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.
My classic burger buns have always been a big hit — both at home and on the blog. They’re soft, fluffy, and honestly, a family favorite. I can’t even count how many times we’ve used them for cookouts, weeknight dinners, and “just because” burger nights.
But over time, I kept getting the same question: “Can I make these with whole wheat flour?”
And of course, I had to find out!
So I started testing. I tried all kinds of flour ratios, tweaking things here and there. And while I know a lot of people wish for a 100% whole wheat version, the truth is — it’s just not the same. Fully whole wheat buns tend to come out a little too dense and heavy. Good, sure, but not that soft, pillowy bite you want with a juicy burger.
What I found was that blending whole wheat flour with some all-purpose flour gives you the best of both worlds: a healthier bun with that beautiful light texture we all love. It’s hearty enough to feel wholesome, but soft enough to complement the burger rather than compete with it.
So if you’re looking for a burger bun that’s a little more wholesome, but still absolutely delicious — this one’s for you!
Why are these the best buns?
- Texture: The combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour, along with vital wheat gluten, gives these buns a soft and light texture, making them perfect for burgers.
- Flavor: Honey adds a touch of sweetness, enhancing the buns’ flavor without being overpowering.
- Nutrition: Whole wheat flour provides more fiber and nutrients compared to using only all-purpose flour, making these buns a healthier choice.
- Versatility: These buns can be used for a variety of burgers, from classic beef burgers to vegetarian options like bean or mushroom burgers.
- Ease of preparation: The recipe is straightforward and doesn’t require any special equipment. With just a few simple steps, you can have fresh, homemade burger buns.
- Customization: You can easily customize these buns by adding seeds or herbs to the dough or brushing the tops with an egg wash for a shiny finish.
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 is 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 the bread a nice, soft, tender crumb. 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.
Step-by-step: Whole wheat burger buns
- Wet ingredients – Combine warm water/milk, yeast, and sugar/honey in a large bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add olive oil/melted butter, egg, salt, whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour to the yeast mixture. Stir until a dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Rise – Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Shape – Punch down the dough and divide it into 8-10 equal parts. Shape each part into a smooth ball.
- Proof – Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them apart. Flatten each ball slightly with your hand. Cover the buns with a damp towel and let them rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Oven – Preheat the oven to 375°F /190°C/ Gas mark 5.
- Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Troubleshooting
- Why did my dough not rise? Most often, the simplest explanation for this is that the liquid (milk) used was not warm. The liquid should be no more than 110°F/41°C. Anything hotter will not activate the yeast. In some cases, the yeast may have been 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. Proof the buns for only 45 minutes or until they are almost doubled in volume. They will continue to rise further in the oven during 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.
Frequently asked questions
Whole wheat bread/buns can dry out more quickly than white-flour bread, so it is important to store them correctly. Store these in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze them for up to three months.
Unless you are making buns to feed a crowd, you don’t need a stand mixer. I usually make these in batches of 12 and always make them by hand. I find kneading dough by hand very therapeutic. You should try it. But if you have a stand mixer, then definitely use it.
The consistency of the dough.
The dough should be soft, elastic, and slightly sticky. Avoid the temptation to add more flour. Use flour on your hands when kneading, but don’t make the dough dense.
My mom used to say – A well-kneaded bread dough should be soft and jiggly like a baby’s bottom.
Whole Wheat Burger Buns Recipe
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.
Ingredients
- 240 g (1 cups) Warm milk or water – about 41 C or 105 F
- 50 g (1 large) Egg large
- 60 g (4 tbsp) Melted butter or oil
- 30 g (2 tbsp) Sugar or honey
- 7 g (2¼ tsp) Instant dry yeast
- 5 g (1 tsp) Salt
- 260 g (2 cups) Whole wheat flour
- 160 g (1¼ cups) All-purpose flour
- 1 Egg wash beaten egg with 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Method
- Wet ingredients – Combine warm milk/ water, yeast, and sugar/honey in a large bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add olive oil/melted butter, egg, salt, whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour to the yeast mixture. Stir until a dough forms.240 g Warm milk , 50 g Egg , 60 g Melted butter, 30 g Sugar, 7 g Instant dry yeast, 5 g Salt, 260 g Whole wheat flour, 160 g All-purpose flour
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5-7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Rise – Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Shape – Punch down the dough and divide it into 8-10 equal parts. Shape each part into a smooth ball.
