Homemade Slider Buns
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These Slider Buns are perfect little mini buns perfect for burgers and small enough that you can eat three of these without feeling guilty. Nothing beats a homemade bun, the aroma of bread baking in the oven, the warm buns, there’s nothing better.
Ah, these slider buns, love me some slider buns. So here’s the thing. I’ve been wanting to make some sliders forever now, but I just can’t seem to find the right buns for them. Eventually I got tired of looking and waiting so I decided to make my own slider buns. Bread is bread, so it’s not that difficult.
I’m so glad I did, these little slider buns turned out amazing, cute little buns, buttery, delicious and best of all only 91 calories a slider bun. Can you believe that? I just love that! I guess that means we can have a few, not just one. Who can eat just one?
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for full ingredient amounts and instructions, or click the Jump To Recipe button at the top.
- Flour – all you need is all purpose flour.
- Salt – Salt is important in any baked good, it ensures that all those flavors we’ve incorporated above really shine.
- Water – At room temperature, this is the liquid we use today in our buns.
- Yeast – I’m using instant yeast today so that we can incorporate it right in the dough without priming it in water first.
- Sugar – To add a little bit of sweetness to our rolls. You could also use honey.
- Egg – 1 large egg at room temperature.
- Margarine – you can use margarine or butter. You’ll also need some melted butter to brush over the rolls.
How To Make Slider Buns
- Make the dough: Add all ingredients to the bowl of your mixer (excluding the 2 tbsp of butter for brushing). Using the hook attachment, mix everything together on medium low for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic and the side of the bowl is clean. The dough should be a bit sticky but manageable. If the dough is too hard or dry add a bit more water, or if it’s too sticky add more flour.
- Let the dough rise: Cover the bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape the buns: Drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out so that it’s about 1/3 inch in thickness. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut the sliders. You should get about 25 sliders from all this dough. Use the leftover dough by kneading it a couple times and re-rolling it to a 1/3 inch in thickness. Place the cutout sliders onto the prepared baking sheet leaving a little space in between them, as they will continue to rise.
- Second rise: Cover the buns with a damp kitchen towel and let them rest for another 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Bake: Brush the slider buns with melted butter and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Can I Use Active Dry Yeast
You absolutely can. The difference is you need to active the dry yeast first. To do this add a bit of room-temperature or slightly warm water to a bowl and the yeast, let it sit for a minute or two and then stir it with a spoon or fork until the yeast dissolves.
You’ll notice the yeast will start to form bubbles, this means the yeast is good, if you see no reaction at all, chances are your yeast is old and need new fresh yeast.
The Best Place For Dough To Rise
If you are having trouble getting that dough to rise and double in size, I’ve got a perfect little trick for you to ensure your dough fluffs up properly. Heat your oven to 200 F degrees then turn off the oven and place your dough when needing to rise in the oven with the door closed. This will ensure a warm environment for your dough and the dough will rise fairly quickly, assuming the yeast was good.
Tips And Tricks
- Be sure to check the expiry date of your yeast as it’ll affect the effectiveness of these buns.
- If using active dry yeast, please make sure you activate it first by dissolving it in a bit of warm water. If it does not begin to froth up, do not continue with the recipe.
- To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard.
- It is so important to let your rolls double in size! This will ensure that your rolls are light, tender, and fluffy.
Storing Leftover Buns
You can store these rolls right on the counter wrapped in foil or plastic wrap for up to 5 days. You can freeze these rolls easily, just place them separately on a baking sheet and freeze before transferring to a freezer bag or airtight container. They will last for up to 6 months and can be thawed right on the counter when ready to eat.
More Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Parker House Rolls
- Dinner Crescents
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Soft Buttermilk Dinner Rolls
- No Knead Hot Cross Buns
- Honey Rolls
- Classic Dinner Rolls
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Homemade Slider Buns
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Resting time: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 45 mins
Serves: 25
These Slider Buns are perfect little mini buns perfect for burgers and small enough that you can eat three of these without feeling guilty. Nothing beats a homemade bun, the aroma of bread baking in the oven, the warm buns, there's nothing better.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp rapid rise yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp margarine or melted butter
- 2 tbsp butter for brushing
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of your mixer (excluding the 2 tbsp of butter for brushing). Using the hook attachment, mix everything together on medium low for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic and the side of the bowl is clean. The dough should be a bit sticky but manageable. If the dough is too hard or dry add a bit more water, or if it’s too sticky add more flour.
- Cover the bowl with a clean damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out so that it’s about 1/3 inch in thickness. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut the sliders. You should get about 25 sliders from all this dough. Use the leftover dough by kneading it a couple times and rerolling it to a 1/3 inch in thickness. Place the cutout sliders onto the prepared baking sheet leaving a little space in between them, as they will continue to rise.
- Cover the buns with a damp kitchen towel and let them rest for another 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Brush the slider buns with melted butter and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- To speed up the time required for the dough to rise, preheat your oven to 200 for a couple minutes, just until it’s warm in the oven. Turn oven off and place your bowl with the dough, covered with the towel. Close the oven door and let it rest until the dough has doubled in size. If the yeast is fresh it should be ready in half hour to an hour.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1bunCalories: 91kcal (5%)Carbohydrates: 15.6g (5%)Protein: 2.2g (4%)Fat: 2.2g (3%)Cholesterol: 7mg (2%)Sodium: 14mg (1%)Fiber: 0.6g (3%)Sugar: 2.1g (2%)
Jagruti says
What can i substitute for egg. Thx
Jo Cooks Team says
Here’s a great resource: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes
Cherish Grimm says
Delish! I just added a little more salt to the dough and when I melted the butter for brushing I added a little honey.
