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Standing on the homemade soapbox again… I have already shared with you my go-to recipe for homemade hamburger buns, but every once in a while a burger recipe comes along that calls for something a little different. That something arrives in the form of these beautiful whole wheat buns.
Normally I like to share with you the base recipe before sharing the adaptations, but since it is burger season, I am going backwards. Like the white flour hamburger buns, I enrich this dough with an egg. It provides good structure and texture. Rather than using sesame seeds or poppy seeds, I stay on theme with the whole wheat and sprinkle the buns with a little wheat bran.
Sweet, nutty, and 100% whole wheat (o.k. a little potato “flour”), these are a healthy and most certainly tasty alternative to a plain bun. Perfect for burgers, but a great bun for sandwiches too.
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Buns
- 12 ounces (340 grams) whole wheat flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
- ¼ cup potato flour, I use Bob’s Red Mill
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- ¼ cup 2 ounces orange juice
- 1 extra-large egg
For the Egg Wash
- 1 extra-large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Wheat bran, optional
Instructions
- Combine the flour, yeast, salt, honey, butter, dry milk, potato flour, water, orange juice and egg in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. (You can also make this by hand or in a bread machine.) Adjust the dough’s consistency with additional flour or water as needed but remember, the more flour you add, the heavier and drier your buns will be. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and loosely cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a draft-free space to rise until doubled in size (this will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently deflate the dough and divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and flatten into a 3 ½-inch disc. Transfer discs to a parchment lined baking sheet spacing them 2 ½-inches apart. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours in a warm, draft-free space.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and one tablespoon of water. Brush the top of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with wheat bran if using. Bake the buns until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and use for your favorite burger or sandwich recipe. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was just searching yesterday for a whole wheat hamburger bun! These look great..the only thing I am missing is the potato flour!
Wowwww, this looks delicious! see more hamburger bun recipes at tiptap.com
These look fantastic! I'm very impressed that they're 100% whole wheat. I'll be trying these sometime soon for sure 🙂
These look delicious!
I nominated you on my blog for the Versatile Blogger award 🙂 You can read about it on my blog if you so choose. https://milk-and.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/beef-and-bean-sausage-rolls.html
Beautiful buns! pinned 🙂
I want to make these for a party but would like to make them ahead of time. How long do they keep? Can I freeze them?
Wrapped well, they can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, you can individually wrap them in plastic wrap and place them inside a freezer safe bag or container. Thaw at room temperature before using.
I made these today and they were amazing! I usually make a light whole wheat bun but this will now be my go to burger bun! They were surprisingly moist! When making the dough I was worried about using too much flour so my dough was quite sticky when I put it for the first rising (not sure if that is how it is supposed to be) but in the end the results were fabulous..Thank you!!!!!
I was curious if it was the potato flour or orange juice that help contribute to how moist they were????
The potato flour does retain more moisture than regular flour. It makes for a soft and moist texture. The orange juice brings out the nutty sweetness of the whole wheat. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I would like to try your recipe today but my husband doesn't like honey (at all!). Do you think I could use sugar and water instead? Or would you suggest something else?
You can't taste the honey flavor, but you can substitute granulated sugar.
Score! I made those hamburger buns with 2 Tsp sugar instead of honey, and they were perfect! Soft and tasty… Really perfect. Thanks again for all these terrific recipes you share (I'm hoping, one day, you'll post a great english muffins recipe…)
Good to hear. As for the english muffin recipe, it is in the works☺.
Can't wait!
Cani substitute or delete the potato flour?
You can substitute 1/3 cup of potato flakes, but I do not recommend omitting it.
These look so deliciously healthy. They are definitely on my "need to make" list.