French Onion Sandwich Rolls

I have never had a better sandwich bun then these French Onion Sandwich Rolls. You will never want to have another bun once you have tried these! So soft, full of flavor (and caramelized onions!), and absolutely perfect. 

I have been making these French Onion Sandwich Rolls for well over 15 years now.  They’re my favorite thing in the whole wide world to serve my Pepperoncini Beef & Spicy Pop Pulled Pork on – and burgers? Oh my! These are so good as burger buns. I really haven’t found a sandwich these aren’t good on. Well, I guess they wouldn’t be so great on peanut butter & jelly sandwiches… unless onions & peanut butter are your thing. If so, go at it. 😉

I make the dough for these in my bread machine. I absolutely adore my bread machine, y’all! It gives me the same convenience that a crockpot gives me for a main course… but it’s bread.

If you don’t have a bread machine & don’t want to have one (if you do get one, I’ve had this one for years & years and love it) – you can refer to this fantastic guide to convert a bread machine recipe into a ‘by hand’ one.

What do I need to make these French Onion Sandwich Rolls?

Here’s your ingredient list. There is a printable (or screenshot-able) version of this recipe at the bottom of this post.

How do I prepare the French Onion Rolls?

It’s pretty easy. First we will go through how you prepare this recipe in a bread machine and then I provide a link with alternate instructions if you don’t have a bread machine. Let’s get started!

In your bread machine, add 3/4 cup lukewarm milk, 5 tablespoons lukewarm water, 3 tablespoons softened butter, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 cup diced sauteed onion (sauteed until just tender, I like red onion for color), 3 cups bread flour (or all purpose) and 2.5 teaspoons of yeast according to the directions of the manufacturer. For my bread machine, you add all liquids first, then dry ingredients – and make a well in the top of the flour with your finger for the yeast to go. Set the bread maker on the dough cycle.

Once the cycle has completed, remove the dough from the pan & knead lightly on a floured surface.

Cut into 8 equal pieces. I use a bench scrape for this.

Form into balls & gently flatten with your hands just a little. If they keep shrinking back, just let them relax for a couple minutes before flattening. Place on a baking sheet & cover loosely with a kitchen towel – set in a draft free place for an hour to rise.

After they have risen, brush lightly with a mixture of a little egg white & water. Sprinkle on a few sauteed onions on each roll.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

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5 from 1 vote

French Onion Sandwich Rolls

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 rolls

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 5 tablespoons lukewarm water
• 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 3/4 cup sauteed diced onion cooked until tender - divided
• 3 cups bread flour or all purpose flour
• 2.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

• Add the milk, water, butter, salt, onion powder, 1/2 cup of the sauteed onion, flour and yeast into the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle, and press start.
• When the cycle has finished, remove the dough from the pan. Knead on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces & form into balls & gently flatten with your hands. If they keep shrinking back, just let them relax for a minute before flattening. Place on a baking sheet, and cover loosely with a towel. Set in a draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the egg white & water. Lightly brush each risen roll with the mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup sauteed onion.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.