I found this recipe for quick and tender breadsticks on a website about a year ago (now defunct) and adapted it to make hamburger and hot dog buns. They became a family favorite because they really are quick and soft with a great texture, especially surprising because they are not kneaded.
The original recipe produced a very wet dough, which I found tough to work with and a bit frustrating. My changes included using less water and yeast, more whole grains, and honey instead of sugar. With the changes, this recipe makes the best hamburger buns I’ve tried yet (and I’ve tried a lot). They are easily shaped into longer buns for hot dogs and sausages, as well as fun homemade pigs in a blanket.
Here are the steps to make the hamburger buns:
1. Mix the dough according to the recipe. This shows what a wet dough this still is. I did mix it about 1-2 minutes in the stand mixer (for a quick knead), adding about 1/2 cup more flour to make shaping a bit easier. Then let it rest for 10 minutes.
2. After kneading by (floured) hand a couple of times, flatten the dough out on a floured surface (I always use a tea towel with a bit of flour) and pat into a squarish shape. Use a knife to cut 12 pieces- the corners usually end up smaller, so cut a bit off of the bigger center pieces and add them to the corner pieces before shaping.
3. To shape into buns, stretch the top towards the bottom on all sides.
3. Then turn it over and pull the ends together creating a nice smooth ball (this is how I shape dinner rolls, too). Notice the well-floured hands and doughy fingers. It will still be sticky even with floured surfaces.
4. Flatten the dough balls a bit and place them on a greased or lined cookie sheet (I use a silpat-type baking mat here, which doesn’t need greasing). Let rise/rest for 10-15 minutes before proceeding with the recipe and cooking in a 400 degree oven, rotating them halfway through cooking for even browning.
There you have it – easy, soft, beautiful hamburger buns.
And just to keep it real: no matter how hard I try, the buns are never all the same size. It’s just fine, though, ’cause I always like ‘em smaller…and a bit imperfect.
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Quick and Tender Breadsticks and Hamburger Buns
- 2 c. warm water
- 1-1/2 Tb. yeast
- 2 Tb. honey
- 1 Tb. salt
- 2 Tb. olive oil
- 4-1/2 – 5 c. flour (use half whole wheat)
- Mix water, yeast, and honey until yeast and honey are dissolved. Add the salt, oil, and 4-1/2 cups of flour to make a soft dough.
- Beat with a stand mixer for a minute or two (or knead a minute), adding the other 1/2 cup flour as needed to help dough be less sticky (you may not need all of it- and it will still be somewhat sticky). Let it rest 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove to a floured surface and knead by hand a few times. Press dough flat on floured surface and cut into 18-24 breadsticks (depending on the size you want) and lay out with 1/2-inch between them on a greased baking sheet OR
- Cut into 12 even pieces for hamburger (or hot dog) buns and, using floured hands, shape each into a ball. Slightly flatten the balls (elongate for hot dogs) and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Let rise 10 to 15 minutes (they will rise a bit, but not double).
- Bake breadsticks for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Brush with melted butter and garlic.
- Bake buns for 15 to 17 minutes until golden.
-Jami
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
I have been wanting to make buns for many months now. Thank you for the visual steps!
I believe I’m having bread envy!
Hi there! I just found this recipe and would love to make these hamburger buns, but the site you linked is no longer up so I can’t find the recipe. Would you mind sharing?
Thanks! I am loving your helpful blog!
Becky
Becky- Wow, I’m surprised that the site isn’t up anymore! I will update this post with the recipe later today. Thanks for letting me know.
Can’t wait to try this one. The one I’d been using is good but I like to try others too.
This recipe looks like just what i have been looking for … I have a recipe that is similar, but reqires lots of kneading and takes ages … this one looks much less time-consuming. Its just gone into my recipe file.
I can’t take any bread recipe seriously that doesn’t give the flour by weight.
Sorry, Anon, I’m just a home cook doing the best I can.
I hate for you to miss out on these great buns, though- maybe you could make it and weigh the flour to find the exact amount and then share it with us? That would be helpful!
This looks wonderful! I cant wait to try it. Do you ever make them ahead and freeze them for later use?
Lizzy- All the time! We usually only easy half of whatever I’ve made (breadsticks or buns), so I freeze the other half of the batch. Works great!
I want to try this in my bread machine!
do you ever make this with 100% wheat flour instead of 1/2 and 1/2?
I have, Lyn, and they’re still good, maybe not quite as tender. I’ve used white whole wheat with good results recently, though. I’ve also used WW pastry in place of the all-purpose and then used regular WW for the rest and it was OK.
Play around with it and see what you and your family like best! We have these about 2x/mo with the rest of our bread products mostly WW, so I don’t feel bad about a little all-purpose for these.
I wanted to make your hamburger buns and hit my printer friedly button. At the bottom of the page it had a post it there and happened to hit it and it went right on my blog! That is so cool. Saved it as a draft till I make them. They look delish.
I made these this week and WOWsers! Sooo good. They were great for burgers but even better for Breakfast sandwiches in my opinion. They are pretty dense and moist and almost taste like a biscuit
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
I shared it on my page and Pinterest.
I made these today, using only unbleached white flour because that’s what I had on hand. I joined WW and so am making bread, ha ha! I cooked them a bit too long, but still quite good. I consistently like your recipes. Home cooks rule!
Dixie
are these freezer friendly? and if so, how long do they last in the freezer?
Oh, definitely- I usually freeze half a recipe. As for how long, it depends on the type of freezer- auto defrost freezers produce freezer burn quicker on baked goods. Our manual defrost keeps bread with little burn for 2 to 3 months.
Great recipe! I just linked to it in my latest post on setting goals when menu planning.
-Viva, from The Daily Citron
I have a stupid question… how do I get sesame seeds to stick to the top? I tried oil and they fell off for the most part….
An egg wash is your best bet for getting sesame seeds to stick, Yasmin. A milk wash also works to some degree, but not as well.
Oh and to the Anon, I also prefer baking recipes that use weight and not cups, as they are easier to double and less prone to fail. That being said if I refused to use any recipe except those by weight I’d be missing out on a lot of good ones!
I made this dough for sausage rolls (sorry can’t bring myself to call them pigs in a blanket as I don’t eat pork) and it was diviiiiiiine.
I can’t wait to make it again as either rolls or buns. It seriously was the most toothsome bread I’ve ever had.
Thanks for the comment, Yasmin! And whatever you call them, you’re right, they are good.
Found these a couple of days ago and am making them for the first time this afternoon- 1 Tb seems like a lot of salt for this- my white hamburger rolls recipe only uses 1 tsp salt for 12 rolls. Are you perhaps using kosher salt? (I’ve read that if using regular table salt, you’d need to use less than specified in a recipe that calls for kosher salt, since the crystals are finer and they pack more closely together.) Thanks!
Feel free to adjust the salt, Lynness! We use it as written with regular sea salt and it’s good for us. It makes 12 to 16 buns or sticks, so we don’t find it salty at all.