For big, thick burgers, a hearty (but soft!) bun bought from a local bakery or made at home will do you well (try out our recipes for a clone of the Spotted Pig's awesome bun), but for thin, griddled, classic diner-style burgers, nothing beats a store-bought bun. There are some battles not worth fighting, and soft burger buns at home is one of them. Why bother when they're so cheaply and readily available, and perfectly suited for the task?
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The ideal soft burger bun should be pillowy, squishy, and tender, with a tight but soft crumb and a distinct sweetness. It should hold up nicely to the burger's juices, but should never be tough or cottony. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you don't want a burger that disintegrates half way through your meal.
The Contenders
We picked the 7 most common nationally available brands for our lineup, as well as including our write-in wildcard favorite, Martin's Potato Rolls, sold mostly on the East Coast. For competition, we also included the only other brand of potato rolls we could find: Pepperidge Farm's Golden Potato. Finally, we included one generic brand from the local supermarket to see how it would compare to the mass-market brands (Super A). Here are the contenders, in alphabetical order:
When there was a choice, we always chose the unseeded version of their hamburger bun (some of them were called "sandwich buns"). We tasted each bun in two ways: plain, and toasted with a cheeseburger. For the plain buns, tasters were asked to evaluate flavor and texture. Is it sweet enough? Buttery, or bland? Does it become cottony in your mouth as you chew it, or is it sufficiently soft?
Each bun was also toasted and used to assemble a cheeseburger. Tasters were asked to evaluate how well it stood up to the onslaught of burger juices, as well as whether or not the flavor of the patties was compatible with the flavor of the cheese and the burger. Does it balance out the meat, or detract from it? Does it disintegrate halfway through the burger? Or perhaps it's too tough so the burger gets squashed as you eat it? These are the pressing questions we ask ourselves on a typical work day.
The Results
No huge surprises here: Martin's was the overall winner, although we were mildly surprised by the fact that both the sunbeam and the Arnold brand buns scored within .2 points (out of 10) of the Martin's. So all is not lost if Martin's isn't available in your area!
The most interesting result to come out of the tasting came when I compared a graph of the overall score of each burger bun against a graph of the perceived texture of the buns. There was a near perfect correlation between how soft the buns were and how much we liked them. Check this out:
There was no such similar correlation between flavor and overall ranking, which indicates that for burger buns, texture is the overriding factor when comparing quality.
Here are the final rankings, with our tasting notes.
Martin's (6.7/10)
The gold standard of burger buns, its signature yellow crumb, buttery-sweet flavor, and soft but substantial texture make it the ideal partner for beef and cheese. "Sweet and pillowy," said one commenter, while another simply stated, "HELLO MARTINS. I WOULD HAVE YOUR BABIES." Are you listening, Martin's?
Sunbeam (6.6/10)
The buns are quite small—about the same as Martin's rolls in size—so if you plan on burgers much wider than 3 1/2 to 4 inches, you should pick the Arnold buns below. A surprise winner for us; people weren't too keen on its "mild bready flavor," but its softness won tasters over once the burger was slipped into it. It squishes down until it's just "a little something between the meat and your fingers," but never disintegrates.
Arnold (6.5/10)
Slightly larger than the average bun, but not unwieldy or too thick by any means. The flavor is "inoffensive and slightly sweet," and the look is "very generic white bun," but used in a cheeseburger, the "bottom bun layer soaks up all the burger juices in a good way." "Nice balance, nice chew."
Gold Medal (5.8/10)
The only seeded option we had to use, they were also the largest bun of all. They may have actually been more appropriate for a large, grilled backyard burger, although some complained that "the bun dissolved a little with the burger." Others really liked it, describing it as "thick, but squishy and fluffy." The sesame seeds were a dividing factor.
Pepperidge Farm Golden Potato (5.3/10)
The other brand of potato roll in the lineup, they didn't fare nearly as well as Martin's. Like the regular Pepperidge Farms buns, these ones are significantly larger than either Martin's or Sunbeam. "Kinda weird tasting" and "soapy aftertaste" were used to describe its flavor—every single taster reported an odd aftertaste—but its texture was "squishy and soft" in a good way.
