Easy 100% Whole Wheat Burger Buns

Made using 100% Whole Wheat Flour and Olive Oil, these Whole Wheat Burger Buns are definitely a healthier alternative to their counterparts. And the bonus part it comes together easily in just 5 simple steps without much kneading.

What makes a good Burger Bun?

1. Just like any other bread, the burger buns need to be soft and fluffy.
2. It should be sturdy enough to hold and support the burger and all the other fillings inside and not fall apart.
3. Should also hold itself while grilling.

And that is exactly why you will love this whole wheat burger buns recipe that I am about to share.

Other than everything mentioned above, the recipe is also easy to follow and not intimidating at all.

Best part, unlike other bread dough recipes, you do not have to knead this whole wheat bread dough for long. That's a bonus now for sure.

What is a Burger Bun?

A bun is typically a round bread with a dome shaped top and a flat bottom; usually sliced into two and filled with a patty and fresh salad leaves and topped with cheese and sauce. Commonly filled with Hamburger patty, these are commonly known as Hamburger Buns as popularised by fast food chain.

Today we are tweaking the regular recipe.

1. We are using 100% Whole Wheat Flour to make our buns
2. Also we are filling it with beetroot patties or tikkis making it even more kid and vegetarian friendly.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Flour: I am using the regular Atta (Wheat Flour) the one we commonly use to make Chapatis at home. You can buy them from Indian Stores or you can also use the ones sold in supermarkets. The results would be the same, just try to use fine textured Flour.
• Milk Powder: I always recommend to add a little amount of Milk Powder in all my bread recipes as it enriches and softens the end product. But if you do not have it handy you can skip it.
• Instant Yeast: That's my personal preference while making bread as it can be added directly to the dough without having the need to activate it first beforehand. That being said you can use Active Dry Yeast or Fresh Yeast too just make sure to activate it before using.
• Buttermilk: Helps to soften the dough. Feel free to use regular Milk or Plain Water instead.

Step by Step Instructions:

Ready to make the best burger buns recipe? These 5 steps is all you need.

Step 1 - Prepare the Dough

Start by adding salt, whole wheat flour, milk powder, sugar and instant yeast to the bowl. Give a quick mix and add olive oil followed by buttermilk to form it into a dough (images 1-8).

As mentioned in our Semolina Bread recipe, instead of dusting the worktop with flour we will apply some oil and then transfer the dough onto it. And then knead well (images 9-10).

By doing this method we are simply avoiding the chance of incorporating extra flour into the dough which might cause the dough to dry out.

The best part about working with Whole Wheat is that unlike the other bread dough you should not knead it for long.

So set the timer to 5 to 8 mins and knead by the clock. It is going to be sticky and messy but the moisture is what will bring the structure of the bread once baked.

Please watch the video to understand how to knead the dough. It would be much easier for you to understand.

Once the timer goes off, simply oil your hands and the bench scraper if needed with oil and bring the dough together into a soft and elastic ball.

Step 2 - First Proofing

Take the same bowl in which you kneaded the dough. Grease it well with some oil.

Place the dough and turn it all around to coat it with oil too. This would prevent the dough from drying out.

Cover with a cling wrap or a tea towel or both and allow it to prove for 1 hour (image 11 - 12).

How to prove dough in Instant Pot?

Grease the inner pot with some oil. Place your dough and turn it around to coat it with oil as well.

Place the glass lid on top and choose the Yogurt Mode. Set the timer to 30 mins.

This detailed blog post on how to prove dough in instant pot would help you understand how you can prove literally any type of dough in the pot.

Step 3 - Shaping

Once proved, divide the dough into 4 portions (image 13-14) either by eyeballing or you can measure out and divide evenly too using your kitchen scale.

For smaller sized buns you can divide the dough into 6 portions instead of 4.

Shape them to a tight roll to create tension in the dough so it would hold that curved shape while baking too (image 15). 

Our eggless dinner rolls aka ladi pav recipe demonstrates this in a much detailed and specific manner. I would recommend you check that post to understand the nuances of bread baking.

Once you have all the 4 buns shaped well, place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Step 4 - Second Proofing

Cover the buns loosely with a cling wrap followed by a tea towel and let it proof for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat your oven to 200°C

Step 5 - Baking

Finally the last step is of course to bake the bread.

Before baking these whole wheat burger buns, brush the top of the buns with milk and add some sesame seeds on top (images 16-18) and then bake in the preheated oven of 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes until it is golden brown on the top and also sounds hollow from the bottom.

Let it cool completely and the slice and fill right before serving.

Storage Instructions:

This bread tastes best when served fresh.

It can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.

You can also freeze these homemade burger buns.

How to Freeze Whole Wheat Buns?

I would recommend you wrap each individual bun in an aluminium foil.

Then place it in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

When ready to serve, thaw each individual bun as needed in the refrigerator overnight and warm it in the microwave for few seconds.

Alternatively you can also put them in a heated oven to warm up.

Baker's Tips:

1. If you are going to measure the recipe in volume then please use dry ingredients measuring cup to measure all the ingredients mentioned in the recipe.
2. Use Warm milk to make the buttermilk yourself or if you are using store-bought buttermilk warm it in the microwave for few seconds before proceeding.
3. Do not knead the bread for long unlike regular bread dough. Kneading for too long usually cuts the gluten in the whole wheat flour which mean there is no proper structure development. So set the timer and knead.
4. Using oil instead of flour while kneading ensures that there is less chance of incorporating flour into the dough which could make it dry and gummy once baked.
5. Shaping the bread dough well is key to retain the shape and structure of the bread once baked.
6. Slice the whole wheat burger buns only when you are ready to serve because burger buns tends to dry out as soon as the crumbs are exposed to air.

Recipe FAQ's

Related Recipes:

1. Ladi Pav (Eggless Dinner Rolls)
2. Tiger Bread Rolls
3. Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread
4. 100% Whole Wheat Bread Machine recipe

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