Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns – Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

A burger bun is as important as the burger itself. Soft with a tender crust that melts in the mouth with the burger. That is what these soft whole wheat burger buns are – soft, tender and nutritious. And they are also homemade. This is a step by step tutorial on how to make these best, softest, whole wheat hamburger buns from scratch.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Doesn’t this just take burgers to another level? I mean making the buns whole wheat? You know how  I feel about my burger buns. They just HAVE to be SOFT! That is why my Soft Burger Buns is by far the most popular recipe for burger bun!

But these are whole wheat – you know. I wanted to make whole wheat burger buns. And yet I wanted to make sure they had the same exact softness and tender crust like my original recipe for soft burger buns made with white flour.

And the result? Can you see how soft that is below? (you have to excuse my colored fingers – I have edible gel food color – one of the big cons of decorating cakes is that the coloring fondant can sometimes be messy).

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• Bread flour vs all purpose flour – I have always used all purpose flour for making my bread and it works great. And yet, if you prefer you can use bread flour – I have no doubt it will be even softer.
• Whole wheat flour – I use 60% whole wheat flour and 40% half white. I find that this gives me a perfect balance in texture. Not too dense and not too tough crust.
• Warm milk – Milk contributes to that nice soft texture but if you want to omit the milk with water it would work just as well.
• Yeast – I use active dry yeast. I am not brand sensitive so use any brand as long as it’s not too old and lost it’s potential.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Tips for success with these soft whole wheat burger buns 

• The quantity of flour –  Less is more when it comes to making soft burger buns!! Trust me on this one! The final amount may vary from day to day and flour to flour. I give you an approximate measure but you have to see the consistency of the dough and decide. You may use 400 or 450 or even 500 grams of flour at different times with the same recipe.
  What’s important is to look at the consistency of your dough. It has to be very soft, spongy and yes still sticky but elastic!! I have tried my best to give you pictures below to illustrate.
• Temperature – Breadmakers know this and it’s important. So no, it’s not a fuss when you see a bread baker passionate about the temperature in his recipe!
  Temperature plays a huge role in bread baking. Beginning with the temperature of your liquid ingredients – you want the milk or water to be approximately 41 C / 105 F. If it’s cooler then it will fail to revive your yeast. And if it’s too hot you will also kill the yeast giving you a flatbread.
  You don’t need a thermometer. The best way to test it is – just stick a little clean finger if you can keep your finger in there without discomfort it’s good. I always say – it’s the same temperature you give milk to a baby – warm.
• Save the steam – Covering the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven is an important step in keeping these buns soft. Covering retains the moisture from the steam in the bread.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Recipe – Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns (Save/Pin)

Useful Tips and Tools

• A small Mixing Bowl or measuring cup to activate the yeast. I prefer to use glass over metal. If the metal is cold it can lower the temperature of the liquid ingredients. Not a big deal. And yet, it’s nice to get the yeast activated quickly and move on with the recipe.
• I like mixing bread dough by hand. It’s quite therapeutic. But bread dough can be difficult to handle. Not just because it needs more kneading but also because it’s often a soft, sticky mess. And yet, keeping the dough soft and sticky is important for good bread baking. So, I highly recommend using a stand mixer Kenwood, kitchen-aidor other brands, it does not matter. Personally, I also have a hand mixer. And yet, I don’t use it for baking bread. Because bread dough is dense compared to cakes. So, it might harm my hand mixer. (recommended read – which stand mixer is good for home bakers)
• Baking bread is a science. So measuring ingredients correctly is important. Also, do not wing the measurements. Use a Measuring Cup for liquid ingredients and Measuring Spoons for dry ingredients.
• A good baking tray is as important to bread baking as it is to other baking Baking Tray. Therefore, buy a good quality baking tray that’s not too thin. The thick ones will prevent the bread from burning on the bottom. Sometimes you can even add a second tray on the bottom to prevent it from getting burnt.
• Every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of bread, a hollow sound on the bottom of the bread is a great indication. If the bread bakes too quick or too slow compared to the time given it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do is adjust the temperature accordingly.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Ingredients

• Warm milk  – 360 ml (1 1/2 cup)  (about 41C or 105 F)
• Egg – 1 large
• Melted butter – 60 grams ( 4 tbsp)
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Instant dry yeast – 1 tbsp  [(2 1/2 tsp) or (one packet) or (25 grams fresh yeast)]
• Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
• Whole wheat flour – 330 grams
• All-purpose flour – 185 grams
• Additional all purpose flour as needed – 65 grams
• Egg wash (beaten egg with 2 tbsp water)
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Method

Prepare dough with a mixer

• Using an electric bowl with dough attachment.
•  Add the warm milk, sugar, yeast, egg, melted butter – stir well and set aside until foamy.
•  Then add both flours and salt in the mixer bowl. (not the additional flour).
• Knead starting on low for two minutes until all the dry flour is absorbed.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl. The dough will be soft and wet and that’s OK.
• Knead for about 3 more minutes on medium adding only enough flour help with kneading.
• You want the dough to be really really soft, a little sticky is fine too! But it has to be elastic!

