Homemade Sandwich, Slider and Burger Buns

Just one recipe is all you need to make homemade sandwich rolls and burger or slider buns.

If you’re looking to step up your summer barbecue game, homemade buns and sandwich rolls are a great place to start! While store-bought buns are often bland and boring, these buns are light, tender and full of so much flavor. They’ll be just as delicious as whatever you want to pile inside.

Whether you’re making hamburgers, pulled pork sliders or cold cut sandwiches— they all deserve to start on a tasty homemade bun.

Homemade Sandwich, Slider and Burger Buns Video Tutorial

One bun recipe, lots of ways to bake it!

Use this one versatile recipe to make buns however you like. You can bake larger buns for burgers or pulled pork sandwiches, or smaller rolls for cold cut sandwiches, sloppy joes, and burger sliders. The options are endless!

Keep buns and rolls plain, or top them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or flaky salt to add even more flavor and flair.

Ingredients you’ll need

Let’s get baking! Here’s everything you need to make these buns:

• Milk
• Water
• Unsalted butter
• Bread flour
• Platinum Yeast from Red Star
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Eggs
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds, optional, for topping

Why I bake with Red Star Yeast

Red Star Yeast is the only yeast I use in my baking, and their Platinum® yeast is my favorite! It’s not too fussy and has consistent, excellent results. Dough rises better and faster, and with a higher volume in the finished product. Baking success has never been this easy!

Start with the dough

To make these buns or rolls, first we need to prepare the dough. You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook, or if you plan to knead by hand you can use any large bowl.

1. Heat butter, milk and water. Combine in a small saucepan over medium low heat until butter is melted and mixture is 120-130°F.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Stir some of the bread flour, yeast, sugar and salt in mixing bowl.
3. Add liquids and eggs. Pour warmed milk mixture and eggs into mixing bowl and combine to make a very wet dough.
4. Add more bread flour while kneading. Knead with dough hook or by hand, adding remaining flour a bit at a time, waiting until it is incorporated into the dough before adding more. Stop adding flour when dough mostly clears the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch.
5. Let rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Now that the dough is prepped, we’re ready to shape it into buns or rolls.

How to bake larger burger buns

If you want larger buns about the size of hamburger buns you can buy at the store, follow these instructions:

1. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.
2. Shape into a ball.
3. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
4. Let rise until doubled. As they rise, gently pat the tops occasionally to encourage them wider not taller.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

How to bake smaller sandwich rolls

You can also use this same recipe to make smaller buns about the size of a dinner roll. These are great for smaller burger sliders, sandwiches and more. Here’s what to do:

1. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces.
2. Shape into a ball.
3. Place in a parchment-lined 9×13-inch pan.
4. Let rise until doubled..
5. Bake for about 15 minutes until tops are golden brown. These smaller buns need a longer bake time because they’re closer together in the pan.

Note: If you like the look of burger buns but want a mini size, bake the 12 rolls on a sheet pan and gently pat the tops of them as they rise to encourage them wider not taller.

How to make sandwich rolls and burger buns ahead of time

• Rise the dough in the fridge overnight— Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge overnight. The next morning, portion and shape into rolls, rise and bake.
• Rise the shaped rolls in the fridge overnight— Place shaped buns/rolls in prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge overnight. The next morning bring it to room temperature for 1 – 1 ½ hours until risen, then bake.
• Freeze shaped rolls up to 2 months in advance— Place shaped buns/rolls on a pan lined with parchment paper so they aren’t touching. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer frozen rolls to a heavy duty ziplock bag and store for up to 2 months. When ready to use, place frozen buns/rolls in prepared pan and thaw at room temperature for a few hours, let rise, then bake.
• Freeze baked rolls up to 1 month in advance— Bake buns/rolls as normal and cool completely. Wrap in foil and then place in a ziplock bag. When ready to serve, remove from bag and warm in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until warmed through.

More baking tips

• Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the milk mixture is between 120-130°F before adding it to the dry ingredients. Temperatures over 140°F will kill the yeast, and lower temperatures will result in an increased rise time.
• Bread flour is used in this recipe for improved structure and rise, as it has a higher gluten content to better trap expanding gases in the dough during rising and baking. You can use all-purpose flour instead, but you may notice a difference in rise and fluffiness.
• The amount of flour you’ll need for these rolls will vary depending on many factors, which is why I give a range of 3 – 3½ cups. You’ll know you’ve added enough flour when the dough is still very soft and tacky to the touch, but you can handle it without the dough sticking too much to your hands. Adding too much flour will make your rolls tough and dense, so use only as much as you need.
• I prefer to use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to mix and knead this bread, but of course you can knead by hand. Here’s a great video to show you how to knead by hand.
• Use a digital kitchen scale to first weigh all of your dough, then divide by 8 or 12, and use the scale again to evenly portion dough. This ensures all of your buns are the same size.
• This is a great video tutorial for how to shape perfect rolls and buns. I don’t follow this method exactly, but almost, and the demonstration is very helpful.

Homemade Sandwich, Sliders and Burger Buns

Just one recipe is all you need to make homemade sandwich rolls and burger or slider buns.

Yield 8 to 12 buns or rolls

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (57g) milk
• 3/4 cup (170g) water
• 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups (360-420g) bread flour, divided
• 1 (0.25oz) package (7g) or 2 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast
• 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds, optional (for topping)

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, combine the milk, water, and butter. Warm over medium low heat until butter is melted. Cool until temperature is 120-130°F, about 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large bowl if planning to mix by hand), combine 2½ cups of bread flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the warm milk mixture, followed by the beaten eggs, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
• Add the remaining bread flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, while mixing on medium low speed until dough almost clears the bowl and is only a slightly sticky to the touch. (It's okay if some dough sticks to your fingers.) You may not need all of the remaining flour, or you may need more than is called for. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7minutes more.
• Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled, about 1.
• Punch down dough and let rest for a few minutes. Divide dough into eight equal pieces for larger buns and 12 equal pieces for smaller rolls. Shape into balls.
• Place on a sheet pan (for buns) or9x13-inch pan (for smaller rolls) lined with parchment paper. Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and place over the shaped buns/rolls. Return to a warm place and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Once risen, brush buns/rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, if desired.
• Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes for larger buns and 15 minutes for smaller rolls. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Yields 8 larger burger buns or 12 smaller sandwich rolls.

Recipe by Completely Delicious.

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