Market Pantry (Target) (5.2/10)
The house brand at Target, it's a little taller than a standard supermarket bun. "Slightly sour but pretty neutral taste," was the overall impression on flavor, but texture is where it suffered. "Crumb a little stiff" and "dry crust" were the big problems.
Pepperidge Farm (4.7/10)
Pepperidge Farm produces a fairly large roll with the most substantial "real bread" look of all the ones we tasted. But that doesn't mean it tastes like real bread. "Doesn't taste like much, but doesn't taste too processed," describes the overall flavor impression. Several found that the outer crust had a stiff, papery quality. "Soft but dry," it was called, though it fared a little better with the burger in it. "No character, but inoffensive."
Wonderbread (4.5/10)
The classic polka-dotted bag brand, and one that we thought would be a favorite. In comparison with other buns, though, it just didn't stack up. Flavor was "pretty neutral and fine," but the real problem was in the "gritty crumb," which crumbled in a weird way when eaten on its own, and disintegrated to almost nothing when the burger was put it in. For a brand known for its soft-textured, insignificant sliced bread, its burger buns are surprisingly stiff.
Super A (4.2/10)
Looks like going with the national brands is the way to go. Our one generic label brand dropped quickly to the bottom of the heap. "Weird, funky aftertaste," and "weird bubblegum flavor," or just plain "yuck" were used to describe its flavor, while the crust was "too chewy," and "a bit dry and thick."
Whole Foods (3.8/10)
Once again, Whole Foods 365 brand dragged its way over the finish line in dead last place. Whatever else they do right, they just can't seem to make any decent packaged products. It is significantly taller and denser than any of the other entries, it "dwarfs the burger meat" with a full "inch and a half thick top" with a very cottony, dry texture. Some were ambivalent, claiming it to be "kinda thick and dry, but not awful," while others (namely, me) didn't mince words: "I hate this bun with a passion."
I am, either by nature or by nurture, prone to hyperbole—especially when it comes to food. If I don’t pay attention to what I’m saying (or typing) I tend toward the grandiose. You may have noticed this in some of my blog articles. So, fully cognizant of that fact, I want to be very clear that when I write this next sentence, it is not, I think, hyperbole.
A good burger is a glorious thing.
Burgers are our national food, 2 and because of their importance to our cultural cuisine, we’ve written rather extensively on the subject. From smash burgers to grilling temps, and from grinding your own meat to stuffed burgers, we’ve covered a wide swath of burger territory. But until now, we’ve been silent on one very important part of any burger: the bun.
A burger that is only so-so can be greatly improved with a good bun, and, conversely, a burger with exceptional beef and toppings can only go so far with a bad bun. And knowing how our readers aren’t ones to shrink from a challenge, we knew that bringing you a killer recipe for an amazing hamburger bun would be a good idea.
And this one is a doozy. Created by the literal bread-and-pastry geniuses at The Butter Book, this recipe is amazingly easy to make and gives you results that you will love. Of course, we’ll guide you through the thermal steps you’ll need to make sure everything ends up properly pillowy and chewy.
A good burger bun needs to be able to handle a good burger, i.e. one that is juicy. It should also be able to handle any toppings, from mayo to ketchup to tomatoes and pickles. No one wants a bun that goes all soggy-bottom on you or that disintegrates before you finish eating. A good bun will also be soft enough that you can take big bites comfortably. (Sure, two slabs of crusty artisan sourdough might be interesting, but that is not the burger that any of us are looking for.)
A good bun should be aesthetically pleasing, after all, presentation is a huge factor in culinary enjoyment and a wan, pale bun just won’t get people as excited as one that is burnished golden brown. And it goes almost without saying that a good bun must be delicious in its own right.
That list of characteristics can seem a little daunting. But making a perfect bun that checks all of those boxes isn’t any harder than making any other bread. Let’s take a look at what it takes to get a bun that does what we want it to do.
First, a bun that is sturdy enough to take the juice of a burger can be made by using high-gluten flour and developing that gluten very well. We get that in this recipe from good quality bread flour that we knead in a stand mixer for a full 12–15 minutes. The resulting gluten network is strong enough to provide the strength and structure (and perfect chew) we need.
