This Soft and Light Fresh Milled Bun is the perfect hamburger bun. Unlike other multigrain buns, it is light and fluffy, healthy yet full of flavor. Look no further, this recipe is tried and true and turns out amazing every time.
​I’ve been slowly recreating my tried and true recipes into fresh milled ones. I used to make this recipe with white all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, but now I’ve switched it to only whole grains. I wanted to eliminate using store-bought flour for buns and this recipe turned out so well!
Why I love using Fresh Milled Flour for Baking
I’m happy to report that I’ve successfully converted my family over to the fresh-milled baking side! We love the amazing flavor it gives and all the nutrients we get from milling our own flour. It’s so good to know where your ingredients come from. In a world full of consumerism where we just buy without thinking of how it is made or where it’s from, home milling is a wholesome experience. Our Komo Grain Mill is almost part of the family now!
A Healthier Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun
During summer months, weekend suppers include a grass-fed beef burger or a homemade sausage in hot dog buns. Days are spent in the garden or at a friend’s house so it makes for a quick and easy supper. My family always requests a homemade bun over store-bought buns. Why not make a healthier hamburger bun if you are putting in the work anyway? This recipe has so many good ingredients like freshly milled flour, oatmeal, flax, and molasses. These whole wheat buns are light, airy, and tasty while still proving all the health benefits of whole grains.
Best Ingredients To Use
There are a few secrets to making fresh-milled hamburger buns. The first one is, using the right ingredients.
​Oil: I prefer to use chicken fat or lard. I’ve also substituted half with olive oil, avocado oil, or even butter.
Eggs: Egg yolk contains lecithin which helps the dough rise. The egg white makes a light and fluffy crumb.
Molasses: Molasses is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and provides a darker richer color to homemade fresh milled buns.
Honey: Honey makes for a softer bun and gives a mild sweet taste.
Vinegar: The acid in vinegar lowers the pH value of the dough which creates a better environment for the yeast. This makes the buns rise high and airy instead of dense and heavy.
Water: I use warm water when proofing the yeast. For the water that is added to the mixing bowl, use cool water because the flour is warm from being freshly milled.
Sugar: Cane sugar and brown sugar are used for this recipe. Sugar also helps give the buns a golden brown color.
Salt: Salt works to tighten gluten strands, making them stronger so that the dough can better hold carbon dioxide. It also boosts the flavor of the buns.
Ground flax: Adding ground flax is a good way to add more fiber to your diet.
Quick Oats: Oats add a nice nutty flavor to the buns. The gluten in oats improves the texture and makes them softer and less gummy.
Baking Powder: Baking powder produces a light and fluffy texture in whole wheat buns.
Vitamin C Powder: This may seem like a strange ingredient to add but it helps homemade buns stay fresh longer. You can omit if you don’t have any on hand.
Flour: Use a combination of Hard White and Hard Red wheat. You can add in some Spelt flour or experiment with other grains. Just be aware that soft wheat and ancient grains (Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt) have a lower gluten content than hard wheat and you might need to adjust the recipe to get a high and fluffy bun.
Yeast: I use active dry yeast and it needs to be a good quality and fresh yeast. (I prefer to use the Red Star brand from Costco) If the yeast doesn’t bloom or foam when you activate it with sugar or water, throw it out and buy a new package. I store mine in the freezer for months and it stays fresh.
How to Make Soft and Light Fresh Milled Hamburger Buns
You will need:
Stand mixer and dough hook attachment
2 large baking sheets (greased or lined with parchment paper)
Mill the wheat: For this recipe mill 3 cups hard white and 2 cups hard red wheat berries. (1122 grams of flour)
Prepare the yeast mixture:
Combine the yeast mixture. Warm water, yeast, and sugar. While it blooms start preparing other ingredients. The yeast mixture should foam or bubble after a few minutes.
Add wet ingredients to the bowl: Add oil, eggs, molasses, honey, vinegar, and warm water to the mixing bowl.
Combine dry ingredients: Next combine cane sugar, brown sugar, salt, ground flax, quick oats, baking powder, and vitamin C. Add to mixing bowl.
