Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns

A burger bun is as important as the burger itself. Soft with a tender crust that melts in the mouth. These soft whole wheat burger buns are, soft, tender, and delicious.

Table of Content

• Why make these buns?
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Whole wheat burger buns
• Troubleshooting
• Variations
• More buns recipes
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe
• Join the conversation

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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 buns!

I wanted to make whole wheat burger buns. And yet, I wanted to make sure they had the same exact softness and tender crust as my original recipe.

After much trial and error, I must succeed and this is the result. These buns are not 100% whole wheat, and yet, they are light fluffy, and delicious. Which is a great compromise for health and flavor.

Why make these buns?

• The recipe is like any other bread recipe with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
• The secret to making these buns soft, light, and airy is in the kneading and in the consistency of the dough. I highly recommend you watch the video and take note that my dough is soft, smooth, elastic but also quite sticky.
• The soft dough is much easier to knead in the stand mixer than by hand so I highly recommend letting the machine do the kneading if possible.
• The timeline for these hamburger buns is fairly straight forward
  • Knead dough - 10 mins
  • Rise- 45 to 60 mins
  • Shape 10 mins
  • Proof - 30 to 45 mins
  • Bake - 20 to 22 mins

Ingredients and substitutes

• Whole wheat flour - Adds a nice nutty flavor to the bread and makes the buns more wholesome and nutritious.
• Flour - Since this bread if not 100% whole wheat, the rest of the flour is all-purpose flour. I have always used all-purpose flour and it works great.
  And yet, if you prefer you can use bread flour - I have no doubt it will be even softer.
• Warm milk - I like adding milk to this bread recipe. It gives a nice soft tender crumb to the bread. And yet, if you want, you can substitute the milk with water. That would work just as well. But, the dough might be a bit looser. So, adding a few handfuls of flour may be necessary.
• Yeast - Active dry yeast is usually what I use, but any active yeast works. Over the years, I've used many different brands. And I can tell the yeast has never been an issue. I have even used fresh yeast when I made it in India and the bread was just as soft.

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Whole wheat burger buns

Dough

• In a mixing bowl or measuring cup combine the warm milk (110 F), yeast, sugar, butter, and eggs. Stir and set aside to foam for 3 mins.
  Pro tip - Instant yeast does not need to be activated. But I like to ensure my yeast is good and working for me. You may choose to add all ingredients directly to the flour.
• Measure both the flours and salt in a mixing bowl or stand mixer with the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture and combine well.
  Pro tip - If you do not like kneading, I highly recommend using a stand mixer with the hook attachment.

• Knead
  • By hand - transfer to a well-dusted worktop and knead for 5 to 6 minutes
  • Stand mixer - once all the flour is well incorporated knead on medium for 4 to 5 minutes
• When the dough is soft, shiny, but still slightly sticky shape into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
  Pro tip - You want the dough to be really really soft, a little sticky. But it has to be elastic! This is what will give us soft hamburgers.
• Leave in a warm place. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes until double in volume.
  Pro tip - In winter, you may need 90 minutes or more. But in summer, the dough may double in 45 minutes. If you can't attend to it at that moment, de-gas, reshape, and let double in volume again.

Shape & proof,

• When the dough is double in volume, transfer to a well-dusted floured surface. De-gas, reshape into a ball. Then, roll into a small log.
  Pro tip - At this point, there is no need for additional flour. So use a light dusting of flour.
• Divide the dough into 10 to 12 depending on how big you want the burgers.
  Pro tip - For 6oz /150 grams size beef patties make 10 buns for 9 oz/250 grams beef patties make only 8 buns
• Shape each portion into a tight ball. To do this correctly, roll into a ball tucking all the seams under tightly. Then, roll the ball on an unfloured surface. The unfloured surface creates the tension we need in the dough
  Pro tip - Do not over roll these for too long or you will rupture the top smooth skin.
• Place the buns on a baking tray. Flatten them so they bake like flat buns rather than balls. Cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth and let proof for 30 to 45 minutes.
  Pro tip - Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the rolls.
• When almost doubled in size, about 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven at 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5

Bake

• Brush each bun with an egg wash and sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
  Pro tip - Egg wash is a full egg with 2 tablespoon of water. An egg wash will give a nice golden color. If you can't use egg, milk or cream will work just as well. Do not use oil or butter as it will create a crust.
• Bake small buns for 15 to 20 mins and larger buns for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  Pro tip - When baked, the internal temperature of the hamburgers buns should be about 195 F. The bread will have a hollow sound on the bottom when tapped.
• Keeping them soft - as soon as you take the burgers out of the oven cover them with a clean kitchen cloth to keep them soft.
  Pro tip - Do not leave the buns on the tray for too long as the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom. Covering the buns with a cloth will help them retain moisture and prevent it from drying out.

Troubleshooting

• Why did my dough not rise? Most often the simplest explanation for this is that the liquid (milk) used was not warm. You need the liquid to be no more than 110 F/ 41 C. Hotter than that will not activate the yeast. In some cases, it could also be that the yeast was old and not good.
• My burger buns were not soft? They were dense. If you add too much flour to the dough the buns will be dense, not soft. You want the dough to be soft, elastic, and still slightly sticky when kneading.
• My burger buns deflated when baking? Prove the buns for only 45 minutes or until just almost double in volume. They will continue to rise some more in the oven when baking. If you overproof the buns they tend to rise and deflate when baking.
• Why are my buns flat? Again if you overproof the buns before baking they will rise and deflate giving you flat hamburger buns.

Variations

• Onion buns - for an onion flavor add 1 tablespoon of onion flakes to the dough. Alternatively, you can add sauteed red onion to the mix.
• Garlic buns - brush the buns with garlic butter for a garlic flavor.
• Herbed buns - Add chopped herbs like fresh parsley or dill to the dough.

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Frequently asked questions

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Printable Recipe