How To Recreate Arby's Iconic Onion Bun At Home

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One of Arby's most popular offerings, the Classic Beef 'N Cheddar, comes wrapped in a soft onion roll. Unlike many fast food chains that layer burgers with a bevy of fixings and condiments, Arby's loads its sandwiches mostly with thinly sliced, succulent meat. (This focus on meat and a few complementary accompaniments is what made Arby's early menu look very different from the menu of today, since it contained only roast beef sandwiches, sodas, and milkshakes.) Thus, the bun's oniony flavor forms an integral part of the eating experience, and if you've enjoyed it in an Arby's sandwich, why not make it at home with your own fixings? 

Copying Arby's onion bun is similar to making a regular pillowy white roll and then topping it with dried onion flakes and poppy seeds. If you're willing to put in a little more elbow grease, your homemade onion buns can be elevated to even richer-tasting rolls. All it takes is caramelizing onions and mixing them in with the dough. They taste great both soft and toasted, and combine well with a variety of fillings, or even with a simple slather of butter and cream cheese.

Making the Arby's onion bun at home requires a simple blend of all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and some eggs and butter to make the dough rich. Consider adding a dough conditioner for faster rising and a more pillowy result. Once your dough has rested, portion it into balls weighing between about 3.5 and 4.5 ounces to get the approximate size of the Arby's onion bun. Before baking, sprinkle the tops of the buns with dried onion flakes and poppy seeds, and you'll have an Arby's style onion bun ready to go. Of course, the buns you actually get in an Arby's are mass-produced and, therefore, contain a long list of food additives as well as natural and artificial flavoring substances. Thus, the homemade ones, while less processed, may not have the same kind of shelf life and are best eaten fresh.

Upgrading the Arby's onion bun only requires the additional step of making caramelized onions, which are then mixed into the dough to infuse the entire roll with a rich onion flavor and aroma. The results are worth the extra effort, and to really make things gourmet, add a splash of whiskey to your caramelized onions to boost flavors since the brown liquor surprisingly has a similar flavor profile to caramelized onions. Just make sure the onions are cooled before you mix them into the dough. While you can use these caramelized onion buns in any sandwich, consider pairing them with a condiment made by combining mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, and a dash of sugar, which essentially recreates Arby's legendary Horsey Sauce.