Say goodbye to store-bought buns! These soft hamburger buns are made with freshly milled hard white wheat berries and compliment any burger or sandwich. This recipe combines two key techniques — the Tangzhong method and the addition of a touch of lemon juice — to create the perfect soft, fluffy texture. Elevate your burger game with these homemade buns!
Once I started paying attention to the ingredients in the food I was buying at the store, I quickly realized that hamburger buns were going to be tricky to shop for. That set me on a journey to create the perfect homemade hamburger bun — one that’s soft and squishy, sturdy enough to hold the burger and toppings, but not so heavy that it's overpowering.
That journey took an unexpected turn when my family developed gluten sensitivities and I decided to start milling my own grains. Perfecting a soft, fluffy hamburger bun with fresh milled flour became quite the adventure — and, I’ll admit, resulted in more than a few dry, dense bricks that I optimistically tried to serve my family as hamburger buns! But through plenty of trial and error, I’ve learned a couple key methods that truly make all the difference, and I’m excited to share those with you today.
1. The Tangzhong Method
The first method that helps achieve the softest hamburger buns is the Tangzhong method. This involves cooking a small portion of flour with water or milk until it forms a thick, pudding-like paste. That paste gets incorporated into the other wet ingredients before adding the flour. I have to admit; I was hesitant to try this at first — it seemed unnecessary — but I’m so glad I did! This simple extra step takes almost no added time and transforms the buns into beautifully soft, fluffy perfection.
2. Lemon Juice
The second technique is adding lemon juice. A touch of acidity helps enhance gluten structure and gives the buns an extra tender texture. It’s a small ingredient that makes a noticeable difference.
This recipe incorporates both of these methods, and together they create the soft, fluffy, satisfying texture you dream of in a fresh milled hamburger bun. Pair them with Gluten-Free Turkey Burgers for dinner tonight. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- Fresh milled flour (I use hard white berries for these buns due to its strong gluten development)
- Milk (I prefer to use whole milk)
- Butter
- Eggs
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Instant yeast
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Tangzhong
Add ¼ cup (40g) fresh milled flour and ½ cup milk to a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens into a paste. Transfer this paste to the bowl of your stand mixer
Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients
Add the butter, honey, lemon juice, 1 cup milk, and eggs to the mixer bowl with the tangzhong. Whisk until well combined. The tangzhong will stay a little lumpy when whisking, but that's okay because it will get fully incorporated during the kneading process.
Step 3: Add the Dry Ingredients
Stir in the fresh milled flour, yeast and salt until a dough forms.
Step 4: Knead the Dough
Knead in a stand mixer with the hook attachment for 8-10 minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test (windowpane test checks if gluten is developed. Grab a portion of the dough and stretch. If it stretches thin and translucent without tearing, you're done kneading. If it tears immediately, knead for 1-2 more minutes and retest).
Important: The dough will be sticky — that's normal!
Managing sticky dough:
- I find that adding an additional 60ish grams of flour during kneading is usually needed
- Resist the urge to add too much or your buns will turn out dense
- If the dough is so unbearably sticky and formless that you can't make it into a dough ball, feel free to add a bit more flour
- Pro tip: wetting your hands before handling the dough keeps the dough from sticking to you when forming into a ball and transferring to the greased bowl
Step 5: First Rise
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into it. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours. The dough will still be slightly sticky, but it will be workable.
Pro tip: I like to take a picture of my dough ball before rising so that I can refer back to it to determine if it has doubled in size.
Step 6: Shape the Buns
After the first rise, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball by gently folding the edges underneath. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, then gently flatten each one with your palm to create a hamburger bun shape.
Step 7: Second Rise
Cover the shaped buns with plastic wrap and let them rise until puffy, about 30 mins to 1 hour.
Step 8: Preheat the Oven
Towards the end of the second rise, set your oven to 350°F.
Step 9: Bake
Uncover the buns and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. (17 minutes is my sweet spot!)
