prepared rings or spaced apart on the baking sheets. They rise quite a lot so ensure they are far enough apart - you can do 5 on on pan and 4 on the other. Alternatively you can space them closer so they bake to be touching.
- Cover the buns either with a lid, or some lightly greased plastic wrap, or place a second sheet pan upside down over the top to act as a lid. Leave the buns to rise again for about 1 ½ hours. You want them to puff up and double in size, and when you press lightly on one, it should leave a small indentation that doesn’t quite spring back. See images for how they look just after rolling and then risen. Remember that rising time depends on your environment so go by how the dough is looking, rather than a rising time.
- When there is about 20 minutes to go in the rise, preheat the oven to 360°f / 185°c. Brush the buns with egg wash. If you are baking in rings just brush what is exposed, if you are baking plain buns brush the edges too. and bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and remove the rings if using.
- Leave to cool on the pans for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. The buns will wrinkle slightly as they cool and if you used the rings the edge may not stay completely straight and may fold on itself a little - this is due to them being very soft and is totally normal.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature - they should stay soft for at least 5 days. These can also be frozen. After the first day or two, toast the buns if needed.
Notes
How to make ahead of time
If you would like to get a head start on making these hamburger buns, you can do the first rise overnight. I like to make the dough then leave it to stand on the counter for about 15 minutes before putting it into the fridge to do the first rise. I tested this overnight but you could probably do as little as 3 hours in the fridge if you wanted to make the dough in the morning for later in the day.
Remember that the fridge is your friend when you are working with yeasted dough - if for some reason the dough is going to be risen before you need it, you can pop it in the fridge to slow down the rising time.
I try not to leave dough in the fridge for more than 24 hours as the yeast starts to lose its rising power. You should be able to shape the dough into burger buns straight from the fridge but leave it to stand for 10 minutes or so if it feels a little firm. Remember starting with cold dough will mean you need to add some time onto the second rise. Go by how the dough looks, not the time in the recipe. It all depends on your starting dough temperature and the environment.
Do I have to use Bread Flour?
Yes. The dough needs it for strength. If you are outside of the US bread flour is sometimes called high grade or strong flour. If bread flour isn't available in your country you could add in some vital wheat gluten to add strength.
Can I make this recipe by hand?
No. It is a very sticky dough and needs the strength developed by the mixer. If you want a recipe that is developed to be made by hand, my small batch dinner rolls will do the trick - you could shape into larger buns.
How to do you store Burger Buns?
Store burger buns in an airtight container at room temperature. I usually have them fresh the first day then lightly toast after that!
Can Burger Buns be frozen?
Yep! Just pop them into a ziploc or airtight container and stick them in the freezer. Defrost at room temp. They are probably best toasted once defrosted.
How do you replace active dry yeast with instant yeast?
To use active dry yeast in the place of instant you need to activate the yeast first. Pop the warm tangzhong in your stand mixer bowl as usual, then add the cold milk. Stir around - this will warm the milk up a little. Add the sugar then add the yeast then leave to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe!
Can Burger Buns be made without ring molds?
Yes. Just shape each bun into a tight ball and space well apart on a baking sheet. See images for buns made without rings - they are a little shorter but it works perfectly.
Can this recipe be made into sliders?
Yes! If you wanted to make these as slider buns I would divide the dough into 12. It will fit perfectly into a 9"x13" (20x30cm) pan and make 12 sliders. Alternatively you could double the recipe and bake it into 24 slider buns which would fit perfectly in a rimmed half sheet pan (13"x18" or 33x45cm)
Why did my buns wrinkle when they came out of the oven?
This happens with a super soft dough. If you are using the rings then they might get a little fold around the edge, and the crust might get a little wrinkly. It's all good. You didn't do anything wrong. You just made really soft bunz.
Comments
Heidi says
I made these today and they came out perfectly. I did use the Bertinet slap/fold method after I mixed for 15 minutes with the stand mixer. Question….When you say medium speed, what number might you be referring to in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer? Just wondering if I didn’t use a high enough speed.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! They look great! I have a larger mixer so it could be that the speed on a large and smaller may just be different! Sometimes in different climates it may need a tiny bit more flour to bring the mix together too because of humidity!
