Fluffy Milk Bread Hamburger Buns
Crafting the perfect hamburger bun is hard. You’re not looking for the utmost softness because the bun will erode beneath a stack of meat, veggies, and condiments. Yet you don’t want to eat a burger supported by two rigid crackers, either.
- 93g high-protein white bread flour
- 28g superfine white sugar
- 83g water
- 37g ripe sourdough starter
- 69g high-protein white bread flour
- 274g whole milk
- 524g high-protein white bread flour
- 342g (all) tangzhong
- 69g whole milk
- 123g unsalted butter
- 20g superfine white sugar
- 116g water
- 14g fine sea salt
- 240g (all) ripe levain
- 1 egg and 1 tablespoon whole milk for egg wash (optional)
- Raw sesame seeds (optional)
- (the night before mixing)Mix the ingredients in the chart above in a tall jar, covered at a warm temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), to ripen for 12 to 14 hours. This levain will expand in volume significantly. Be sure to use a tall jar so it doesn’t overflow. At this time, also take out the butter from the fridge, cut it into 1/2-inch pats, and let it warm to room temp on a plate.
- (the day of mixing)In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the tangzhong ingredients. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens and becomes a paste (it should look like mashed potatoes), 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and spread the tangzhong on a small plate to cool. Set aside.
- Mix – 9:30 a.m.To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add flour, tangzhong, milk, sugar, water, salt, and ripe levain. Mix on low speed (STIR on KitchenAid) for 1-2 minutes until combined, with no dry bits remaining. If the dough is too dry, add a splash of water. Mix on medium speed (2 on KitchenAid) for 7 minutes until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes. Mix again on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough gains strength and clings to the hook. Reduce speed to low and add the room-temperature butter, one pat at a time, scraping the bowl as needed. After 4-6 minutes, the dough will form a cohesive ball with clean sides. Transfer the dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
- Bulk Fermentation – 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (3 1/2 hours)At a warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), bulk fermentation should take about 3 ½ hours with no sets of stretches and folds (the dough is sufficiently strengthened during mixing). Let the dough rest, covered, for the duration of bulk fermentation.
- Divide and Shape – 1:30 p.m.Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface, and using a bowl scraper, gently scoop the dough out to the floured area. Lightly flour the top of the dough and divide it into 10 (135-gram) portions. You might have a small bit of scrap dough left over. Using floured hands and a bench scraper, shape the portions into tight balls.
- Proof – 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.Cover the baking sheets with reusable plastic or snap-on baking sheet covers and let the dough proof for 2 ½ hours. (See the video up in this post for what the dough looks like when fully proofed.)
- Bake – 4:30 p.m. (preheat oven at 4:00 p.m.)30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450°F (232°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds. For the egg wash, whisk 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk until frothy. Uncover baking sheets and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate pans, reduce temperature to 425°F (220°C), and bake for another 5-10 minutes until well-colored. Remove the baking sheets to a heat-safe surface and cool for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the buns to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before slicing, about 30 minutes.
And that’s the challenge: Make a bun that’s almost a paradox. It must combine the best of two opposed qualities, outperforming the Platonic ideal of both. It’s like a mosaic of traits that’s nonsensical until you view (or, in this case, eat) it whole.
These milk bread hamburger buns take inspiration from Japanese milk bread (shokupan): They have a bit of sugar, lots of milk, and use the tangzhong technique to amplify the softness and shelf life.
Further, Japanese milk bread makes for incredible toast, and these buns act very similarly once they’re grilled—the superficial layer exposed to the grill’s heat crisps up into a sturdy, anti-soggy platform for anything from hamburgers to sloppy joes to fish sandwiches.
Milk Bread Hamburger Buns versus Soft Potato Buns
I often declare that my Soft Sourdough Potato Buns are my best hamburger buns. And I have to say, they are downright incredible. But these milk bread hamburger buns hit a little differently. I labeled them “fluffy” because they’re like little clouds buoying your hamburger to the next level. Where the potato buns are soft, substantial, and a bit dense, these are soft, light, and plush.
Honestly, both buns are lovely and will serve you well at the next cookout. But these milk bread buns are like the lighter cousin to the potato buns.
What is the Difference Between a Sweet Liquid Levain and a Sweet Stiff Levain?
A sweet preferment, or a sourdough starter or levain with a small amount of sugar added, emphasizes yeast activity (as opposed to bacterial activity) for less sourness and more volume in the final product. Both sweet liquid and sweet stiff levain will produce the desired result.
Technically, reducing the hydration of the sweet levain to make it stiffer can lead to an even more mild-tasting result (reducing bacterial activity further). But, I find mixing the levain very laborious. After testing both sweet levain types, I’ve found that a sweet liquid version is just as effective in emphasizing yeast activity for maximum volume and reduced sourness while still being incredibly easy to mix with a spatula.
This recipe for milk bread hamburger buns uses a sweet levain to reduce sourness in the final bun—but not entirely (though, gosh, it’s close). Any slight perceptible sourness only brings additional flavor to the final buns, IMO—though I don’t detect any.
For more information on the why and how behind making a sweet levain, see the preferment section in my cookbook.
Flour Selection
As with my Japanese milk bread loaf, I use 100% high-protein white bread flour for these milk bread hamburger buns to achieve maximum volume and minimal sourness. The flour’s high gluten content helps support the fat (milk and butter) in the dough. Additionally, because this bread flour is heavily sifted (dough acidification during fermentation.
I used King Arthur Artisan Bread flour, but any high-protein white flour will work well with this recipe.
Baking Schedule
These sourdough milk bread hamburger buns are made over the course of a single day (aside from the overnight levain). This preferred fermentation schedule ensures the mildest possible flavor profile. It also makes for a convenient schedule: Mix the sweet levain the night before, mix the dough in the morning, and have hamburger buns ready for the evening.
If you’re looking to cold-proof (retard) these buns so you can bake them early in the day for lunch, that will undoubtedly work (see the FAQ at the end of this post). However, I prefer to follow the baking schedule as outlined and bake them the day the dough is mixed. Then, let the buns cool overnight and use them the next day (they get even better with proper cooling).
Milk Bread Hamburger Buns Recipe
For tips on calculating baker’s percentages or modifying this formula (like making only 5 buns instead of 10), see my guide to using baker’s percentages.
Desired dough temperature: 76°F (24°C) (see my post on the importance of dough temperature).
