Hamburger buns...what's the best?
Since I have returned to eating meat, I am now craving a home grilled burger with the perfect bun...what buns do SE's serve hamburgers on? Any other bread-type suggestions?
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33 Comments:
just cheap white hamburger buns.......toasted on the grill....i find that any other kind of bun takes away from the burger....
onepercent99 at 4:33PM on 07/24/08
You can't find them everywhere - I think it's a Northeast thing - but I'm a big, big fan of Martin's Famous "Big Marty's".
Raphael at 4:35PM on 07/24/08
JEP: I really love and prefer a plain, white, squishy hamburger bun. As fresh and squishy as possible. I like to brush it with melted butter and toast it on the grill if I'm grilling or in the cast iron pan if I'm pan-frying it.
I also like Big Marty's sesame seed potato roll buns from Martin's. Try those, if they're sold in your neck of the woods.
Lately I've come around to trying burgers on many different types of breads. For variety's sake. There are so many different bun options out there. And if you're back in the burger-eating world, you may have missed one of my favorite new ways, the Krispy Kreme bun!
Adam Kuban at 4:39PM on 07/24/08
Whereabouts are you? If you can get to a Wegman's, they make this whisper-light roll that is perfect! for burgers.
https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&productId=625947&catalogId=10002&krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D&ddkey=http:ProductDisplay
AliceBlue at 5:02PM on 07/24/08
i defer to nancy silverton, as quoted in the LA times:
It has to be a classic, soft hamburger bun, she said, not sourdough, rustic roll or, perish the thought, pita bread. The important thing is the proportion of burger to bun. "It should be 50-50," she said, just right for absorbing juice and toppings.
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-encore070408,0,2060283.story
megannesta at 5:10PM on 07/24/08
Raphael & Adam...I checked on the Martin's buns & none to be found whinin a 100-mile radius...so guess that's not gonna happen tonite :) I'm off to the store for some squishy white ones, tho' Thanks for the bun toastin' tips, too. btw, returning to a carnivore cuisine has really opened up my food world---yum!
AB...I'm located in NE Indiana & unfortunately not a Wegman's in sight :(
megan...thanks for the link!
JEP at 5:32PM on 07/24/08
no problem! i have been salivating every since reading that story but never got around to making them. sad because i live in LA and can go to that farmer's market for the exact meat she talks about!
megannesta at 5:45PM on 07/24/08
Hm, I tend to disagree...the classic supersoft hamburger bun bores me to tears. As I bite into my burger, I feel like the bun is wasting space, wasting chewing, wasting calories, and I often end up wishing I'd just eaten the meat. A burger bun needs more character for me to enjoy it; rather than a receptacle for the meat, it has to be a key player: soft and yielding on the inside, yes, but with a good yeasty flavor and some chewiness, toasting, crust, etc.
Pammeh at 5:45PM on 07/24/08
An aside; I've been thinking that I might be getting into a bit of a rut visiting SE Talk so often and even thought of putting it down toward the bottom of my "favorites list". After a couple of weeks on the back side of the moon (away from home) I've returned to find JEP back leading us into interesting/fun discussion! Five months is a long time but maybe with the time remaining, you can reclaim the annual "best of" award once again... Welcome back!
As far as buns are concerned, during my formative years I always loved a grilled hunk out of the middle of a french loaf. Later, when health was not on my mind, I too slathered a white bun with butter before grilling it to a golden brown. Today I "roll my own" using an egg based dough, split and toasting it under the broiler before dressing it for my palate. Gotta have one...
czken at 6:02PM on 07/24/08
czken...thanks, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to be back to the real world & most of all Serious Eats :)
JEP at 6:17PM on 07/24/08
Every now and then, just to be different, I use an English Muffin.
srhcb at 6:20PM on 07/24/08
Soft bun, don't care what kind, must be grilled!
izatryt at 6:24PM on 07/24/08
If homemade or good bakery buns are not available, then I'd look for Pepperidge Farm. All of their bread products taste good. All things being equal and available, I prefer a slight crisp to my bun, but that can be achieved by slightly toasting a bun, too.
PerkyMac at 6:27PM on 07/24/08
For me, it has to be sesame seeded! Those seeds add flavor. And the bun has to be butter toasted as well because I like the crunch.
cambriana at 8:09PM on 07/24/08
srchb: I'm with you on the English muffins! Also, my roomie and I just made the bun recipe from the Gourmet cookbook last weekend - very tasty, though a bit too sweet for my taste.
emmab at 11:54PM on 07/24/08
I love kaiser rolls or pepperidge farm onion rolls. When I run out of those I grab some hoagie rolls and we have hoagie burgers.