Sheba says
Absolutely incredible! The bread is super soft and pillowy, creating the perfect texture for any recipe. I made it without using a stand mixer(left both my mixers at my moms), and even though the dough was a bit sticky, a little flour on my hands worked wonders. The end result was nothing short of delicious. This recipe is a must-try! I used them for chicken sandwiches. A good workout of slamming and kneading though without a mixer.
Missy says
So glad you left a comment we are in a power outage and I was looking to see if I could do this by hand! Will try tomorrow ty
Kelli says
You recipe people who put all ingredients unnecessarily in grams immediately lose the interest of the seeker.
Erin Clarkson says
Oh dear Kelli. There are plenty of other free recipes online in a less accurate format if you don't like the ones of 'you recipe people'
S says
You are spot on Erin! As a chef, we never rely on 'cups'. Weighing in grams is a worldwide understood measure and Id like to thank you, on behalf of everyone who has enjoyed your recipe (for FREE) for your time putting this out there for everyone.
Professionals and people who like reliable recipes appreciate your recipe being based on weight! (and even better that its in grams)
Ignore the ignorant people who are rude (yes, I am directly referring to you, Kelli).
Have a great day Erin!
Ps, Im about to try this burger bun recipe so can't rate the actual recipe yet, but it all looks good.
Aimee says
Kelli, I specifically seek out baking recipes that are listed in grams as they are more accurate. If you are curious as to why, grab a family member or friend and have both of you scoop 2 cups of flour. Weigh your 2 cups and then weigh your friends 2 cups. You will see a difference in weight which means one of you will be using more or less flour than the other so whatever you bake will not turn out the same. Measuring by weight allows the most accurate reproductions of a baking recipe. Those who write recipes would love for the readers to be able to reproduce it as closely as possible. Going by cups or spoons tend to lead to a lot of comments like "mine turned out way too dry!" Or "I don't understand, mine were SO greasy but yours don't look that way". Bad measurements are the reason.
Wayne says
Unless the seeker has a kitchen scale and the urge to get it right.
Alex says
I prefer it this way. You should speak for yourself actually.
M C says
Guaranteed accurate recipe when it comes in metric vs cups. A scale cost $10. I used to “think” just like you that the US Customary measuring method was the only way. Never a guaranteed accurate recipe though, and you know it. Spend $10 and you’ll see from there on out, your recipes will come out to perfect.
Nesime Eris says
Hi there I am writing to you from Türkiye. I found your receip by searching fluffy hamburger bun and the result was fantastic. I would like to thank you so much that you made our family so happy today. By today i have tested min 5 different receip and did not satisfy with any of them.
Except milk powder while i do not use in my kitchen did not have it in hand i followed all measurements.
I do not have a stand mixer instead I used my hand mixer with the spiral gadgets and it turned out spectacular.
Have a wonderful day
Nes
Tiffany Degenstein says
Did you substitute something for the milk powder?
Erin Clarkson says
You can just leave it out 🙂
Hayet says
Hello, can I skip the sugar in this recipe? Thanks
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! No you can't - the yeast really needs it! I've forgotten it before and the bread was a disaster.
Bryar D says
I have made these 3 times now - NEVER fails! - So delicious
Hanin says
The recipe is super nice ,, but how can I make the bun more fluffy and light … similar to brioche bun the commercial one from France or Italy… also the bun here is soft but still you feel you eat a heavy meal when you add the burger patty. This is why I need more soft and light bun
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, the bun should already be pretty light! maybe try changing up how big the burger patty is or maybe making the buns smaller?
Katie Nelson says
This recipe is chef's kiss! So good and so soft!! Thank you!!
Glenda D says
Amazing recipe as usual! The videos on Instagram showing all the steps are so so so helpful, I feel - especially for bread, it’s super great to see how the dough should look at different stages to know if you’re on the right track. I hope you never delete those highlights stories!!
For this, I had to add a tiny bit of flour (about 2 tsp) and knead for longer than suggested to pass windowpane, but everything went smoothly. The trick to use the scraper to roll the dough into a tight ball was on point.
The buns itself are delicious! Perfect texture and softness.
Maria Carter says
Great recipe,
Do you ever keep this recipe overnight in the fridge? And how does it do if you do?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, yes you can do the first rise overnight in the fridge!
Susanna says
I barely ever leave reviews but I had to thank you for the accuracy and helpful notes on this. My cutie buns turned out perfect and I can’t wait to eat them tonight!
Puisung says
So soft so fluffy yet buttery.
I used 2/3 the recipe to make into 9 bread rolls fit in a 8” square pan.