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Prepare dough by hand

• In a bowl – add the warm milk, sugar, yeast, egg, melted butter – stir well and set aside until foamy.
• Place flour and salt in the mixer bowl (not the additional flour).
• Add in the yeast mixture.
• Do not add too much flour.
• Use a bench scraper or spoon to help remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
• Knead for about 5 to 7 minutes, without adding much flour. Use light pressure and knead with the heels of your hand.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Finger test

• Now for my usual finger test. (By now you probably don’t need me to show you this..! (see progress pictures in a previous blog post).
• Dig two fingers in – Pick your fingers — the dough spring back. You should barely see your finger marks on the dough.
• The dough will still be a bit sticky. This is how it should be -soft, very elastic, still a little sticky.

Prove the first time

• Place in an oiled bowl to rise for about an hour or more until double in volume.
• Once double in volume. Punch down.

Divide and form buns

• Divide the dough into 10 to 12 depending on how big you want the burgers.
• Let rest for 10 minutes. This will help with forming the buns.
• Form the buns exactly the same way I showed you in my post for dinner rolls.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Prove again the second time before baking

• Cover with cling / plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 45 mins to an hour.
• Once double in volume… Apply egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Baking the buns

• Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C/380 F for 15 to 20 mins (depending on size and oven), or until golden brown.
• Important – as soon as you take the burgers out of the oven – cover them with a clean kitchen cloth so the burgers will retain the steam and stay soft.
• Let rest for 15 mins before you remove the kitchen cloth or serve.

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Recipe Card – Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe

Homemade Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe - Hamburger Buns

A burger bun is as important as the burger itself. Soft with a tender crust that melts in the mouth with the burger. That is what these soft whole wheat Burger Buns are - soft, tender and nutritious. And they are also homemade. This is a step by step tutorial on how to make these best, softest, whole wheat hamburger buns from scratch. 

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: brunch, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Whole Wheat Burger Buns, Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Adjust Servings Here: 15 Buns

Calories: 191kcal

Author: Veena Azmanov

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins

Ingredients

• 360 ml Warm milk about 41 C or 105 F
• 1 Egg large 
• 60 grams Melted butter 4 tbsp
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Instant dry yeast 2 1/2 tsp or one packet or 25 grams fresh yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 330 grams Whole wheat flour
• 185 grams All-purpose flour
• 65 grams All purpose flour as needed
• Egg wash beaten egg with 2 tbsp water
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Metric - US customary

Instructions

Prepare dough with a mixer

• Using an electric bowl with dough attachment.
•  Add the warm milk, sugar, yeast, egg, melted butter - stir well and set aside until foamy.
•  Then add both flours and salt in the mixer bowl. (not the additional flour).
• Knead starting on low for two minutes until all the dry flour is absorbed.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl. The dough will be soft and wet and that's OK. 
• Knead for about 3 more minutes on medium adding only enough flour help with kneading. 
• You want the dough to be really really soft, a little sticky is fine too! But it has to be elastic! 

Prepare dough by hand

• In a bowl - add the warm milk, sugar, yeast, egg, melted butter - stir well and set aside until foamy.
• Place flour and salt in the mixer bowl (not the additional flour).
• Add in the yeast mixture.
• Do not add too much flour.
• Use a bench scraper or spoon to help remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
• Knead for about 5 to 7 minutes. without adding much flour. Use light pressure and knead with the heels of your hand.

Finger test

• Now for my usual finger test. (By now you probably don't need me to show you this..! (see progress pictures in a previous blog post).
• Dig two fingers in - Pick your fingers -- the dough spring back. You should barely see your finger marks on the dough.
• The dough will still be a bit sticky. This is how it should be -soft, very elastic, still a little sticky.

Prove - first time

• Place in an oiled bowl to rise for about an hour or more until double in volume.
• Once double in volume. Punch down.

Divide and form buns

• Divide the dough into 10 to 12 depending on how big you want the burgers.
• Let rest for 10 minutes. This will help with forming the buns.
• Form the buns exactly the same way I showed you in my post for dinner rolls.

Prove again before baking

• Cover with cling / plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 45 mins to an hour.
• Once double in volume... Apply egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds.

Baking the buns

• Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C/380 F for between 15 to 20 mins (depending on size and oven) or until golden brown.
• Important - as soon as you take the burgers out of the oven - cover them with a clean kitchen cloth so the burgers will retain the steam and stay soft.
• Let rest for 15 mins before you remove the kitchen cloth or serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 276mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3.1% | Calcium: 3.9% | Iron: 9.1%

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Tried this recipe?Mention @veenaazmanov or tag #veenaazmanov!

 

Don’t forget to read my post –
10 Best Gifts for Bread Bakers.

Gift Guide for Bread Bakers, 10 best gifts for bread bakers,

I used these often with my Spiced Homemade Beef Burgers – yum! Click on the recipe.