JerzeeTomato at 12:30AM on 07/25/08
Thanks for the comments :)
What is the most unusal type of bread or bun you eaten with a hamburger in the middle? Did it call out for you to apply any crazy condiments?
JEP at 6:26AM on 07/25/08
I like my hamburgers with either a potato roll or grilled sour dough bread slices.
As much as I don't care for bread that's buttered (or really bread for that matter), it's actually pretty decent in lightly buttered (on one side) grilled sour dough bread. However, does this make it not a hamburger, but a patty melt? I eat it with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and pickles with mayo, ketchup, and a drop of yellow mustard or a modified 1000 Island dressing. NO cheese or onions. So yeah, that means no onion bread.
About half way through, I usually ditch the bread and eat the burger with a fork and knife.
Cassaendra at 7:58AM on 07/25/08
My local grocery store bakery makes French Hamburger rolls, which I love. I detest soft squishy typical buns to the point that I can't stand to make physical contact with them, much less eat them.
Sometimes, I prefer an English muffin, though.
cajunnan at 10:08AM on 07/25/08
Martin's potato rolls are the only way to go.
Prairie at 11:00AM on 07/25/08
Definitely Martin's Potato rolls, Thomas' English Muffins or I love a buttery croissant- that is the perfect addition to a juicy burger.
JacquelineS at 12:05PM on 07/25/08
Soft and fresh Wonder-type buns! But an English muffin works, a kaiser roll, hell I've had hamburgers on bagels and challah!!!
RichardCrystal at 2:28PM on 07/25/08
I think these are pretty good http://organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com/2008/02/making-hamburger-buns.html but then again they are mine :). well almost all mine i got them from another site credited in my blog( i forgot the name!)
love2cook at 3:00PM on 07/25/08
oops i fogot to mention mine are hearty great for a sloppy joe or wet type sandwich.
love2cook at 3:01PM on 07/25/08
I'm with Jerzee...Onion rolls-either from Pepperidge Farm or Maier's. Also like a Kaiser roll. Martin's Potato Roll is another good choice. Regular white rolls bore me to tears.
Butrflygirly at 3:26PM on 07/25/08
Where I live the Stop & Shop bakes their own, They are a little bigger than the commercial brands and just the right teture.
winebill at 7:31PM on 07/25/08
I love Eli's Brioche Rolls. Big, buttery and not too dense. Available in NYC at Eli's, Zabar's, Fairway and Balducci's.
domesticagenda.blogspot.com
delaklug at 11:42PM on 07/25/08
Challah - my local store has small loaves that cut perfectly into two buns. Sometimes I get poppyseed, sometimes sesame seed. The added body compared to a bun and the slight sweetness when toasted on the top BBQ rack is an amazing addition to an ordinary patty. Tabasco catsup and cheese (and another patty if I'm feeling dangerous!) make it my private island of (non-kosher) heaven.
cowprintrabbit at 3:49AM on 07/26/08
Um, i don't know if you can get this in your neck of the woods, but down here(southeastern USA), all the publix's sell in their bakery something called "french hamburger rolls." the texture is a bit of a cross between french bread and a hamburger bun--but they're like the best hamburger buns. ever.
rasellers0 at 6:48AM on 07/26/08
I want super squishy super soft buns. The kind that disappear quickly but somehow holds the burger together like an invisible force. I don't think you could do those at home and there must be a secret to it. I am wondering if anyone has that secret recipe of store bought buns.
Q80 BurgerBelly at 7:46AM on 07/28/08
Add another vote for the english muffin over any other kind of bun. I prefer my store's own brand over the fancier/more expensive Thomas'.
Bakerloo Line at 11:51AM on 07/28/08
Our default burger bun is the white squishy kind because we've had too many "failures" when I try to buy "nicer" buns. LOL, my husband is so cheap when it comes to breads and I tend to go to the other end of the spectrum (organic? artisan? harvested by fairies on a moonless night? SOLD!)
wookie at 12:32PM on 07/28/08
When I have time I make a potato roll at home and shape them into either hot dog or hamburger shapes. Without too much detail it's a simple yeast roll recipe with milk instead of water, melted butter and about a cup or more of peeled, cooked and thouroughly mashed and cooled red or yukon potatoes.
If you are looking for dough conditioners for the "soft and squishy" feel I know of one website that sells it. It's called The Prepared Pantry. They have lots of recipes as well as mixes you can buy.
rlwycoff at 3:02PM on 08/05/08