It turns out amazing even without the milk powder. Yum!
Chelce says
Really easy to make and a very detailed recipe as always from Cloudy Kitchen! These buns were a hit for dinner with friends. Thank you!
Kylie says
Love this recipe. I made 8 buns and they were delicious but quite small. Next time I'll double the recipe and make some larger lads.
Chloe says
Ok these are amazing. These were very straightforward to make and were DELICIOUS, so soft and fluffy. I strongly considered just eating them as is. I may just do that the next time I make them! Thank you Erin!
Erin Britt says
I just made these, and they turned out amazing. This will be my new go-to bun recipe. I did substitute out the egg with flax seed because I am allergic to egg. I also left off the egg wash at the end. The only other change I made was I used unfiltered local honey instead of the sugar.
Karen says
I’m not sure how anyone can say these are small?
They are beautiful! Can’t wait to taste them.
isbiltur says
Perfect recipe - the buns came out from the oven perfectly round and soft. The dough was sticky and delicate so I thought it would bake into pancakes but instead I got a lot of beautiful oven spring.
Erica says
Hi! I’ve made these several times with great success. I assume if I sub water for milk they will be ok but what about leaving out the butter? Will they suffer terribly?
My son needs to go dairy free
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, no it should be ok - if you look at my pesto dinner roll recipe I use a little olive oil in them in place of the butter. I would use a plant based milk rather than water in them 🙂
Sierra Taylor says
Amazing, I have tried so many and this is the best
MeganJ says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I made it last night to serve with supper today. We couldn’t wait, so we made breakfast sandwiches this morning. Hands down, the best buns I’ve ever had.
I did use an organic all purpose flour that has 11.9 percent protein. It held up beautifully.
I also need to add after reading through the comments. I am retired baker in the U.S. I agree with baking by weight. I never used cups in the shop. Now granted I’ve always used the imperial measurements, whether using metric or imperial, weight is much more accurate.
Thank you again!!
Roberta Wood says
Can I do the proof in the fridge? I teach a cooking class and only have an hour at a time to teach. I'd need to be able to put them in the fridge to proof for 24 ish hours.
Erin Clarkson says
Yep you can do the first proof in the fridge! That time will be too long for the second proof.
Michelle says
This is hands down the best recipe that is on continual rotation in our house. Literally stupid proof. They turn out every time. If in doubt, trust the process. They also freeze perfectly!
Nadiya says
This is my go to bun recipe! I quadrupled this recipe for a party on the weekend, proofed in the fridge overnight and second proof at room temp. Baked in the morning, reheated for dinner and they were just so soft and incredible!
Alison Palumbo says
Great recipe. Tender, soft crumb, great flavor.
I did choose to bake them in a 9x13 like a dinner roll because esthetics are indeed important but not always necessary to my young family 🙃
I won't be buying buns anymore.
Thanks for another great, well tested recipe, Erin!
Daniel says
These turned out amazing! They are so easy to make that they're now my go to recipe.
Lucile S. says
Lazy cheater hack - these are amazing and so easy. I love doing bread by hand, but sometimes I lean on my Zojirushi. For this recipe, I made the Tangzhang on the stove, then added it to the cold milk and all the the other wet ingredients IN MY BREADMACHINE! I then put all the dry ingredients on top, as you do in a breadmachine. Let it run through to the first punch down (this includes 20 minutes of breadmachine style kneading and about 1.5hours rise). Then pulled dough out and shaped it on a floured surface into 12 70g rolls and let rise another 1.5 hours covered by two heavy kitchen towels. They were perfect for our 1/3lb burgers - not too much bun! They hold together and stay light. this morning had egg sandwiches on the same and they are just as perfect. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! We will be eating lots of this!
PS, I only had whole wheat bread flour, so made the Tangzhang with that, then used white flour with the recipe, with an added 1/8 cup of wheat gluten.
Mary says
This is absolutely the hamburger bun recipe of my dreams! Look no further than here!
Chriss Giuliani says
I have made these buns twice and they are incredible! I Love how detailed Erin is in her recipe. I can’t wait to try some of her others.
This will stay in my recipe circulation for a long time to come.
Thank you for teaching this method. Can I assume it will work for hotdog buns as well?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Yep it works great for hotdog buns!
Michelle says
I've made this recipe three times now, and the burger always come out great! Question: could these be shaped into hotdog buns?
