Pretzel Bun Burgers

Soft pretzel rolls and homemade burger patties are a match made in heaven. If you love these together, then I have a perfect recipe for you.

The first time I made these, I could not believe how good they turned out! I did struggle a bit in organizing my way in the kitchen, but the second time, they came together very easily and fast. Cooking is just good organization and knowing simple cooking rules and techniques!

But, back to our delicious burgers in soft pretzel rolls. All the flavors come together perfectly, and the burger patties inside are so much better than any you can buy in stores!

Making The Pretzel Rolls (Overview)

Although these look difficult to make, you can pull them off, even with minimal cooking skills. The thing here is to make a good starting dough.

Making this dough is just getting the right proportion of flour, yeast, some sugar, and water. Separate, these ingredients are awesome, and when combined, they create soft pretzel rolls. 

Once the dough is made and left to rise, it is time to cook the dough in a baking soda bath.

A soda bath is just a combo of water and soma baking soda. Once it boils, reduce the heat and cook the buns in simmering water for 30 seconds per side. 

If you’ve ever wondered how pretzel rolls or soft pretzels have that nice brown color, it’s all due to a soda bath.

In addition, the soda bath gelatinizes the outside of the pretzel, preventing it from fully springing during baking (as bread does) and giving pretzels their signature brown, chewy crust.

I read somewhere “make sure these do not stick to the bottom of the pot,” but when double proofed (risen, shaped into balls, and risen again), the rolls just float on top of the water.

Remove the rolls with a slotted spoon and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry out. Then, they are ready for baking.

Tips For Perfect Pretzel Rolls:

• Shape your rolls between hands. Flatten your palm and place a ball of dough on top. Cover with the second hand, making a dome shape, and just roll clockwise for 10 seconds, or until you start to feel a bit of resistance. 
• Score the top of the buns; scoring the tops will allow the rolls to expand and the center to cook all the way through since they are thicker rolls.
• Bake until golden brown; the deeper the color, the better the flavor

Making The Hamburger Patties

Homemade hamburger patties are filled with flavor. Nothing can compare to homemade hamburger patties for me, simply because I’m the one organizing all the flavors and choosing the right meat.

I usually make my patties from ground chuck, as it has the right ratio of lean and fat. Instead of this, you can try sirloin or round. 

Can You Add Breadcrumbs?

Adding breadcrumbs or saltine crackers as some like is not a common thing to do. Still, I like to add these, as the breadcrumbs give patties a lighter, more tender texture. Some like to add a bread center, soaked in milk.

Before you make a face, know that the mild acid from the milk tenderizes the meat even more.

When it comes to spices, I like to keep things simple; I stick with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder.

Tips For The Perfect Hamburger Patties:

• Once you have your mixture, cover it with a plastic foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This will help the flavors to develop better, which will result in a flavorful patty.
• Make a dent in each patty; shape the patties and with the back of your spoon make a dent in each one. This will prevent them from puffing up while cooking.
• Cook your patties in a skillet, cast iron skillet, or grill pan. I like all of these because they offer different properties. If you want a mark on your patties, go with a grill pan. For easy cooking and clean-up, choose a non-stick skillet, and for a caramelized sear on the burgers, choose a cast-iron skillet.

Pretzel Bun Burger Recipe

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8 small burgers

Ingredients

For the buns:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ tbsp instant yeast
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup water, lukewarm
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tbsp baking soda, for baking soda bath
• Coarse salt

For the burgers:

• 1 lb ground chuck
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 small egg
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp milk

For the cheese sauce:

• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• ½ tsp dried thyme

Additional:

• Whole gran mustard, lettuce, baked purple onions, for toppings

Instructions: 

1. In a mixing bowl, combine lukewarm water with butter.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt.

3. Pour in the water-butter mixture and stir until the dough comes together.

4. Knead the dough until smooth and place in a bowl.

5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour or until doubles in size.

6. Once doubled in size, punch down the dough, and divide into 8 portions.

7. Roll each portion between hands, for 10 seconds, to create a dome-shaped ball. Arrange the balls on a tray, and let them rise for 30 minutes.

8. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, in a sauce pot.

9. Add baking soda and make sure it does not spill. Reduce heat once the mixture boils.

10. Add one or two balls of the dough into the baking soda bath. Cook the dough for 30 seconds on each side and remove with a slotted spoon. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and let them dry for 10 minutes.

11. Score the tops of the balls, make an “X” sign, and bake the pretzel buns for 16-18 minutes.

12. In a mixing bowl, combine all the patty ingredients. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

13. Preheat oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

14. In the meantime, shape the meat mixture into 8 patties. Press each in the center with the back of a spoon. Cook these in a skillet for 4 minutes per side, over medium heat. 

15. For the sauce, heat butter until melted. Add in flour. Cook the flour, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and add cheese. 

16. Add thyme and remove the sauce from the heat as it thickens. 

17. To assemble, once the pretzel rolls are baked, place them aside to cool. Cut through them, and spread whole grain or stone ground mustard on the bottom parts.

18. Top each with lettuce, and place a burger patty on top. 

19. Pour over some cheese sauce.

20. Place the onion over the sauce. Close the burger with the top piece of the bun.

21. Repeat with the remaining burgers.

22. Serve and enjoy!

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