Burger Buns
for BCLiving “From Scratch” Column
August 2025
We’re in the thick of summer BBQ season, so why not try and level up your next backyard or patio grill session with homemade burger buns. It might be easy to just grab a pack from the store, but I promise these tasty so much better than the plain ones full of preservatives.
I’ve based these ones off a brioche recipe, so they are super buttery – and the best part is that they don’t just have to be for burgers, you can shape them into hot dog buns, or even buns for things like lobster rolls. They freeze well too, so feel free to double the recipe up!
Makes Approx 4 Buns
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp butter (softened)
- 1 egg (beaten) + 1 egg yolk
- 1.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you can also use a combo with whole wheat if you’d like)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- sesame seeds (optional – I used both black and white)
You will also need a food thermometer, and a stand mixer is helpful, but you can also do this mixing by hand.
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep and measure out all of your ingredients so you have them ready to go at each stage.
In a small pan heat the milk until it is steaming but not boiling – you want to aim for about 100F – 105F. When it reaches that temp, add in the water, yeast, and a small amount of the sugar and whisk together.
Let it stand until the yeast bubbles form (about 5 mins) and then mix in the softened butter and beaten egg.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer (with the dough hook attachment on).
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and remaining sugar until combined.
Going in stages, with the stand mixer on low, slowly add the flour a little bit at a time until it is incorporated. Turn the mixture up to medium-high for about 10 minutes until a sticky dough has formed.
Oil a large bowl and remove the dough from the mixer (oiling your hands will help it not stick to you!) and place in the bowl, turning to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap (I also covered it with a clean tea towel) and set aside to rise.
You want the dough to double in size – this could take up to 2 hours depending on the time of year, your location, and the temp of your room! So just keep an eye on it.
Once it doubles, punch it down and remove it from the bowl. Divide it into 4 equal pieces – either by eyeballing it, or you can weigh it and divide it by four.
On a clean countertop, gently roll the balls until they are smooth, and you can pinch the seam together on the bottom. Once rolled, place on a baking sheet – spread evenly – and cover with the plastic wrap from earlier for about an hour until they puff back up.
When ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water.
Uncover the buns, and with a pastry brush coat the buns with the egg wash and then immediately sprinkle with the sesame seeds if you’re using them.
Bake for 15-18 minutes (each oven can be different) until they are a golden-brown color – then remove from the oven onto a wire cooling rack.
Best used the same day they’re made, but you can also freeze them and when you want to use them you can let them defrost on the counter and toast them up. (I pre-cut the buns before I freeze them to make defrosting easier.)
ENJOY!