Joanna Cismaru says
So glad you liked them!
Michael Nyberg says
Aha…..I made mine bigger than 2″. That’s why i only got 15.
Love the recipe. Thanks!
Michael Nyberg says
I guess I didn’t roll thin enough because i only got about 15 buns. I was worried about them being too thin for prime rib (leftover) sliders.
Hailey says
These turned out amazingly well! They were light and easily paired with burger meat—which was my biggest concern when making tiny fluffy burger 🍔 buns.
2’’ was a perfect size if you’re making traditional sliders.
Be sure not to over bake, as that’s the only thing that can impact bread density (burned bottom/top).
I made mine in my bread maker on the dough setting.
I will be tucking this away as a great future meal staple!
nia says
Hi Jo!
This recipe looks amazing! Cant wait to try it!
Wanted to know if i can bake them a day ahead? I have a dinner party of abt 20-25 people. So i was thinking of baking them ahead to lower the burden..
Joanna Cismaru says
Sure, just store them the same way you do bread.
nia says
One more thing
I want to bake around 25.. so 1 batch would be enough or should i double the recipe? I want to make the same size as yours
Joanna Cismaru says
You should get about 25 buns from this recipe, so depends how many per person you want.
Racheal says
I was wondering if I could freeze the dough and at what stage?
Fenne Kieken says
You can freeze them already baked. Have not tried freezing the dough so you could try and let us know
Gail says
look awesome..i assume i can use my bread machine?..just add the yeast water and then other ingredients?..thx for your recipes..huggzz
Fenne Kieken says
You could but you have to follow the bread machine instructions as they are different so yes, Thanks for comment, really appreciate it!
lindywise says
How would I make this with wheat flour?
Briana says
Can I used active dry yeast instead? And if so would it still be 1tbsp? I’m guessing I would just add the yeast and warm water first to activate the yeast?
Thank you!
Joanna Cismaru says
Exactly, and yes still 1 tbsp. Like you said just activate with a bit of warm water for 5 minutes or so.
Kris says
I do’t have a hook attachment. Any way I can still make this recipe work?
Joanna Cismaru says
Yeah, you’ll just have to knead the dough by hand.
Margie says
Can I make a day ahead of time and just leave them out?
jo says
Yeah you can, I would just cover them with a towel or something.
Tay says
Can you make the dough and refrigerate overnight? If so, should I have it rise before putting in the fridge? Thank you!!
jo says
You can, the dough should rise in the fridge as well, but slower and if it hasn’t doubled by next day, you can preheat the oven for a couple minutes then turn it off and add the dough to the oven, so this will cause it to rise nicely.
Tay says
Thank you!
Alaina says
Thank you for this recipe. I just made them and they are beautiful. I will be making them for a party on the weekend and everyone is going to love them!
Kate says
I just found this recipe & would like to use it for part of our Christmas dinner buffet. Do you know approximately how many buns one batch made when cut with the biscuit cutter? I’m trying to decide if I need 2 batches…
jo says
This makes about 25 small sliders. Merry Christmas!
Lana says
I would like to make these, but I think I’d like them to be at least 2 inches thick. How thick do you think the original cut should be?
jo says
Maybe about 2/3 or 3/4 of an inch in thickness, so that when the dough doubles they should be around 2 inches in height.
don george says
I used a 2″ cutter but they came out way to small. Next time I guess I will use a 3″cutter. Could it be they just did not rise as much as yours did?
jo says
These sliders are supposed to be small, they’re like mini buns, but yeah if you want like a regular roll, I would definitely use the 3″ cutter.
Liz says
This looks fabulous. Just want to know if you can freeze these and for how long?h
jo says
Oh for sure, just like any bread or buns, I freeze buns all the time. You can generally freeze them for up to a month or two.
MARYSE says
Hi Jo,
I first of all, loved the pictures of your little slider buns, my taste buds were dancing.
I could not resist trying. I just eat the first came out of the oven, still warm.
MIAMMY JO “UN VRAI DELICE”
I wonder, There is no salt in your recipe, isn’t it? or I missed it.
The measures you use in your recipes, are Canadian cups or US ?
You see, I’m French and not very confidant with cups in my culinary adventures.
As you are Romanian origin and culture, you must also use grams, I thought you could help me by telling me the equivalent of a cup of flour in grams.
I love Romanian cuisine as Ardei umpluți or Mititei
Merci Merci JO
Maryse
jo says
Bonjour Maryse! 🙂
I cannot believe I missed salt in this recipe!! I always add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors. Recipe adjusted and updated.
Honestly I had no idea there was a difference between Canadian cups or US cups, so I`m going to guess US cups. I do have a page with conversions of main ingredients, so check it out here.
I also have a recipe for Ardei Umpluti if you wish to try them, they are simply my favorite!
Have a great day!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
No way I would make these. BUT boy would I be excited to eat them. They look luscious and soooo perfect.
Senika @ Foodie Blog Stalker says
CRAB CAKE SLIDERS?! I can’t wait! And on homemade slider rolls? Amazing!
jo says
Coming soon 🙂
Kathy says
Should the water be warm (110 to 115 degrees)?
jo says
It doesn’t matter Kathy, I just used warm water from the tap, warm to the touch.
Kathy says
Thank you, Jo!