I love this In-N-Out Double-Double Hamburger recipe. I dare to think it is one of the most popular and preferred fast food burgers!
This burger looks good and tastes even better. I had to do serious research to find a way to recreate this famous burger. Let me tell you all about it. But first, in case you are unfamiliar with the franchise:
What’s In-N-Out?
For those who do not know about In-N-Out, it’s a fast food chain much smaller than McDonald’s. However, it’s very famous because their products are well known and very iconic!
In-N-Out is a family franchise. As a small franchise, they have more control over the quality of their products and that may have won the hearts of their fans from the very beginning. And let’s not forget that their restaurants look very clean and welcoming almost all of the time.
What’s the In-N-Out Double-Double Hamburger?
One of the most popular products on their menu is the Double-Double Hamburger. It’s a succulent burger with double meat AND double cheese.
It looks great, but how does it taste?
Before I recreated this recipe, I had to do a little research and I went to my nearest In-N-Out. Among other things, I asked for a Double-Double specimen. To my surprise, they brought me something that, for the first time ever, didn’t look like what is shown in social media photos!
Although dissapointing at first, I had to analyze the burger carefully. The bread looked very yummy and fluffy, while the cheese was appetizing but the two meat patties were a bit hard to find!
Happily, the taste was really yummy!
Recreating the In-N-Out Double-Double recipe at home
As a franchise, In-N-Out protects their secret recipes very well, so I had to use my imagination and further research to recreate their Double-Double.
I couldn’t find a brand that provided a similar bread in the supermarket. Instead, I decided to make my own. After some intelligence work, I found out that a bakery that supplies some Southern California stores with burger buns uses a method called “sponge method”, to make a moisty bread with a tight crumb.
The result is something between a regular bun and brioche bread. To achieve something similar -or better- I used the Tangzhong method.
TThe Tangzhong method comes from Asia and consists of creating a “roux” with flour, milk, and water. Using this technique traps a little moisture that adds that lovely sponginess to our bread.
As a result, I could mirror a very similar bread to the one In-N-Out uses for the Double-Double burger.
Making the In-N-Out Double-Double recipe doesn’t require fancy equipment or ingredients. Yet, a good stand mixer, a digital scale, and a good bakeware set are very helpful.
In the recipe below you will find all the necessary ingredients and a step-by-step guide to emulate this beautiful burger at home, including its delicious secret sauce and distinctive toppings.
DIY Double-Double hamburger from In-N-Out (Homemade)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Steel Nonstick Bakeware
- 12-inch Fry Pan
- Digital Scale
- Spice Grinder
- Digital Scale
Ingredients
"Tangzhong"
- 2 tbsps 2 tablespoons wheat flour
- 3 tbsps 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 tbsps 3 tablespoons water
Bread
- 320 grs of wheat flour or bread flour
- 1 tbsp of instant yeast
- ½ cup of whole milk, warm (at 98F-102F)
- 2 tbps of sugar
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 20 grs of unsalted butter, room temperature
Secret In-N-Out Sauce
- 1 sweet onion, chopped in small pieces
- ½ cup of ketchup
- ⅔ cups of mayonnaise
- 2 tsps of mustard
- A pinch of ground black pepper
- 4 tbsps of diced pickles
- 2 tbps of apple cider vinegar
To complete the burger
- 1 lb of ground beef, 85% lean (15% fat)
- 1 large tomato (the biggest you can get)
- 1 Iceberg/romaine lettuce
- 1 white onion, grilled in thick circled slices
- 4 Slices of cheddar cheese (or the best American cheese you can find)
- Salt and pepper to taste (to season the beef patties)
Instructions
Buns
- We start with the “Tangzhong”. It is a method of Asian origin in which we make a “roux” mixing flour, milk and water while cooking them over medium heat. When it thickens like heavy cream, remove it from fire and let it cool
- Warm milk between 98 and 102 °F and add instant yeast. Stir and let it act for about ten minutes
- Mix the dry ingredients flour, salt and sugar. When they're ready, put them into the mixer at low speed
- Add yeast, Tangzhong dough, and eggs into the mixer
- After the mix is incorporated add the soft butter little by little. Then increase the mixer speed to medium and let it knead for at least 6 minutes. It will look and feel gooey, uniform, and BEAUTIFUL
- Grease a bowl throughly to transfer the dough. As it's wet dough, you'll need a spatula to remove it and put it in the bowl
- Cover well and let it rest for at least an hour and a half, or until it has doubled its size
- Flour a clean surface to place your dough
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces. If you want them to be the same, use a scale to weigh them
- Take a piece and stretch its edges. Then, bring them towards the center, turn it over and knead it in circular movements. Repeat with all the pieces. This way, your buns will be round with a tigh dough
- Put each ball on a tray with baking paper and squash them a little bit
- Cover the buns with another tray with a similar size or clean towels. Let them grow for one hour and a half, if you have cold weather. If you're in a warm place, forty minutes could be enough. The most important thing is to let them double their size
- While the buns grow you can prepare the sauce and the toppings
- Prepare a bit of egg wash with whole milk and an egg. The egg wash will help your buns to acquire a shiny and golden tone, like brioche bread
- Varnish each of your buns with egg wash
- Bake your buns in a preheated oven at 400 °F to bake between 15 and 18 minutes. Still, keep an eye on the buns, so they tan well but don't get burnt
- After taking the buns out from the oven brush the buns with melted butter. This will make them look even more attractive and it will make them taste even better, of course!
In-N-Out Secret Sauce – La Cooquette DIY version
- Chop one onion into small pieces
- Put butter in the pan over low heat. Add the onion and let it caramelize by moving it from time to time to prevent burning it. The onion will bring out its sweetness and will end up with a golden brown color and smooth texture
- In the meantime, mix the rest of the ingredients. Start with mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, apple cider vinegar, and finely chopped pickles. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Then mix.
- And now, for the essential part: the onion.
Toppings
- Cut whole onion circles about a finger thick
- Fry the onion thick circles with olive oil for two minutes on each side
- Cut thick tomato slices in circles, as large as possible
- Clean the lettuce and get your cheese slices ready
Beef patties
- Put the meat in a bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Press with a fork or your hands to mix it well
- Use a bun as a reference to measure the beef patties. Make them about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) thick
- Heat a pan with olive oil. When it's very hot, cook the beef patties for a couple of minutes per side. Be careful when turning the patties as the oil can splash
- After the patties are ready cover them with a slice of cheddar. A trick to make them look better is to fold a third of the slice, so it melts without leaving the burger
- Cover the pan and turn off the heat so the cheese melts just a little
Build the Double-Double Hamburger
- While the cheese is melting, spread your secret sauce quickly. Put a lot on the bottom bread and a little on the top one
- Put the tomato over the bottom bread and over it the lettuce. Then place the meat with the melted cheese on top.
- Add another layer with a grilled onion circle and a second meat with cheese. Cover with the top bread and press down a little bit
- Are you ready to take a bite? Sure you do!
Video
Notes
- You’ll need two similar baking trays. One to lay the dough balls for the buns and the other to cover them to let them grow. If you don’t have another tray, don’t worry you can also use some clean towels
- Choose the best ground beef you can. If possible, choose the beef cut yourself before it gets grounded. Pick beef with a nice fat content (about 15%). Fat will help the patties to be firmer and consistent
- I chose a cheddar than doesn’t melt as much as American-style cheddar. It’s a bit firmer and it’ll look and taste better.
Do you accept the challenge?
Baking always requires patience, but preparing the In-N-Out Double-Double Hamburger recipe at home is worth the effort.
Are you up to the challenge?
Find more of my recipes and hand-picked selections here.
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