I’ve mentioned before that I’m not so much a red meat kind of girl. I gave it up at the age of 12 and haven’t looked back. I am, though, a huge fan of the turkey burger. Especially when it’s topped with melted, creamy Havarti cheese, barbecue sauce and avocado. Burgers are hard-pressed to get much better than that.
Over the summer, I quickly grew tired of spending upwards of five bucks for a pack of whole wheat burger buns so I decided to start making my own. Not only was it easier than I thought it would be; so, too, did my burger buns beat out the ho-hum Whole Foods ones by a tasty mile. Here’s the recipe:
Whole Wheat Burger Buns
Ingredients
1 c. + 3T. warm water
1 egg
2 1/2 T. butter
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/3 c. bread flour
1 1/2 T. dry milk
2 T. vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
2 t. yeast
Directions
Add ingredients to bread machine pan in order listed. Yeast should be added to the center of the pan in a small “hole” at the very end. Set the bread machine to dough setting. Let it do its magic.
When dough is finished, divide it into eight equal parts. Form each portion into a disc shape. This part can be a little tricky. You don’t want to make your buns too flat, but you also don’t want them to round. A disc is the best way I can think of to describe the shape we’re after. Cover loosely and let rise for an hour or two, until they’re double in size.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake in a preheated 400° oven fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Yum! This has inspired me to pull out my bread machine. Putting the ingredients on my grocery list.
Thanks for sharing!!
Yum. These are my absolute favorite rolls. I have an hunch that they won’t be nearly as good if I switch to gluten free flour.
You’ve actually never tried these ones. You’re thinking of the whole wheat Texas Roadhouse wannabe ones. These are less sweet, hamburger buns :)
Oooh, they are my favorite. I’ll have to try these, too! I can honestly say that all of the recipes you have given me make up my favorites :)
Hi,
Did your buns come out fluffy or sort of heavy? I followed a similar recipe as yours and mine came out too salty and really heavy :(
We make these regularly and I’m happy with the end result. The whole wheat flour results in a more dense bun than you’d find if you used a white flour, for sure, but I would not describe them as heavy. Good luck with your recipe search!
These turned out perfectly! I pre-heated the baking baking stone in the oven for about an hour while these were rising and the texture was nothing short of amazing. I made them as a vessel for “italian sloppy joes” and they were hearty enough to hold up to the sauce without becoming a soggy mess. However, they are soft enough that when warmed with some jelly the next morning hubby said it tasted like a jelly filled doughnut. The search is finally over. Thanks for the perfect recipe!
I am so glad they worked so well for you, Julie! And thank you for stopping by to let me know :)
I have made these several times now and they are soo yummy! Makes me never want to buy store bought again! Any chance you’ve used the dough to just make a loaf of bread instead of into buns?
I’m so glad that you enjoy them, Amanda! I’ve never used that particular dough recipe to make bread, though I do have several other recipes that I mix up dough for in my bread machine and bake in the oven. I like the shape better that way than what my machine yields.
I think I may try to bake it as a loaf. Doesn’t hurt to try!
I’ve used this recipe for regular bread many times. It comes out wonderfully soft, and makes great toast or grilled cheese (or of course BLT’s).
When I make it into buns, I top them with different herbs and spices, cheese and jalapenos for a Mexican flavor, or Italian seasonings, garlic, onion powder and parmesan for Italian buns.
If you want your bread or rolls to stay fresh and soft, make them with a tang zhong (using part of the water and a little flower in a 5:1 ratio), cook the flour and water or milk until thickened and a whisk leaves a trail in the mixture. Let it cool for a few minutes, then proceed with the recipe as written. It’s also known as Japanese Milk Bread when you add the tang zhong.
Thank you for a lovely recipe! I love using my bread machine to save some of the mess of bread making. I’ve been doing it for years and took the liberty of making a few changes … I used Olive Oil instead of butter and, to give it a bit of seasonality (and use up the bumper crop of zucchini), I added about 1/4 cup of shredded zucchini. These 2 changes resulted in a wetter dough so I probably added at least a 1/2 cup of unbleached flour to get that perfect ball in the bread machine. When the dough cycle ended, I let it continue to rise for another 30 minutes. When I took the dough out of the bread machine, I gave it a quick knead with a dusting of flour to take out any of the stickiness. I then cut it in half and made a log out of the dough and divided it into 5 pieces. I then worked it a bit with my hands to make a nice smooth disc. I used a milk wash instead of an egg wash. So, I got 10 incredible sandwich rolls with green specks that were absolutely delicious.
That sounds good! I may follow suit and use cucumber instead of zucchini (I didn’t grow any this year). I planted 2 cucumber seeds knowing I was having surgery on my foot this summer, so I didn’t want to grow too many things. Well, the joke’s on me! I am up to my eyeballs in pickles (literally almost 130 quarts so far with no end in sight)! Yikes! I’ve given away a ton of them too. LOL This is my go-to for bread and buns, and I add extras to mine too, to match what will be going into them.
Also good is brushing them with a little toasted sesame oil when they come out of the oven. It makes the sesame seed flavor really stand out great for sandwiches!
Out of curiosity, have you tried drying your zucchini and turning it into flour? I’ve seen a few drying methods that will work for it (oven drying, air drying, sun drying, running a needle and thread through it and hanging it to dry). Then run through a blender or even a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle if you have one. I have a mill to make my own flour, and make all of ours – oats, rye, rice, wheat, millet, etc. I haven’t tried zucchini in it yet but was wondering if you’ve ever tried it. Happy baking!