Soft, Golden Burger Buns From Scratch (No Bread Machine Needed)
Once you bake your own burger buns, you can’t go back. Not because the process is complicated — it’s not. But because that first bite of a burger on a warm, freshly baked bun rewires your expectations. The soft give of the crumb. The faint sweetness. The way it holds everything together without falling apart in your hands.
Store-bought buns sit in a plastic bag for weeks. These won’t last the afternoon.
This recipe makes 8 buns in under two hours (including rise time). You don’t need a stand mixer, a bread machine, or any special experience. Just a bowl, your hands, and a little patience with the dough.
See the entire technique in under 60 seconds
A great burger starts with the bun. Get that right, and the rest just falls into place.
What You’ll Need
Why bread flour? It has more protein than all-purpose (12–14% vs. 10–12%), which develops stronger gluten. That’s what gives these buns their structure — soft and pillowy, but sturdy enough to hold a loaded burger without tearing.
All-purpose will work in a pinch, but the texture won’t be quite the same. If you bake bread regularly, keep bread flour on hand. The difference is real.
Recipe
Soft Golden Burger Buns
Yield
8 buns
Prep
20 min
Rise
1 hr 15 min
Bake
14-16 min
Total
~2 hrs
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (one standard packet)
- ¾ cup warm milk (about 110°F)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Egg Wash & Topping
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp water
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking sheet + parchment paper
- Kitchen scale (recommended)
- Dough scraper
- Wire cooling rack
- Pastry brush
- Bread knife or bow knife
Phase 1
Start the Dough
Activate the yeast.
Combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir gently and let it sit for 5–8 minutes until it’s foamy on top. If nothing happens, your milk was either too hot (killed the yeast) or too cold (didn’t wake it up). Start over with fresh yeast and check the temperature.
Mix the dough.
Add the melted butter, egg, salt, and flour to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a shaggy mass — it’ll look rough, and that’s fine.
Knead until smooth.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes. You’re done when the dough is smooth, slightly tacky (not sticky), and springs back when you poke it. If it keeps sticking to your hands, add flour a tablespoon at a time. Less is more — too much flour makes dense buns.
A dough scraper is your best friend here. It keeps your work surface clean and makes it easy to fold the dough without adding excess flour.
First rise.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm spot for 45–60 minutes, until it doubles in size.
The ideal spot: your oven with just the light on, or on top of the fridge. You want warmth, not heat.
Phase 2
Shape the Buns
Divide evenly.
Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto your work surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces. If you have a kitchen scale, aim for about 3 oz (85g) each.
Uneven portioning leads to buns that bake at different rates — some overdone, some underdone. A kitchen scale takes the guesswork out entirely.
Shape into balls.
Take each piece and tuck the edges underneath, rotating the dough against the counter with cupped hands to create surface tension. You want a smooth, taut top — that’s what gives the bun its dome shape in the oven.
Arrange and rest.
Place the shaped buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Cover loosely with a towel and let them rise again for 25–30 minutes. They’ll puff up and nearly touch each other. That’s what you want.
Phase 3
Bake to Golden
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Place a rack in the center of the oven and let it come to full temperature before baking.
Apply the egg wash.
Beat one egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush the tops of each bun gently — this is what creates that golden, slightly glossy finish. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if you’d like.
Bake for 14–16 minutes.
They’re done when the tops are deep golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when you tap them. Don’t pull them early — an extra minute or two gives you better color and a firmer crust that softens as they cool.
Cool on a wire rack.
Give them at least 10–15 minutes before slicing. Cutting into hot bread compresses the crumb. A bread knife gives you a clean, even cut without tearing.
Tips From Our Kitchen
For softer buns
Replace half the milk with heavy cream. Richer dough = softer crumb.
For brioche-style buns
Increase the butter to 5 tbsp and add an extra egg yolk. These take longer to knead, but the result is incredible.
For meal prep
These freeze beautifully. Cool completely, store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or warm at 300°F for 5 minutes.
For sliders
Divide the dough into 12–14 pieces instead of 8. Reduce bake time to 11–13 minutes.
The Sweet Finish
That’s it. Flour, yeast, a little butter, and some patience.
No preservatives. No ingredients you can’t pronounce. Just bread the way it’s supposed to taste — warm, soft, and made by your own hands.
Once you’ve built a burger on one of these, the plastic-bagged kind starts to feel like a compromise. And if you’re already baking your own buns, you’re the kind of person who appreciates good tools. The right pan, a solid dough scraper, a scale that’s actually accurate — they don’t make you a better baker, but they make the process a whole lot smoother.
