Whole Wheat Burger Buns

These homemade vegan whole wheat burger buns are fluffy, soft and healthy, and they are perfect for that delicious veggie burger you just grilled up. Vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe.

Summer is all about grilling, and you can't find a better bread to cradle that delicious veggie burger you just cooked up than this vegan and whole wheat burger bun.

This is an amazing bun: soft, fluffy, and it slices into half perfectly. You can make it either part whole-wheat or all-whole-wheat, and get a great result either way.

You can easily customize this recipe to get the right texture for your bun: soft, or slightly crusty. I'll show you how.

What you'll love about this vegan burger bun

• It's delicious and flavorful.
• It's half whole-wheat so actually good for you.
• It's customizable for texture--make the buns softer or crustier, depending on how you like them.
• It's easy, you don't need to be a skilled baker--but follow instructions closely, especially if you are a new baker.
• They are great for warming up on the grill--sturdy, and you don't have to worry about them falling apart under your fingers, the way some buns do.

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour
• All purpose flour
• Active dry yeast
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Sugar
• Vegetable oil
• Sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional, for topping the buns)
• Vegan butter (optional, instead of the oil, for softer buns)
• Nondairy milk (optional, for softer buns)

Tips and steps for foolproof burger buns

• Follow instructions. I can't repeat this enough. Especially if you are a new baker, and until you understand baking well enough to tweak ingredients, just follow the recipe.
• You need whole wheat flour for this recipe and you can use the regular whole wheat flour you can buy off the shelf or, if you have it, use a softer whole wheat like the durum whole wheat flour sold for rotis. That's because it is finer textured and will create a bun with a more delicate, softer crumb. The buns you see in the photo above were made with regular whole wheat flour and they are soft and fluffy and slightly crusty. The buns in the photo below (from when I posted this recipe earlier 10 years ago) were made with durum whole wheat flour). For softer buns, also check out further instructions in the FAQ section below.

Make the buns

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• Bloom the yeast: To make the burger buns, begin, as you will most bread recipes, by "blooming" the yeast in lukewarm water with a bit of sugar added in to feed the yeast. You need to wait five minutes and make sure the yeast bubbles and froths, indicating it's alive. If it doesn't, the yeast needs to be replaced.
• Sift in dry ingredients: Once the yeast has bloomed, sift in all the dry ingredients--flour, baking soda and salt. If the bran stays back in the sieve, just add it back in to the flour as you want it in there for a healthier bun.
• Knead the dough: Mix all the ingredients by hand or with a dough hook set to medium speed, then slowly trickle in the remaining lukewarm water until a soft, supple dough forms. You might not need all of the water depending on where you are and the weather outside. I usually use up all of the 1 ½ cups but this time I made the buns on a humid day and needed about 2 tbsp less.
  You just need to knead the dough for three minutes once it comes together, then add the oil, mix it in until incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, put in in a covered bowl coated in oil and set it aside in a warm spot in your kitchen for two hours, during which time it should more than double.
• Shape the buns: Once the dough has risen, gently fold it over itself to deflate it. Form into a ball again, then divide into eight pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball. Place the buns on a baking sheet (preferably lined with parchment) side by side with at least two to three inches between each bun. You can flatten the tops of the buns slightly with your fingers, if you wish. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and return to a warm spot until the buns have doubled, about an hour and a half.
• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Sprinkle on the seed topping (optional): You can bake the buns as they are, but if you like a seed topping, make a mix of one teaspoon oil, one tablespoon nondairy milk and a quarter of a teaspoon of maple syrup in a bowl. Brush this on the top of each bun. The sprinkle on sesame or poppy seeds over the top of each bun.
• Bake the buns: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Let the buns cool thoroughly on a rack before eating.

FAQs

Veggie burger patty recipes to serve the buns with

• Bean and Oats Burgers
• Vegan Black Bean Burger
• Quinoa and Black Bean Burger
• Curried Jackfruit Burger
• Vegan Sprouted Mung Bean Burgers

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