Erin Clarkson says
Yep they work great as hotdog buns 🙂
Kyle T. says
This is now my go-to recipe for hamburger and hot dog buns. Would totally recommend. Smash Burgers with this recipe is perfect.
Thanks for sharing!
Glenn R1 says
I really like this recipe. I've made it 4 times now. They are pillowy soft yet sturdy enough to stand up to using them for a brisket sandwich as well using one to make a General Tso's Chicken sandwich which with cole slaw and the General Tso's sauce was an extremely messy (yet delicious) sandwich. The buns held together when many buns won't.
I've added some diastatic malt for a richer, deeper flavor, and for the egg wash I'm using 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of heavy cream. It seems to be the only way to get a good color on them. Maybe it's my oven.
The problem I'm having is that no matter what sort of container I use to store them after the 3rd of 4th day they start molding. I'm assuming it's because I live in Florida.
Do you ever add calcium proprionate as a preservative in your baked goods?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi, yes they do not have any preservatives in them, so it makes sense with high temp and humidity they will mould. You could store them in the fridge and this will fix the issue, I haven't had experience with adding preservative sorry
Mackenzie Parker says
This recipe came out beautifully! First time tangzhong and it was quite simple. I feel encouraged to buy the bun rings just for this.
Tessa says
Made these today and they are by far the best burger buns I’ve made. Light and soft, similar to store bought
Karen says
This is the BEST bun recipe ever! You should get paid for this! These are the softest buns I have ever had. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Fi says
Absolutely love this recipe and appreciate your perfectionism so much! I always feel super confident making your recipes because there is less risk of failure using scale measurements and knowing you’ve tested things 278363 times.
bilagaana says
I don't even like baking but got coerced into it during the worst of the pandemic and now store-bought bread and buns taste like paper, so I persist. I've been using a King Arthur recipe and it has been fine, though the texture has always been a bit dense. Googling for 'soft burger buns' led to your tangzhong version (a word I'd never heard before). I don't know anything about over- or under-proofing, don't keep kosher salt or unsalted butter on hand, the raw dough was probably way too wet and gooey and my forming techniques are no doubt laughable. However, the finished buns came out great--big and soft, even at four to six inches diameter hold up under the load of condiments to which I subject my burgers, very tasty, and they freeze well. This will be my new standard recipe. Many thanks for posting it.
Erin Clarkson says
Haha amazing, so happy you loved! If you're finding the dough is a little wet for you you can add extra flour a teaspoon at a time during the mixing phase
Sus J says
This recipe is excellent. It's simple and you don't get soggy bums! I hate soggy burger buns. I don't have a stand mixer with dough hooks so I did it by hand, don't recommend cos it's a mission but it did work & the buns taste fantastic. I wrap with glad wrap, freeze individually, then pop in a container once frozen. They defrost no probs. Thank you Erin for another banger recipe.
Erin Clarkson says
They look great! No stand mixer is wild for making these by hand hahahahahaha my small batch dinner rolls are designed to be made by hand and a similar recipe if you wanted to try a different one!
Tanya says
Hi there, I've made these before and i LOVE them.
I need to make a bigger batch (probably 3 times) for a crowd this weekend. However when I click on the 2x and 3x option it doesn't appear to change the recipe ingredients.
I've tried on different devices (phone and laptop) so it's not that. Is it because you recommend making them in separate batches?
thanks in advance!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! No it's not, there is a glitch with that setting at the moment and I am working on getting it sorted! You'll have to manually double, so so sorry!
Luke says
I got pretty lucky finding this recipe. I was going to make some burgers for dinner and wanted some rolls that were really soft. These are tall, super soft crumb, moist and held up great as a burger bun.
I’ve baked almost everything over many years and these are the nicest rolls I’ve ever made.
I followed the recipe to the tee and they turned out perfect.👍
Thanks, Erin, for sharing.
James Roderique says
These are incredible buns. An exceptional recipe.
Laura L says
These burger buns are so good that I never buy buns anymore unless I'm in a true time crunch emergency. They are sturdy yet squishy, easy to make and taste amazing. I have made a ton of bread/bun recipes but these are hands down my favorite. I've made this recipe at least ten times and it's consistently wonderful.
Ket says
A great recipe, gorgeous burger buns! I doubled the recipe to make giant burgers and they were perfect!
Ket says
Awesome burger buns!