- Proof – Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them apart. Flatten each ball slightly with your hand. Cover the buns with a damp towel and let them rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Oven – Preheat the oven to 375°F /190°C/ Gas mark 5.
- Bake – Brush the tops of the buns with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.1 Egg wash, 2 tbsp Sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Notes
- Use warm water or milk: The liquid should be around 110°F/45°C to activate the yeast properly. Too hot or too cold water can affect the yeast’s ability to rise.
- Check the yeast: Make sure your yeast is fresh and active. If it doesn’t foam after sitting in the water and honey mixture for 5-10 minutes, it may be old and should be replaced.
- Knead the dough properly: Kneading helps develop gluten, which gives the buns structure and texture. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise properly: The dough should double in size during the first rise. This may take longer if your kitchen is cold. Be patient and let it rise until doubled.
- Shape the buns evenly: Divide the dough into equal parts and shape them into smooth balls. This will help ensure that the buns bake evenly.
- Allow for proper rising time: Let the shaped buns rise again until they have puffed up and are almost doubled in size before baking.
- Bake at the right temperature: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake the buns until they are golden brown. Under-baked buns may be doughy, while over-baked buns can be dry.
- Cool the buns before slicing: Let the buns cool on a wire rack before slicing them. This allows the buns to set and prevents them from becoming soggy.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Are the nutrition facts per bun?
Yes, usually the total is divided by the number of portions/servings, so this should be one bun. I use the recipe card feature for nutrition, which I presume is reasonably accurate, but if you want it to be more accurate, you can copy the ingredients into a calculator you trust.
The recipe first says to add water, yeast, and honey. You read on and you see the water is actually the milk, because water isn’t mentioned anywhere else, and you were also supposed to add the butter with the yeast rising mixture.
Kayleigh, sorry for the confusion. This is a very forgiving dough. You can use milk or water, sugar or honey, oil or melted butter. They all work wonderfully.
In fact, you can even add all ingredients to the stand mixer and knead until smooth and elastic.
Thanks
We love these, Veena. They are very soft and light, as well as tasty. I question the kneading time in a stand mixer, however. I have a KitchenAid Artisan model. My instruction/recipe book and the company website says you should not knead bread doughs longer than about 7 minutes total, on speed 2, or you will ruin the dough with over kneading, creating a ball of dough that is tight and tough — which I have experienced. And I follow that advice for this recipe!
Performs as advertised.
Is it possible to replace milk with almond milk?
Yes you can use almond milk or water too.
Is there a mistake in the ingredient list. It says 30 tablespoons of sugar ?? I only used 3 tablespoons. They tasted very good. These were very fluffy. I made 8 rolls but they were enormous. Next time I will make 10 Definitely will add to my regular routine.
Hey Cheryl, It’s 30 grams which is about 2 tbsp – But 3 tbsp works just as well. Thank you for the lovely feedback.
These are delicious and so soft! The only thing that went wrong was the size—I made eight and they were still too small for my 1/3 pound burger.
Hey Austin. You can make bigger buns but I find that 8 to 10 are large enough for even big size patties. Whole wheat is really quite wholesome so its quite filling.
Hi, I would like to make these, I don’t have have a mixer. Could I knead by hand? Thank you.
Absolutely, you can knead by hand. I do it all the time.
Delicious!!! Light and fluffy, and so tasty! The detailed instructions were most helpful. Thank you for an excellent recipe. I have made theses buns twice now, and they are absolute perfection!
Thank you, Catherine.
This was my first go at making buns! They turned out great!! How would you recommend storing them?
Hey Sadie, happy you had success with these. I store mine at room temperature for 2 days or in the freezer for a month.