Make your sandwiches memorable with these homemade seven-grain hamburger buns topped with a variety of seeds.
Although designed for a bread machine, this recipe can be made in a stand mixer or by hand. See the directions in the recipe note.
When my sister and her husband from Denver came to town to watch the Rockies play against the Rangers earlier this summer, I prepared a meal to eat at the game including barbecue sandwiches made with homemade buns.
Weeks later, my husband is still raving about those buns and requesting a repeat performance. That’s how homemade buns can make a sandwich memorable.
As usual, I mix the dough for this recipe in my bread machine. I DON’T BAKE IT IN THERE, just mix and knead the dough.
You might try it if you have a bread machine and/or delight in eating homemade bread that is perfectly mixed and kneaded with little effort and time on your part.
If you are a new bread-machine user or somebody who thought they didn’t like bread machines, please check out my previous posts about using a bread machine. You can also use a stand mixer or make this recipe by hand.
What is “7-grain mix”?
Don’t let the 7-grain mix scare you away. Substitute the same amount of bread flour, whole wheat flour, or wheat bran if you prefer. I buy Bob’s Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal, containing wheat, rye, triticale, oats, oat bran, barley, rice, and flaxseed.
It’s not always easy to find. Try Target, Whole Foods, or any grocery store with an organic food section (See the link below to order online.) This recipe is a variation on my Potato-Cheese Rolls which I love because the rolls naturally stay fresh longer because of the potatoes.
Kitchen secret for the mashed potatoes:
This comes in handy for hamburger buns because you can make them ahead. I like to use leftover mashed potatoes as opposed to difficult-to-find potato flour or bland-tasting instant potatoes. The salt, pepper, butter, and milk added when making everyday mashed potatoes seems to make these rolls even better.
Because I tend toward spur-of-the-moment baking, I freeze any leftover mashed potatoes passing through my kitchen into half-cup portions as seen in the picture above. They only need to defrost in the microwave before they go into my bread machine.
Pin the picture below to save for later.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, consider helping other readers and me by returning to this post. Leave a rating on the recipe card itself underneath the picture. Although always appreciated, comments aren’t required. Thank you for visiting! Paula
7-Grain Hamburger Buns
Make these 7-grain buns for your next cookout or tailgate.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup well-seasoned mashed potatoes
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2-1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/2 cup 7-grain mix (or use wheat bran or whole wheat, if preferred)
- 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Glaze:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Poppy seeds and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add egg, sugar, salt, butter, and mashed potatoes to bread-machine pan.
- Heat milk 1 minute and 30 seconds in microwave on HIGH. Pour over other ingredients already in the bread machine to warm them and melt the butter.
- Add bread flour and then yeast.
- Select the dough cycle and start.
- When finished, remove dough from pan to floured surface. Divide into 8 portions and form into balls. Allow to rise until double.
- Flatten balls with palm of your hand, rather severely, or else your buns will be too thick in the middle.
- Make glaze by whisking egg and water together in a small bowl. Carefully brush tops and sides of buns. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and sesame seeds.
- Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.
Notes
Vary the seeds on top according to what you like and/or have on hand. Or, leave them off if you prefer. I like to make some with, and some without to please all the eaters around my table.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 385mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 14g
P.S. If you need a quick lesson in making perfect dough balls, see this video.
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Nicole
Great recipe I made these today for pulled pork sandwiches – they came out nicely. I did have potato flour on hand so I used it instead of mashed potatoes.
Paula
Good to know that potato flour will work instead. I will try that myself. Thanks for writing.
Liz
Hi Paula, I’am thinking of making these buns. But, in the recipe, you divide the
dough into 8 pieces. Then, roll into balls. Question…do you make the balls
the same as you do your dinner rolls? If so, when you flatten the balls, how
flat should they be? I don’t want them toooooo thick. I guess I could just use,
trail and error. I’ve also, made same of you bread and loved it all. Thanks
Paula
Hi Liz,
I would flatten them to the size of a small hamburger bun you would buy at the store. After a time or two, you will know how much to flatten them. They will rise a lot so I would flatten to about 1/2 inch.
Brooke Browning
Hey! It’s just the recipe I was looking for. Quick question, if I don’t want to use potatoes what would be a good substitute? I am avoiding potato due inflammation reasons.
I know this post is older, but am crossing my fingers for a reply.
Thanks!
Sangeeta
Dear Paula,
I just made them. They were perfect.
Cheryl
I don’t often make mashed potatoes (in fact, I’ve only made them once or twice, ever!), but I do have easy local access to potato flour. Any idea how I might go about substituting the flour for the mashed potatoes? Thanks!
susan
hello, I just wanted to finally thank you for all of your wonderful recipes & great instructions for all of them. I’m making the rolls now & I know they will turn out fabulous! (as all your recipes do!) You’re an inspiration & always someone I can always count on with success.
