Have you ever had dinner all planned out, and just as you begin to cook, you realize that you forgot something? Something really important like a crucial ingredient? Yeah, me too. This happened to me recently when I realized that I had no buns or rolls for pulled the BBQ chicken sandwiches that I was preparing for supper (adding insult to injury was the fact that we were expecting company). It’s a good thing I had this little recipe for these quick homemade buns in my back pocket to save the day. I’m not one for last-minute trips to the store when they can be avoided, so a little baking was definitely in order.
So let’s talk about some of the ingredients:
Active dry yeast – This type of yeast needs to be mixed with warm water and a little bit of sugar, and then allowed to sit for a few minutes before using – if the yeast becomes foamy, then we know the yeast is alive and will make your bread rise (this is also called proofing the yeast.) If you only have instant or rapid-rise yeast, that will work, too, but you need to use a little bit less of it. So substitute 1 ½ tablespoons of instant yeast for 2 tablespoons of active dry yeast. Also, instant yeast does not need to sit and proof before using, so just go ahead and use it right away in the recipe
Canola oil – If you prefer not to use canola oil, you can whatever type of neutral-flavored oil you typically use in your kitchen. I find that sunflower oil is a good neutral oil to use in baking. If you prefer to skip the oil and use butter, you will need to use ¼ cup of melted butter in place of the 3 tablespoons of oil that the recipe calls for (the reason for this is that butter contains not only fat but also water.) If you want to use coconut oil, use 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil but be aware that it is likely to give the finished buns a hint of coconut flavor.
Salt – Use a fine salt like sea salt or table salt. For best results, I don’t recommend using a coarse salt in this recipe.
Sugar – You may be tempted to skip the sugar in this recipe, but please don’t. Skipping the sugar will affect the rise of the dough and the flavor of the finished buns. I like to use natural cane sugar, but any granulated sugar will work fine.
Cook’s Tips:
- After removing the buns from the oven, place them on a wire rack and make sure they are fully cooled before slicing.
- Customize your buns by adding herbs or other seasonings. You can also top them with poppy seeds or sesame seeds just before baking.
- If you want a larger bun for your big, juicy burger, divide the dough into 8 pieces instead of 12 before baking.
- This recipe can also be used for dinner rolls or slider buns. Simply divide the dough into 16 pieces before baking.
These buns almost seem too good to be true. They’re quick, easy, and tastier than store-bought (in my husband’s humble opinion anyway). And yeah, they take a couple of minutes of kneading, but start-to-finish, they can be ready in under an hour. Seriously, don’t wait for an impending dinner disaster to make these. The next time you’re in the mood for grilling a hamburger, or having a really good sandwich, just go ahead and make these. You won’t be sorry!
If you try this recipe, I hope you love it. Please let me know in the comments below.
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Quick and Easy Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
Instructions
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Weekend Potluck at The Country Cook
Hi Melissa … your hamburger buns look scrumptious and I plan to make them. What is the oven temp for baking the buns. Thanks!
Sorry about that! I’ve updated the post – thanks for catching it. The temp is 425°F.
I just made these and they were so quick and easy…not to mention perfect and delicious! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Glad you enjoyed! Come back and visit again soon!
I was wondering temp as well? 350?
The temperature is 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hi Melissa … your hamburger buns look scrumptious and I plan to make them. What is the oven temp for baking the buns. Thanks!
Your hamburger buns look beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing with us on Full Plate Thursday and come back real soon!
Miz Helen
These are beautiful buns girl! Thanks for sharing!
Thank-you!
Just made these and they are delicious and look just like the picture. I used to be afraid of yeast but recently started making sourdough breads and yeast breads. Sorry it took me so long to get hooked!
I am so glad you liked them! Bread-making is addicting!
