Homemade Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Homemade whole wheat burger buns shine with the yummy subtle nutty flavor that comes with whole wheat. They’re soft, like a good dinner roll, and the ingredient list is short and wholesome–flour, olive oil, salt, yeast, egg, and a pinch of honey. You’ll be a burger bun pro after making this easy recipe just once.

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Start by mixing flour and instant dry yeast in a bowl. In a second bowl, mix hot water, the oil, honey, egg, and salt. The oil cools the water down just enough so you can mix the wet into the dry without worrying if the yeast will die on you.

From there you either let your stand mixer form it into a smooth mass, or you get right in and knead the dough into smooth and elastic with the heels of your hand.

The whole wheat dough rises in the fridge. An hour later, you roll it out and cut circles with a cookie cutter—yes, a cookie cutter makes the buns.

Let them rise 45 minutes, give them an egg wash shine and sesame seed sparkle, and pop them in the oven. 12 minutes later you’ve got homemade whole wheat burger buns. Pat yourself on the bum—nice buns!

Give them a few minutes to cool before cutting them in half. They’re the very best when you toast the bun halves either on the grill or in a toaster.

Sandwich your burger with all the fixings—lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado sauce. My lentil quinoa veggie burgers crave homemade whole wheat burger buns. Regular hamburgers crave a good bun too.

A friend of mine gives thumbs down to burgers with dry cotton-tasting bun. She says burgers are only as good as their buns. After tasting homemade and whole wheat buns, she’s a convert. You will be too!

Homemade Whole Wheat Burger Buns recipe notes:

• White whole wheat flour is lighter in color and flavor than the whole wheat flour we are most familiar with. White whole wheat flour, ground from white wheat berries, includes the bran, germ and endosperm of the wheat grain, the same as regular whole wheat flour, which is ground from hard red wheat berries. Feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour for all or some of the white whole wheat flour.
• Instant yeast is part of what makes this recipe easy—practically no fail. No separate mixing on the side to get it to bubble. Just mix in with the flour, and then add the warm liquid.
• All told, 15 minutes to mix and knead, 1 hour to rise, 10 minutes to cut out the rounds, 45 minutes to rise again, and 12 minutes to bake. Use the down time to get the rest of your meal together.
• For homemade slider buns cut the dough with a 2 ¼-inch cutter.

There will be dough left after cutting out the buns. What to do with any extra dough:

• Gently merge the scraps together and cut out a few more circles.
• I usually turn the extra dough into mini cinnamon rolls or pesto rolls.
• To make mini cinnamon rolls, roll the extra dough into a thin long rectangle, spread with soft butter, sprinkle with sugar (I use Sucanat or coconut sugar), and cinnamon. Roll the long edge up and pinch the edges to seal. Cut about 2-inch lengths and place them on a cookie sheet, flattening with your hand. Let rise and bake.
• Alternatively, spread with pesto and sprinkle with Asiago cheese. Roll the long edge up and pinch the edges to seal. Cut about 2-inch lengths and place them on a cookie sheet, flattening with your hand. Let rise and bake.

Can you freeze extra buns or the dough before cutting?

Yes! 

• To freeze the extra buns, cut them in half first and make the packaging as airtight as possible. (The moisture in the dough creates ice crystals.) Re-heat the frozen buns right from the freezer–don’t thaw first.
• You can also freeze the dough to use later. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge. Roll out the dough, cut the buns, and let rise as you would if the dough had never been frozen.

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Tools/equipment used in this recipe:

• Round cookie cutter (affiliate link) or biscuit cutter, nice to have.
• Stand mixer (affiliate link) with dough hook, definitely optional.
• Rolling pin—any one will do, even a wine bottle. I have one like this. (affiliate link)
• Pastry mat for rolling dough. (affiliate link) Or use your kitchen counter, lightly floured.

Wishing you a fabulous weekend–get in the kitchen and bake something delicious!

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Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. The numbers will vary based on the quantity consumed, brands used and any substitutions.

Print Recipe

4 from 6 votes

Homemade Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Serve with veggie burgers and all your favorite fixings. Makes 8 (3 1/2-inch) burger buns. If you like, make slider buns by cutting the dough with a smaller 2 ¼-inch cutter. 

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 32 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: homemade, burger buns, hamburger buns, whole wheat

Servings: 8 buns.

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 cup hot water (120° to 130°F)
• 1 teaspoon honey or pure cane sugar
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 egg , lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 egg , for egg wash shine, optional

Instructions

• In the workbowl of a heavy-duty mixer, or in a large bowl, mix the yeast with 3 cups of the whole wheat flour.
• In another bowl, whisk together the hot water, honey, oil, and salt. Add the egg.
• With a wooden spoon, mix the liquid ingredients into the flour and yeast. If using a stand mixer, fit it with the dough hook and knead at low speed. Otherwise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand. Knead 4 or 5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour a tablespoon at a time, as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place in an oiled bowl at least twice the volume of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator until the dough has doubled, about one hour.
• Gently turn the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a rounded rectangle with your hands. Use a rolling pin to roll to a thickness of ½ inch (not thinner.)
• Cut 8 circles out of the dough with a 3- or 3 ½-inch round cutter. (see note)
• Brush a baking sheet with oil or spray with cooking spray. Arrange the buns on the pan, allowing room for sideways expansion. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Make an egg wash with the egg and a teaspoon of water. (You will have egg wash left over—use it for French toast!)
• When the buns have risen, brush them lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the buns are lightly golden. Cool before slicing in half. 

Notes

Make slider buns: cut the dough with a 2 ¼-inch cutter. 

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

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