Thank you again!
Lisa
These are quite literally *the* roll I’ve been looking for for years! I made the mashed potatoes for the express purpose of using it for this (of course the family suffered horribly!) and it was so fantastic I made them 2 days in a row! My daughter commented how it was even better the day after! I formed the second batch into half hot dog rolls and the other half largish slider rolls. We are going to feast this weekend I used a 10 grain cereal I’d found at Target and it was perfect. Hard to stop eating! I think these might pass up the famed family recipe of Parkerhouse rolls at Thanksgiving! They’re that good! I thank you so much, Paula, for this post!
Paula
Awesome Lisa! Love hearing this.
Andrea
I just made this and they are DELICIOUS!!! I just found your website but will be making lots of things, I’m sure. BTW, I made them half the size and baked them about 11 minutes. It was just my preference, because I like smaller burgers.
Thanks for a great recipe.
Paula
Andrea,
This is the kind of comment that is worth more than gold to me. I’m so glad you liked them and that you took the time to come back to the blog and say so. I’m with you on the size, most of the time. That’s one great reason to make them yourself. Many times, I will make different sizes out of one batch to please everybody.
The Café Sucré Farine
Paula, these look amazing, your right homemade buns take any sandwich or burger up a notch. Now you’ve got me craving a yummy grilled burger with all the fixin’s!
Velva
You know how to enjoy a baseball game. I agree eating is the best part and when you prepare food this good, it has to rock!
Thanks for sharing.
Velva
Vicki V
Great ideas here! I just pitched some mashed potatoes and could kick myself! I, too, use the bread machine to knead and then bake in the oven. It’s so easy that way, and I think it’s better and even easier than using my kitchenaid because it also proofs the dough. I’ll have to try this! I love the textures and flavors of whole grains.
Paula
Vicki,
I couldn’t agree with you more that the bread machine is even easier than the bread machine for most bread. The only exception I can think of are batter-type doughs which are thin and usually refrigerated overnight to rise. The large beater of a mixer seems to work better in those situations. An example is this recipe.
ben
What is it about potatoes that keeps the bread fresh longer and delicious?
I wonder if other starches could work… purple sweet potatoes come to mind!
Paula
Ben,
In response to your question, there is an article about the benefit of potatoes added to bread in the latest Cook’s Illustrated. Something about the starch attracting moisture if I remember right. Anyway, I have been doing it a long time. Purple sweet potatoes would probably work but sure would look funky. Let me know if you try it.
Vicki W.
I am so excited to try this recipe. Have to admit, I fall prey to the “grab a cheap package of buns” at the grocery store mentality. As I was reading through the recipe, I noticed that one would have a lot of the 7 grain hot cereal left over to deal with until the next baking time. This would be perfect to store in mason jars and sealed with a Foodsaver machine or hand held vacuum pump! The cereal would stay fresh for months and months (probably over a year). Of course, with a little planning and thought I would bake more and quit grabbing those darn convenient packages of buns at the store! Then I wouldn’t NEED a great pantry storage system…
Paula
Hi Vicki,
You are not the only one to grab a cheap package of buns. Me too. I only make buns for special occasions or parties.
And you are so right about the leftover 7 grain cereal. I have been keeping it in my garage refrigerator but the vacuum-packing idea is better if you have the pantry space.
Stacy
QUESTION: Could you possible put the subject or title of your new blog posting into the subject line of the emails I receive? That way in a quick glance I can see what each email from you is about instead of going down thru each to find something specific? For example, the email I received today would say:
Salad in a Jar: 7-Grain Homemade Hamburger Buns (Bread Machine)
Thank you for thinking about it…and thank you more for all that you do, love your emails! Going to make these with our children! 🙂
Paula
Hi Stacy,
Nice idea about the title in the subject line. Unfortunately, I’m not smart enough to figure out how to do that. I’ll work on it. Enjoy the buns.
Paula
I think it is wonderful that you make your own healthy hamburger buns. I bake bread all the time and have never once made hamburger buns. If I ever get adventurous enough to attempt them I will try your recipe.
Jenn
That sounds really good! Might give it a try. Thanks.
We’re Astros fans since my husband is a native Houstonian. It sure hurts sometimes!
Donna E
I look forward to trying your hamburger bun recipe. I make your Greek yogurt all the time and love it! I made some today in fact. It has turned out every time I’ve made it and I really love it with a mashed up banana, a spoon of Ghiradelli cocoa, a little Stevia and some walnuts on top. It’s like dessert for breakfast! I am thinking these buns are going to be just as good! TFS
Paula
Your breakfast dessert sounds fabulous. Know I would love it.