Challah Hamburger Buns
This challah hamburger bun recipe is a game-changer! Imagine biting into a bun that’s fluffy, soft, and just the right amount of sweet. These buns elevate any burger to gourmet status.
Last updated August 28, 2024 – Originally posted November 23, 2020
Featured Comment:
I made these last Saturday and WOW! They are the most delicious buns I’ve ever baked! They rose up quite high and they are actually really tasty on their own! I have another batch in the machine as we speak! ~ Amy
This challah hamburger bun recipe is a game-changer! Imagine biting into a bun that’s fluffy, soft, and just the right amount of sweet. These buns elevate any burger to gourmet status.
Because the challah buns are soft, I wouldn’t use them for sloppy joes or pulled pork. However, challah buns can’t be beat when used for hamburgers.
What is Challah Bread?
Challah is a special bread in Jewish cooking. It’s usually braided and eaten on major Jewish holidays (other than Passover).
The bread is usually pale yellow in color because it contains so many eggs. The eggs also help to give it a rich flavor.
Small Warning – Not Good as a Loaf
I wondered if this recipe could be used to make a loaf of bread. So I tried it and I don’t recommend it.
It made a very tall loaf of bread. It didn’t blow the top off the bread machine, but it came close.
This loaf was almost as tall as it was long.
I’ll work on a variant of the recipe that works better when baked as a loaf.
How to Make Challah Buns
This recipe is for a two-pound machine. Use the dough setting.
Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first. (I use a Zojirushi bread machine and with that, I add the liquids first.) Use the dough setting.
Check the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. You’ll want the dough to form a smooth, round ball. However, if it’s a little wet, don’t worry about it.
Here’s how my dough looked after kneading. Ordinarily, I would have added a little flour, but for this recipe it’s okay.
If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up. If really too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks as expected.
When the dough is done put it on a lightly floured board.
Note that the dough will be very sticky. I used a bench scraper to help me work with the dough. It helped me a lot!
Divide the dough into three equal sections. Then divide each of those into three more sections.
The goal is to get 9 hamburger buns. Form the buns and put them on a cookie sheet that’s been greased or covered with parchment paper.
Cover the buns with a clean, lightweight kitchen towel and let the buns rise for 45 minutes.
Remove the towel. Brush the buns with the egg wash.
The egg wash has been applied and the challah buns are ready to go into the oven.
Bake the buns in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Enjoy!!
Challah Hamburger Buns Recipe
Again, this recipe is for a two-pound machine. Use the dough setting.
½ cups water
3 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Egg Wash Glaze
1 egg yolk
1Tablespoon water
pinch of salt
See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this bread machine challah hamburger bun recipe.
Challah Hamburger Buns
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
Challah Hamburger Buns
- ½ cups (118.3 ml) water
- 3 eggs beaten, use large eggs
- ¼ cup (59.1 ml) canola oil
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups (437.5 g) bread flour
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Egg Wash Glaze
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- This recipe is for a two-pound machine. Use the dough setting.
- Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the bread machine first. (I use a Zojirushi bread machine and with that, I add the liquids first.) Use the dough setting.
- Check the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. You’ll want the dough to form a smooth, round ball. However, if it’s a little wet, don’t worry about it.
- If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up. If really too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks as expected.
- When the dough is done put it on a lightly floured board.
- Note that the dough will be very sticky. I used a bench scraper to help me work with the dough. It helped me a lot!
- Divide the dough into three equal sections. Then divide each of those into three more sections. The goal is to get 9 hamburger buns.
- Form the buns and put them on a cookie sheet that’s been greased or covered with parchment paper.
- Cover the buns with a clean, lightweight kitchen towel and let the buns rise for 45 minutes.
- Remove the towel. Brush the buns with the egg wash.
- Bake the buns in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.
Recently in New Zealand, they have started fortifying our bread with folic acid. Not wanting to have this in our diet, we bought a bread machine. Hamburger buns are something we’ve been missing so I’m going to give these a go. I wonder if you can sub the canola oil for another oil – olive or rice ban perhaps?
I haven’t tried using another oil, but I think it would work. You’ll want to see how it affects the flavor of the buns.
I use canola on the hot dog bun recipe and it works great! Love the Challah
I live in Canada Calgary Alberta. I got my first bread machine in the 90s. I have never ever used bread flour. I use All purpose Robin Hood or Red Rose flour. These buns turned out perfect. They do sell bread machine flour in Canada but we don’t need it.
Linda, I’ve heard that Canadian all-purpose flour contains more gluten than the flour in the United States. Thanks for confirming that!
In the machine right now for our 4th of July burgers. Wondrful recipe and one I always use.
Hi Can you make this recipe by hand if you don’t have a bread machine? Would the dough need a bulk proofing before you shape the buns and if so how long should it proof for?
Hi Gloria, I’m sure that this recipe can be made without a bread machine. However, I’ve never done it so I can’t advise you as to the proofing times. If you do come up with a mon-machine way to make this recipe, I’d love to hear the details.
I made these last Saturday and WOW! They are the most delicious buns I’ve ever baked! They rose up quite high and they are actually really tasty on their own! I have another batch in the machine as we speak!
I’m so glad you like them. I do too!
I had been looking for a hamburger bun recipe and discovered your web site. Wow! These buns were fabulous.
I live in Canada, and rather than use bread flour, I used our all purpose flour (which I am told has more gluten content than US AP flour) and they turned out beautifully.
I am eager to try more recipes from your site.
Thanks so much for the comment! I’m glad that you liked the recipe. Interesting information about Canadian all-purpose flour!!
I separate the dough and put the bread in loaf pans and it makes nice loaves depending on the size of your loaf pans.
It raises way too much to make it in the bread machine itself.
Hi!
Can this recipe just be left in bread maker to make a loaf? Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving!
Cathy, I’m so glad you asked that question! I don’t recommend using this recipe to make a loaf of bread. I tried it and the loaf was way too tall. I’ve added that information to the recipe.