Fresh-Milled Hamburger Buns

A good hamburger bun must be soft enough to compress, strong enough to hold juices, and modest enough not to overpower the filling. Egg, butter, and honey give this fresh-milled dough tenderness while careful flattening keeps the buns broad instead of round like dinner rolls.

Ingredients

• 400 g fresh-milled hard white wheat flour
• 100 g organic bread flour
• 300 g water or whole milk, divided
• 1 large egg, about 50 g
• 35 g honey
• 40 g unsalted butter, very soft
• 10 g fine salt
• 7 g instant yeast
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, optional
• Sesame seeds, optional

Baker’s percentages

Method

1. Combine both flours with 280 g liquid and the egg. Rest 20 minutes.
2. Add honey, butter, salt, and yeast. Mix 7–9 minutes, adding reserved liquid only as needed.
3. Bulk ferment until 60–75% larger, about 60–90 minutes.
4. Divide into eight pieces of about 118 g. Round tightly, rest 10 minutes, then flatten each to about 4 inches wide.
5. Arrange on two parchment-lined pans. Cover and proof until very puffy, 40–60 minutes. Gently press wider once midway if they spring upward.
6. Brush with egg wash and add sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 375°F for 16–20 minutes, rotating once, to about 195°F.
7. Cool fully before splitting. Freeze extras already sliced.

Make it well

Weigh every piece. Equal buns proof and brown at the same rate.

Flatten twice for burger proportions; a single tight round becomes a dinner roll.

For softer tops, skip egg wash and brush the hot buns with melted butter.

Guides for better bread

Start with the Fresh-Milled Flour Guide, use the Fresh-Milled Flour Hydration Chart, and troubleshoot with Why Is My Fresh-Milled Bread Dense? and Why Is My Fresh-Milled Dough So Sticky?.