Closed Burger (with Homemade Burger Buns Recipe)

This viral closed burger is made with soft homemade burger dough wrapped around juicy beef patties, melted cheese, caramelized mushrooms and onions, and tangy pickles.

Unlike a regular burger, the entire filling is sealed inside the dough before baking, creating a fluffy golden bun with a savory surprise inside.

If you love homemade burgers and viral food trends, this closed burger recipe is a must-try!

What Is a Closed Burger?

A closed burger is a burger completely enclosed inside bread dough before baking.

The result is a soft burger bun filled with layers of beef, cheese, and toppings all baked together into one handheld stuffed burger. This viral closed burger trend has become popular because of its satisfying cross section, gooey cheese layers, and bakery-style appearance.

Tips for Making the Perfect Closed Burger 🍔

Do Not Add Too Much Filling

It can be tempting to overstuff the closed burger, especially with cheese and beef patties, but adding too much filling can make the dough difficult to seal properly. Overfilled burgers are more likely to burst open during proofing or baking. Leave at least 1–1.5 cm of empty dough around the edges before sealing. A balanced amount of filling will also help the burger keep its round shape and create cleaner layers when sliced.

Use Two Types of Cheese

Using two types of cheese gives the best flavor and texture combination for a closed burger. Cheddar adds a rich, classic burger flavor, while mozzarella or American cheese creates a satisfying melting cheesy texture.

Be Careful With Moisture Amount

Because this closed burger dough is fully sealed, all the steam and moisture released during baking will stay trapped inside the bread.

To prevent the burger from splitting open or becoming soggy, it is important to keep the filling as dry as possible. Make sure to fully cook down the mushrooms and onions until most of the moisture has evaporated before adding them to the burger. The pickles should also be patted dry with paper towels before using. For the best texture, avoid adding sauce inside the burger and instead serve the sauce on the side for dipping after baking.

Proper Dough Texture Is Important

Since different brands of all-purpose flour can absorb different amounts of water, you may need to adjust the amount of flour or water based on the dough consistency. The mixture should form a soft dough that can wrap around and hang onto the stand mixer hook. If you lift the hook and the dough flows down like thick batter or mud, the dough is too wet and needs a little more flour. If the dough surface looks dry or cracked and cannot form a soft smooth ball, the dough is too dry and needs a small amount of water.

Proofing Helps Create a Soft Burger Bun

Allowing the dough to proof properly gives the closed burger its fluffy bakery-style texture. If your kitchen is cold, proof the dough in the oven with a small pot of boiling water nearby to create a warm and humid environment. During the final proof, the burgers should look puffier but still hold their shape. Avoid overproofing, as the dough can become too weak and collapse during baking.

Cook the Beef Patties to Your Desired Doneness

Based on my experience, the 15 minutes of baking time is just enough to bake the burger buns to the perfect level, but the heat does not penetrate deeply into the filling. This means the beef patties will not cook much further during the final baking step. To avoid undercooked or overcooked beef, make sure the patties are already cooked to your desired level before assembling the closed burgers.

Serve With Sauce for the Best Flavor

Since this closed burger recipe is fully sealed, it is important to keep the filling relatively dry to prevent the burger buns from becoming soggy during baking. For that reason, it is better to serve the sauces on the side instead of adding them inside the dough before baking.

Some delicious sauce combinations for this recipe include classic burger sauce, mayo ketchup sauce, honey mustard sauce, mayo Dijon mustard sauce, garlic aioli, spicy sriracha mayo, or smoky barbecue mayo.

Equipment

• Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
• Kitchen scale
• Large mixing bowl
• Rolling Pin
• small bowl (for shaping the dough; Mine is 5.5 inch diameter)
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Plastic wrap
• Pastry brush

Ingredients  

Burger Dough

• 740 g all-purpose flour
• 10 g salt
• 10 g instant yeast
• 40 g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 330 g cold water
• 70 g unsalted butter (room temperature softened)

Filling

• 8 slices cheese (Prepare 16 slices of cheese if you want to make double cheese burger.)
• 8 small beef patties (Use 16 beef patties if you want to make double layer beef burger.)
• 2 cups caramelized mushrooms and onions
• 16 slices pickle

Topping

• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• 2 tsps sesame seed (optional)

Instructions 

1. In a stand mixer, combine: all-purpose flour, instant yeast, salt, and sugar.

2. Add 2 eggs and 330g cold water. Mix on speed 1 for 1 minute until combined, then increase to speed 4 and knead for 10 minutes.

3. Add the room temperature softened butter and continue mixing on speed 4 for another 10 minutes, until the dough becomes soft, smooth, and elastic.

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise until nearly doubled in size, about 1–2 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight if you’d like to prepare the dough ahead of time.

5. Transfer the dough to a work surface, gently deflate it, and divide it into 8 equal pieces.

6. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten into an approximately 8-inch dough disc.

7. Line a small bowl with the dough sheet, allowing the edges to hang over slightly.

8. Layer the filling inside with 1 slice of cheese, 1 beef patty, 2 tablespoons of caramelized mushrooms and onions, 2 pickle slices, another beef patty, and 1 more slice of cheese.

9. Seal the dough tightly around the filling. Pinch the edges together and flip the dough over so the sealed side is on the bottom, forming a smooth ball shape.

10. Place the closed burger dough balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

11. Proof the dough in the oven or in a warm place for 30 minutes. If your oven does not have a proof setting, place a small pot of boiling water next to the baking sheet inside the oven to create a warm and humid environment.

12. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

13. Bake the closed burgers at: 180°C / 350°F on the lower level of the oven, for 15 – 18 minutes Until golden brown.

14. Serve with your favorite burger sauce, such as a mayo-ketchup sauce, honey mustard sauce, or a creamy mayo Dijon mustard sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter and oil.

2. Add the sliced onions and mushrooms cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until release their moisture and most of the liquid has evaporated.

3. Season with salt and black pepper, and add sugar if using.

4. Continue cooking until the mixture becomes deeply golden, with a caramel fragrant, and no longer watery before using it as filling for the closed burger.

5. Let the filling cool slightly before assembling the burgers.

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