Best Bun/Bread for burgers?

[mochimunchie]

Having a burger cook out - what's your favorite bun/bread/roll for 1/4-1/3# burgers? Where to find them in oakland/berkeley a plus. Thanks!

[mochimunchie]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions and report back. I found a good small roll for burgers at Berkeley Bowl - Bon Croissant's Honey French Roll. Not sliced but a good diameter (about 3") for 1/4# or 1/3 # burgers. Ended up deciding to do sliders so decided on Neldam's Double Rolls for a bit over an 1 1/2" burger and the Seeded Rolls for 2" burger. Both not sliced. They make really cute burgers.

[Mission]

Warning: Once you start using quality Buns and rolls for Burgers and Dogs you will never go back to the nasty 100 ingredient chemical buns found at the local mega mart.

I go to the Acme outlet in Berkeley for mine.

Semifreddie on Claremont Ave. has some that are almost as good.

[JasmineG]

That's true, I got the brioche buns for a barbeque this weekend, and everyone scoffed at me for paying that much for hot dog buns...and then couldn't stop talking about how amazing they were.

[teela brown]

I can't speak to the size issue, but I like to find an especially good panaderia and buy their fresh-baked crusty bolillas. A good one is flaky-crisp on the outside and sort of chewy on the inside. Not only do I love them as burger buns, but I use them for almost any sort of big he-man sandwich, such as: Italian beef, loose meat, cheesesteak, grilled fish, meatball sub . . . you get the idea.

[mmerino]

teela brown! I was just going to suggest the same. Just like what you get with a Torta, right? Well maybe not exactly. What is the name for the Torta bun? Its not a Bolilo per se, correct? The Torta bun is thinner-See image, bottom bun. Las Montanas in Concord.

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Las Montanas Market
1725 Willow Pass Rd, Concord, CA

[Melanie Wong]

I think teela is describing a bolillo, which is similar ot a french roll. What you're talking about and what's shown in your photo is a telera. Was thinking about teleras when Steve mentioned a less rich brioche, which is how I think of this roll.

[mmerino]

TY! Now I know.

[Robert Lauriston]

Acme's. I rarely see them for sale in the bakery, and have never seen them in a grocery store. You can special-order them. Try a burger at Mua to see what they're like.

[Chuckles the Clone]

Those are pretty great. Luka's was using Acme buns a while back; maybe still? Easier to get (at the bakery at least) even tastier, though sortof pushing the definition of hamburger bun, is Acme's pain epi. Weird shape and somewhat tiny force you to make the burgers in a non-traditional and mini style. But really really good. Here's an old pain epi thread that drifts into bolillo territory:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/37710

[realspear]

There is an excellent bun that is locally produced that you can buy at Mollie Stones Markets. I'm not sure of the name, but they are in an area with the non-big name buns, i.e., separate from the commercial breads. They do need to be sliced as they are not pre-cut. Flavorful with great texture that you will never get from a standard packaged bun. Their hot dog buns are equally good. Probably the best I've had locally, although there are no options like sesame buns etc. Because they are fresh-baked, they are often sold out on Sundays.

My second choice is Rudi's Organic, available at Whole Foods. One odd thing about them is that they are undersized, so 1/3 lb burgers may hang way beyond the edges.

[Calvinist]

I'm guessing you mean the Cake Box buns, which are our bun of choice. we get them at the Tower Market Mollie Stone's.

[realspear]

That's it, I go to the same store.

[skwid]

It really depends on how big you make your burgers. My rule of thumb is the burger should be as big around as the bun (or just slightly larger). Any smaller and you end up with too much bread.

[Ken Hoffman]

Kelly's Bakery (Santa Cruz) Francese rolls work perfectly
http://www.kellysfrenchbakery.com/bre...

[Kristine]

I use the Brioche Buns found at Whole Foods, can't remember the name off hand, they are pricy but in my opinion well worth it.

[JasmineG]

Yeah, definitely those Brioche buns, they're La Boulangerie.

[SteveG]

I like those too, but they're pretty big, in my opinion too large for a 1/4 pound burger. A large 1/3 pounder might work. My one nit with them is they're pretty rich--they could use a less rich brioche and I'd be happier. To explain that a little better, Brioche comes in a range of richness from not much butter to pretty much as much butter as the flour can support, but the traditional classifications for brioche are almost never mentioned on packaging.

[wolfe]

We find the Orowheat Potato Buns hold up fairly well and I believe no trans fats. I get at either Andronico's or Safeway. Probably better with a bigger burger.

[Melanie Wong]

Here's an old thread to get you started with several East Bay suggestions.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/29970

Let's hear some more.