But will such a well-developed high-gluten dough be tender as well as strong? It will if we proof it correctly. The dough undergoes an initial proof on the countertop at room temp for one hour, then is shaped (re-forming some of the gluten) and proofed in a warm oven or cooler for another hour and a half. (More on the shaping below.) You want to be careful here. A proof that is too hot will cause the dough to rise too quickly, ruining some of the gluten structure. Using a ChefAlarm® to track the temperature of whatever proofing box you use will help you get the very best results. Set the high- and low-temp alarms on either side of 80°F (27°C), then regulate the temperature of the box if it goes too high or too low. If you let it rise at the right rate, the gluten will help your bun stay strong.
So much for the bun’s structure, what about the aesthetics? To make the buns beautiful, we give them a double coating of egg wash—one coating before the final proof, another right before baking— to give them that beautiful, dark gold sheen. Along with the second coating, we also strew the tops of the buns with sesame seeds, which not only look nice but also give the burger a nutty, complex flavor that varies the flavor. They add topography to the flavor landscape of the bun.
As for flavor, well, we wrap that up pretty soundly by making a rich dough bun with whole milk, egg, butter, and a little sugar. You’ll have to restrain yourself to save these buns for the burgers! But of course, even the best recipe will be bad if you undercook the buns. Rich dough breads have a finish-temp of 180–190°F (82–88°C), which we can check during the cook with a fast and accurate instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen®. Perfectly done bread is tastier bread!
I mentioned in the above section that the buns are shaped, but how is that done? It’s surprisingly easy, once you get the hang of it. First, the big dough ball is cut into smaller dough balls, each about 80 grams. You should get about 12 from this recipe. Place a chunk on an un-floured surface, preferably with the freshly-cut (stickier) side down on the counter. Cup your hand and place it over the ball so that your hand is just touching the top of the dough ball. Then move your hand in a small circle, dragging/rolling the dough ball around inside the “cup.” You’ll feel the ball start to become more spherical, and then it will rather suddenly coalesce into a firm, smooth ball. Place it on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
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Repeat this rolling process with all of the balls, then top the dough balls with another sheet of parchment and squish them so they are flattened with another sheet pan. The resulting discs will not be very big around and they certainly won’t be very flat (thanks gluten). Don’t worry, they’ll proof up perfectly.
If you’re as serious about burgers as I am, and I assume you are, then you really need to try this recipe out. Once you start making your own buns, you’ll never want the bagged grocery store variety again. If you can get the best buns with just a few hours of work, why would you want the sad, soggy ones? You wouldn’t!
Take up the challenge. Grind your meat, make your buns, fry up some fries, maybe even cure your own bacon. Make your burgers! If you can find a better burger out there in the world, you must absolutely write in and tell me about it. But don’t worry. You won’t. Yes, doing the whole thing from scratch is a lot of work, but if you want a glorious example of what is already a glorious food, then this is the best way to get it. And with the aid of your Thermapen, both your buns and your burgers will truly be their best.
Printclock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid iconWant to learn to bake like a pro? Our friends at The Butter Book are offering 25% off their annual plan. Founded by world-renowned chefs Sébastien Canonne M.O.F & Jacquy Pfeiffer of The French Pastry School, The Butter Book is an online baking platform with video lessons designed to inspire sweet and delicious creations in the kitchen. With the annual plan, you’ll have access to over 200+ baking videos led by pastry professionals, tried and trusted recipes you can learn at your own pace, and a platform centered around a community of home bakers. This isn’t something we’re getting paid for, the benefit is the knowledge our customers will be gaining at a discount!
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reviewsDelicious, fluffy, sturdy burger buns, based on the recipe developed by The Butter Book, a learning platform created by The French Pastry School.
For the buns
150 g
(⅔
C)150 g
(⅔
C) at proper temperature (see recipe below for details)500 g
(3½
C)10 g
(2 tsp
)40 g
(3⅓ Tbsp
)1
eggFor the egg wash, topping
two
eggs plus 1 egg yolk
Cook Mode
Prevent your screen from going dark
Make the dough
Form the buns
Bake the buns
Pro-tip: toast the buns on the sliced side to add one more layer of flavor and texture to your burgers.
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