I just made these. Are they meant to be very small buns? When I made 12, they are more like slider size. They are delicious, but if the recipe ends up the same way next time I think I would make closer to 9 buns. Otherwise, a very easy recipe and the taste is perfect!!! Thanks, Brandi
Hi Brandi. They may be a little smaller than store-bought buns. If you want larger buns, definitely just go ahead and make 8 or 9 instead of 12. I’m glad you liked them!
I made these this evening and they were delicious! I even have leftover for sandwiches tomorrow! So quick and easy, will definitely be making again! Thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
When adding the flour do you still use the whisk? Or switch to the dough hook?
If you’re using a stand mixer, I would switch to a dough hook, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes or so).
Hi what flour did you use?
All-purpose flour or bread flour will work fine.
Hi, any chance I can use rapid rise instant yeast instead? If yes, can you recommend how much?
When using rapid rise, you can use the same measurement, you just don’t have to let it proof (sit with the water/sugar). You can mix the water, sugar, yeast, oil and egg and then add the flour. Hope I didn’t step on the author’s toes here, it wasn’t my intention! I just make a lot of bread products home! 🙂
Thank you for the comment and for sharing your knowledge. You’re definitely not stepping on my toes – I love it when readers comment and interact! 🙂
Made these and they turned out really good. I put ingredients into bread machine to stir the dough, then kneaded briefly, divided into pieces and shaped into buns. Let rise and baked. Very good!!
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
I divided the recipe in half (there is just 2 of us) and the buns are a great size. They taste great, too! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Really great recipe! Easy and delicious. Thanks!
I’m happy you liked the recipe! Come back and visit again! 🙂
I make bread and buns often but these didnt get bigger than like an inch and half lol. Not sure what happened 🙁
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. I’m really not sure why that happened. Yours is the first comment I’ve had with the recipe not working, so I’m not sure how to help. Maybe try proofing your yeast to make sure it is viable.
Dear Melissa would you please tell which type of flour is best fort buns. Thank.
All-purpose flour is fine. You can also use bread flour.
Hello! Just got my buns out of the oven. My husband and I split one while still warm, so good. Will be making these again and again. I am recently retired, and I love baking.
Congratulations on your retirement! I love baking, too – it’s such a fun pastime, isn’t it? I’m so glad you liked the recipe. Have a great weekend!
I just tried to make these and they were a disaster! I am new to using a Kitchenaid mixer so not sure if that was the problem or not. I mixed as directed, kneaded for 5 minutes with the dough hook and the dough was still a sticky mess. Went another 2 minutes, still sticky so tried to knead it by hand and it got even stickier. Any advice as to what I did wrong? Used a little under 3 1/2 c flour and the dough seemed fine to knead but clearly that was not the case.
I am not sure what went wrong. The amount of flour to water ratio can vary due to many factors including humidity and even the brand of flour. It is also possible that you may have added too little flour depending upon how you measured it (scooping it vs. spooning it into the cup – I tend to fluff the flour and then scoop). I typically knead the dough by hand and haven’t tried using my stand mixer in this recipe, so I’m not sure if that could have been a factor. I think that adding just a little more flour and kneading for a few additional minutes should help the dough to come together and not be so sticky. I hope that helps.
Do you cover them for the 15 min!?
You don’t need to cover them.
I’m looking for a recipe that can be used to make hamburger or sausage buns. Have you ever turned these into sausage buns?
I’ve never tried making sausage buns with this recipe, but if you do, please let me know how they turn out!
am I able to use half wheat and half white? thanks!
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think it would be a problem. If you try it, let me know how they turn out. 🙂
So delicious! Definitely a save!! But can I refrigerate the buns before I bake them?
I think you should be fine refrigerating them buns for up to 24 hours. I would shape the dough into buns, cover them tightly and refrigerate immediately. Before baking, allow the dough to warm up and rise on the counter for about 30 minutes or so. Hope that helps!
So I’ve now made this recipe twice, once with active dry yeast and once with instant yeast. The buns did not double in size, or really increase in size at all, even with giving them more time. What can I do to fix this?