Slowly add the milled flour. Once the dough comes away from the sides and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl, you have enough flour. You might have a few tablespoons left. Let the dough knead on low speed for 13 minutes. This is an important step and develops the gluten to get a light and airy bun. If the dough is still too sticky in the last few minutes of kneading, add a bit more flour. Sometimes it only needs a little bit to get that perfect stretchy dough. It should pass the windowpane test.
First Rise: Place dough in a large mixing bowl and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
The dough should have doubled in size.
Shape the buns: Lightly flour the work surface if you need to. Divide dough into strips. Weigh a 3 oz ball of dough, roll, and place it onto a greased baking sheet. When rolling buns, cup your hands like you are making a C shape. Make a complete circle and pull the dough towards you to create some surface tension. Repeat 3 times. Give another quick roll and place the bun on the tray. You should have a smooth round ball. You can flatten the dough balls but I prefer to leave them as is.
Second Rise: Let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until almost tripled in size. The buns are ready to bake when you poke the dough and it comes back very slowly. They should look smooth and puffy.
Bake: Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. The tops of the buns should have a nice golden color. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Cool on a wire rack.
Freezing Fresh Milled Buns
This recipe makes a double batch of fresh buns. You can put half of the buns into a ziploc bag or an airtight container to freeze as soon as they cool off. Place buns on the counter to thaw a few hours before you plan on using them. They freeze well and taste fresh even after freezing.
Tips for Making the Best Fresh Milled Buns
- If you are a beginner baker, or even just trying out a new recipe, weigh the flour with a kitchen scale for the first few times. Understanding how the dough should feel for different recipes takes a while.
- Knead the dough for the correct amount of time. The gluten needs time to develop so your dough is strong enough to make a beautiful round bun and not a flat, heavy one.
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh the buns before shaping them. For the perfect size homemade hamburger buns, weigh 3 oz per bun and then shape.
- Want dinner rolls instead? Easily turn these buns into pull-apart dinner rolls by laying them on a sheet pan 2 inches apart and letting them rise closer together. Bake and enjoy!
​If you love a good hamburger bun made with fresh ground flour, you will love these fresh-milled flour recipes:
100% Fresh Milled Wheat Bread (basic bread recipe)
Fresh Milled Bread with Sourdough
Fluffy Fresh Milled Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Soft and Light Fresh Milled Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 1122 grams fresh milled flour 3 cups hard white 2 cups hard red berries
Yeast Mixture
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tbsp yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup oil butter/lard/olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup groud flax
- 1/2 cup quick oats or oatmeal flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp vitamin C
Instructions
Mill the wheat
- For this recipe mill 3 cups hard white and 2 cups hard red wheat berries. You might not need to use all of it.
Make the dough
- In the stand mixer, mix together the yeast mixture. Warm water, yeast, and sugar.
- Add wet ingredients. Add warm water, oil, eggs, molasses, honey, and vinegar to the mixing bowl.
- Combine dry ingredients: Next combine cane sugar, brown sugar, salt, ground flax, quick oats, baking powder, and vitamin C. Add to mixing bowl.
- Slowly add the milled flour. Once the dough comes away from the sides and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl, you have enough flour. You might have a few tablespoons left. Let the dough knead on low speed for 13 minutes. If the dough is still too sticky in the last few minutes of kneading, add a bit more flour.
First Rise
- Place dough in a large mixing bowl and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
- Shape the buns: Lightly flour the work surface if you need to. Divide dough into strips. Weigh a 3 oz ball of dough, roll, and place it onto a greased baking sheet. When rolling buns, cup your hands like you are making a C shape. Make a complete circle and pull the dough towards you to create some surface tension. Repeat 3 times. Give another quick roll and place the bun on the tray. You should have a smooth round ball. You can flatten the dough balls but I prefer to leave them as is.
Second Rise
- Let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until almost tripled in size. The buns are ready to bake when you poke the dough and it comes back very slowly. They should look smooth and puffy.
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
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