Brian Nagele
Select the ideal bread to enhance your patty creation and indulge in the ultimate burger experience. The bun is more than just a vehicle in the world of burgers; it’s an essential collaborator in terms of flavor and texture. Making the correct decision can make or ruin your masterpiece of a burger, from the traditional sesame seed joy to the decadent handmade brioche. Discover the world of buns as we identify the top varieties that guarantee to up your burger game. This guide will help you navigate the vast and wonderful world of burger buns, whether you’re craving a soft pillow for juicy meat, a solid platform for towering toppings, or a gently sweet embrace for your plant-based delight.
Brioche Bun
A brioche bun is a light and fluffy, sweet type of French bread that’s made with a lot of eggs and butter. It has a rich flavor and a golden color due to the egg yolk. It’s a popular burger bun choice because it can hold up decently well to juicy toppings and ingredients without getting too soggy. You can use brioche for French toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and even puddings. But when it comes to burgers, my favorite toppings on a brioche bun complement the sweet bun taste, such as a spicy chicken burger, a hamburger with zesty slaw, or a pulled pork burger.
Ciabatta Bun
Ciabatta is an Italian white bread that’s long and oval-shaped with a chewy texture. It has a crispy outer crust and is usually made with a biga, a pre-fermented dough. Ciabatta buns have become increasingly popular because of their unique shape and chewy texture. This bun is an excellent choice for juicy burgers due to its harder outside shell, especially if it’s toasted first. Putting saltier ingredients on a Ciabatta burger works well, such as bacon, chili sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and even salsa. Pair this with a side of french fries, and you have the perfect meal!
Potato Bun
Potato buns are made with, you guessed it, potatoes! These buns are usually denser than regular white bread and have a sweeter flavor. They’re an excellent choice for burgers because they can hold up well to moist ingredients and have a subtle sweetness to them that’s delightful. It’s also notable that potatoes are a good source of various nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B-6. I like pairing potato buns with: BBQ sauce, Cheddar cheese, Pickles , A beef patty. The starchiness of the potatoes also helps to soak up any juices from the beef burger, even if it’s medium rare.
Pretzel Bun
Pretzel buns are, as you might’ve guessed, made with pretzels, an integral part of German culture. These buns are on the sweeter side and have a chewy texture that people who love soft pretzels will immensely enjoy. Pretzel buns are great for hearty burgers because they can hold up well to sauces. And because pretzels go so well with the pungent, bitter mustard taste, I love putting them on burgers where mustard will be a primary ingredient. Beef or sausage, honey mustard, pickles, and Gouda cheese is a delightful, tasty combination for a pretzel bun burger.
Sesame Seed Bun
Sesame seeds are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, so it’s no surprise that a sesame seed bun is a classic choice that has been around since the beginning of burgers. It’s a white bread bun with sesame seeds on the top and bottom, giving it a slightly nutty flavor. Sesame seed buns are versatile and work well with various burger toppings, from the classic ketchup and mustard to more adventurous combinations like avocado, bacon, and blue cheese. They’re not always the toughest of buns, so if you choose to use a sesame seed bun for a heartier, heavy-ingredient burger, it’s best to toast it first so it can withstand the juices. Otherwise, you can eat it fast or have a fork nearby to scrape up the fallen pieces!
English Muffin
English muffins are a quick bread made without any rising agent, giving it a denser, more compact texture. It’s usually round with a flat top and bottom and has nooks and crannies on the surface that are perfect for sopping up egg yolks and butter. While English muffins are most commonly eaten at breakfast with butter, jam, eggs, bacon, and cheese on the side, they also make a great burger bun. They work especially well for a breakfast burger that contains bacon, a sunny-side-up egg, and Swiss or cheddar cheese. If you want to get a bit more creative, try this compact bun with beef, cheddar cheese, and pasta sauce — it’s delicious!
Kaiser Roll
A kaiser roll is a bread you make with white flour, water, yeast, salt, and malt syrup or sugar. In my opinion, it’s an upgraded version of a sesame seed bun because it has a nice hard shell and a perfectly fluffy interior to help blend your burger’s toppings. It’s also usually a bulky bun, which means you can have a bigger-sized burger than you could for, say, an English muffin burger. And who doesn’t love a bigger burger? The size and agreeable taste of kaiser rolls make it an excellent choice for events like birthday parties and backyard barbecues. Kaiser rolls are originally from Austria, but like many of these different types of burger buns, you can find them around the globe.
Lettuce
Lettuce wraps are a fantastic, low-carb option for those trying to watch their calorie or gluten intake. All you need are two big pieces of lettuce and whatever fillings you desire for your burger. I love using iceberg lettuce for burgers and sandwiches that are lighter on the meat and heavier on the vegetable. Lean ground beef, tomatoes, pickles, and mustard make the perfect, classic lettuce burger. If you want to make it more interesting, try adding barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, or garlic butter. However, if you’re swapping a bun for lettuce to cut calories, you might want to lay off too many extra ingredients as well cause the calories can add up there too.
Onion Bun
Lastly is an onion bun, which is pretty much what it sounds like: a bun with onions baked into the dough. These buns have a lovely onion flavor without being too overwhelming, and they’re perfect for topping with a juicy burger, melty cheese, and crisp bacon. Whether you want a different type of burger bun for an event or just for yourself, an onion bun is sure to please. I love eating an onion burger with many savory, intense flavors, such as bacon, cheddar, and jalapenos. Try pairing it with Swiss cheese, or another popular cheese for burgers, and sautéed mushrooms if you want a sweeter option.