I’m really not sure how to fix this problem. I’ve always had success with this recipe, as have so many others, yet I have had a few people have this same complaint. There are a few things I can think of. One is the temperature (they rise best in a warm temperature). Also, sometimes the yeast itself is old and no longer viable (although you said you’ve tried with 2 different yeasts.) The other thing is too much flour in the dough. If you happen to add into much flour while kneading the dough, and the dough becomes too thick and dry, it can mess with the rising. I’m not sure offhand what else the problem could be, but I hope this is helpful to you.
I haven’t made much bread and assumed all buns would be hard and take a long time. I was wrong. These were so quick and easy not to mention delicious. I made them into 8 buns. We thought they were the best! We toasted on the grill before eating with a burger. I ate one right away. My husband thinks I should make weekly in the summer for burgers. I guess I will. I did use my mixer to knead for about 7 minutes.
Just made these….Turned out great. I think my oven is running a little hot, so I would turn down the temp a little. Made 8 large hamburger buns.
I am so glad they turned out for you!
I had the same scenario! Pulled pork in the crock pot and no buns. Ugh! Found your recipe and they were so easy to make! Best of all, they were delicious – so light and fresh! Thank you. Sorry, no pics….we ate them too quickly.
I am glad that you liked them!
These are fantastic. My husband refuses to buy store bought buns anymore! We’ve used them for burgers and homemade sloppy joes. They are wonderfully sturdy without being dense! Thank you!
So happy you and your husband enjoyed them!
Love them. Huge hit in my house. I haven’t bought buns in months. Thinking of using this recipe and shape them into hamburger/sausage buns!
I love the sausage buns idea! If you try it, let me know how they turn out!
Your recipe is perfect! Easy and quick to whip up and they are a perfect size when dividing into 12 pieces, I sprinkled sesame seeds prior to baking and so impressed. Not ever going to buy from the store again! Great instructions and didn’t need to tweak at all.
I am so happy to hear it! And I agree with you – I think dividing the dough into 12 pieces makes perfect size buns.
I don’t even buy hamburger buns anymore! We love this recipe. Sometimes I add a half pack of Lipton onion soup mix, reducing the salt and flour to compensate. I’m eating my latest batch as I write this!!♥️♥️
I love the idea of adding onion soup mix! I will definitely be trying this. Thank you for sharing!
I had the problem of not doubling in size so I let them rise a bit longer and covered them! I’m guessing that might be some of the comments issue because it’s cooler in their house/humidity! Either way, longer rising worked for me!
That’s good to know, Mckayla! Hopefully this will help out anyone else who is having rising issues. Thanks for sharing!
This is my go-to recipe for hamburger and hot dog buns. Can this recipe be used to make a bread loaf?
I’m not sure if it can be used to make bread, Sylvia. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!
I was wondering if anyone has made these and then froze them. If so how did they turn out? It’s just my husband and I so we don’t go thru buns as fast most of the time. Thank you!
Hi Brylee. To freeze the rolls, I find the best way is to make the dough and then shape the rolls, but don’t allow them to rise. Place the shaped rolls on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, remove the rolls to a plastic bag and store in the freezer until you need them. When you are ready to bake, remove the rolls from the bag, place them onto a baking sheet, and allow them to thaw and to rise for a few hours before baking. Hope this helps!
H, I would Ike to make these ahead because I need t do a few batches.. do they freeze well?
To freeze the rolls, I find the best way is to make the dough and then shape the rolls, but don’t allow them to rise. Place the shaped rolls on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, remove the rolls to a plastic bag and store in the freezer until you need them. When you are ready to bake, remove the rolls from the bag, place them onto a baking sheet, and allow them to thaw and to rise for a few hours before baking. Hope this helps!
Please clarify on proofing. This recipe doesn’t seem to require the usual 2+ hours
This recipe requires the dough to rise (proof) for only about 15 minutes (or maybe a little bit longer if your house is cold).