Name: The Best Burger Buns | Tangzhong Burger Buns
Prep time: 140 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 6 tbsp water; 1.5 tbsp all purpose flour; 2+1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3 tbsp milk powder; 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp water; 3 tbsp granulated sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tsp fast-acting instant yeast; 1/4 cup soft butter (1 tsp extra if needed ); some milk and sesame seeds for the topping

The Best Burger Buns | Tangzhong Burger Buns always turn out so perfect! I love how easily they make the fluffiest burger buns each time!! They are pillowy soft and a bit sweet, the flavor is just spot on! Tangzhong method is the easiest for new bakers too! 🙂

The Best Burger Buns | Tangzhong Burger Buns are made using a paste of water and all-purpose flour, it is a very sticky paste but oh so good!! It keeps the buns fresh and soft for 3-4 days!! This sticky paste is added to the dough while kneading it. This paste is the ‘tangzhong‘. It is very easy to make this paste and one of the best ways to make the fluffiest and softest burger buns!!

The Best Burger Buns | Tangzhong Burger Buns rise beautifully, just see the height of the buns. This shape is apt for making tall hamburgers or veggie-loaded burgers just like McDonald’s or Wendy’s 🙂 You can make regular-shaped burger buns too but I’ve made tall buns using burger rings for ensuring uniformed shape here.

I have been baking these The Best Burger Buns | Tangzhong Burger Buns for years but I always make burgers for dinner so bake these buns just around dinner time, LoL!! So, a few days ago my hubby wanted to have some yummy burgers for lunch! I quickly made the dough and got on with the prep for the burger fixings, etc. Such a feast with simple homemade burgers 🙂

The best part about the Tangzhong Burger Buns is the texture! I love how beautiful the structure looks within the buns. It is sturdy enough to hold a lot of layers between the buns and yet so soft and SO SO good! You can add meat filets or veggie ones 🙂

Let’s make The Best Burger Buns | Tangzhong Burger Buns now, the easiest recipe ever!

For Tangzhong –

Add the flour in a pan and slowly whisk in the water. Place the pan on medium heat and cook, keep whisking as it thickens to a paste-like consistency. Remove from the heat, scrape into a bowl and cover the bowl and set aside to cool.

For the Dough –

Add the flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar, and milk powder in the bowl, stir them together. Pour the water and prepared tangzhong paste to the flour and start kneading the dough. At first, this mixture will feel extremely sticky and unmanageable. But do not be tempted to add any more flour at this stage. Keep kneading the dough. Once it comes together a bit more, remove it on any mat/ surface.

Add the softened butter. Keep kneading the dough by stretching and folding it multiple times. I kneaded the dough for about 15 minutes. (I added some extra butter, about 1/2 tsp).

The dough will come together well.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen napkin or cling wrap. Set it aside for about 60-70 minutes for the first proving.

The dough has almost tripled in size.

Gently degas the dough. Divide the dough into 4-5 equal sizes and shape them carefully into tight round balls/ buns. Place them at equal distance on a baking sheet. They will expand so keep at least 2 inches apart. Cover the baking sheet with a greased cling wrap. Set it aside for 1 hour for the second proving. Once they have proved and again doubled in size, brush the buns with some milk. Sprinkle sesame seeds etc on the top.

Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 200′ C.

Bake the burger buns in a preheated oven at 200′ C for 15-20 minutes. remove the buns from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack for and cover the buns with a damp kitchen napkin for 15-20 minutes. You can store the buns for 2-3 days. Wrap each bun in cling wrap and store them in an airtight box at room temperature.