Step 10: Finish (Optional)
Brush the tops of the warm buns with melted butter for extra softness and flavor.
Variations
This recipe also makes great sliders or dinner rolls.
- Sliders - Divide the dough into 12 buns (rather than 8) to achieve a more petite bun. Follow the same shaping and baking instructions.
- Dinner rolls - Divide the dough into 12 rolls and shape each into a smooth ball. Skip the flattening step before the second rise, keeping them round and puffy. Bake as directed.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Stand mixer with a hook attachment
- Plastic wrap
- Large mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
Storage
Store buns at room temperature in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the buns for longer storage and reheat them in the toaster or oven when ready to use.
Top Tip
Don't be tempted to keep adding flour! I find that adding the additional 60ish grams during kneading is needed, but fresh milled flour behaves differently than store-bought flour — it won't pull away from the bowl as cleanly. You can see in the photo on Step 4 how the dough clings to the bowl, and that's completely normal. Adding too much extra flour will result in dense, brick-like buns, and we definitely don't want that!
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Softest Hamburger Buns using Fresh Milled Flour
Say goodbye to store-bought buns! These soft hamburger buns are made with freshly milled hard white wheat berries and compliment any burger or sandwich. This recipe combines two key techniques — the Tangzhong method and the addition of a touch of lemon juice — to create the perfect soft, fluffy texture. Elevate your burger game with these homemade buns!
- Total Time: 2 hrs and 30 mins
- Yield: 8 hamburger buns
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- ¼ (40g) cup fresh milled flour (I use hard white berries in this recipe)
- ½ cup milk
Hamburger Buns
- Tangzhong
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 475g fresh milled flour + 60ish grams more during kneading (I use hard white berries in this recipe)
- 7g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Tangzhong
Add ¼ cup (40g) fresh milled flour and ½ cup milk to a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens into a paste. Transfer this paste to the bowl of your stand mixer.
Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients
Add the butter, honey, lemon juice, 1 cup milk, and eggs to the mixer bowl with the tangzhong. Whisk until well combined. The tangzhong will stay a little lumpy when whisking, but that's okay because it will get fully incorporated during the kneading process.
Step 3: Add the Dry Ingredients
Stir in the fresh milled flour, yeast and salt until a dough forms.
Step 4: Knead the Dough
Add the yeast and salt to the dough. Knead in a stand mixer with the hook attachment for 8-10 minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test (windowpane test checks if gluten is developed. To perform, grab a portion of the dough and stretch. If it stretches thin and translucent without tearing, you're done kneading. If it tears immediately, knead for 1-2 more minutes and retest).
Important: The dough will be sticky — that's normal! I find that adding 60ish grams additional flour during kneading is necessary, but don't be tempted to keep adding or your buns will turn out dense.
Step 5: First Rise
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Step 6: Shape the Buns
After the first rise, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball by gently folding the edges underneath. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, then gently flatten each one with your palm to create a hamburger bun shape.
Step 7: Second Rise
Cover the shaped buns with plastic wrap and let them rise until puffy, about 30 mins to 1 hour.
Step 8: Preheat the Oven
Towards the end of the second rise, set your oven to 350°F.
Step 9: Bake
Uncover the buns and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. (17 minutes is my sweet spot!)
Step 10: Finish (Optional)
Brush the tops of the warm buns with melted butter for extra softness and flavor.
Notes
I find that adding an additional 60ish grams of flour during kneading is usually needed.
Resist the urge to add too much or your buns will turn out dense.
If the dough is so unbearably sticky and formless that you can't make it into a dough ball, feel free to add a bit more flour.
Pro tip: wetting your hands before handling the dough keeps the dough from sticking to you when forming into a ball and transferring to the greased bowl.
Rise times will depend on the temperature of your kitchen.
Pro tip: I like to take a picture of my dough ball before rising so that I can refer back to it to determine if it has doubled in size.
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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