Martin’s Potato Rolls, the squishy, golden-topped buns beloved by chefs and favoured by some of the country’s hottest burger joints, have hit Woolworths shelves nationwide.
They are the bun of choice for US burger chain Shake Shack, and are used locally at Eat at Rob’s, Chebbo’s Burgers, UrgerBae and Humble Buns in Sydney, and Easey’s, Macgregor’s Original and Good Good Burgers in Melbourne, among others.
Fans of the yellow, turmeric-dyed rolls previously had to hunt them down through specialty grocers, such as Vic’s Meat and Meatsmith, where a 12-pack costs $29. At Woolworths, a four-pack is now $5.70.
Many chefs prefer potato buns for burgers. Potato starch holds more water than wheat starch, so the rolls stay soft and moist, while neatly absorbing any grease.
The company making Martin’s has been around since 1955, but their popularity in Australia has coincided with the rise of the smash burger, an American-style hamburger made on crisp, lacy beef patties that have been “smashed” on a grill.
The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Until now, the supermarket bun aisle has offered slim pickings, particularly for those wanting to make smash burgers at home, says Ali Chebbani, owner of Chebbo’s Burgers in Marrickville and Bexley . He uses Martin’s buns for his Oklahoma Smash burger and local Balgowlah-made BoS milk buns for the rest of the menu.
“When I started my TikTok page in 2020, I was showing people how to make smash burgers at home and, at the time, the only decent option was an Aldi brioche bun,” he says.
“Even the old Tip Top rolls had their place [when making] the Aussie burger,” he says. “But for the way we’re eating burgers now – the American-style of smash burger – using a Tip Top roll would be blasphemy.”
Michael Carter of Eat at Rob’s in Sydney’s Rozelle sells thousands of smash burgers a week on Martin’s soft, springy buns. “We use Martin’s because it’s the true American burger bun,” he says. “We’ve looked at some local stuff and to be honest, you can get close to it... but they’re not the same.”
Other popular burger spots, like Hi Hi Burger in Bondi Junction , prefer to give Martin’s a miss. Paul Allam, co-founder of Sydney’s Bourke Street Bakery, developed his own potato roll for Hi Hi Burger, which he also sells at his bakeries for $5.50 for a four-pack. “I used to love Martin’s Potato Rolls when I lived in New York. They’re really nice and squishy, especially for a smash burger,” he says.
One reason he no longer buys them is the ingredients list. “I don’t think you want to get into reading the fine print on the back because you will end up seeing quite a lot of numbers, it gives you a bit of an idea of why they last so long.”
Like many supermarket breads, Martin’s Potato Rolls use emulsifiers, preservatives and stabilisers, and are considered an ultra-processed food.
Another reason is the food miles. The buns are baked in the United States and shipped frozen to international markets, such as Japan, Russia and Australia. “Then there’s just the supply chain [issue] of sending buns across the ocean and into our market,” says Allam.
The buns have also attracted controversy in the US. In 2022, it emerged that Martin’s executive chairman, James Martin, had donated $110,000 to Doug Mastriano, the Trump-backed Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, prompting calls for a boycott.
When it comes to making burgers, Raph Rashid from Juanita Peaches in Brunswick, believes the bread is just as important as the meat. “While we bake our own buns, there is also a lot of great bread out there in Australia,” he says.
Steve Lichter, co-owner and chef of Butchers Diner in Melbourne agrees. His kitchen also makes its buns from scratch. “We intentionally went with a milk bun because we didn’t want the bun to take over the flavour of the burger,” he says. At home though, he’s more than happy to use the potato buns from LaManna bakery in Essendon Fields.
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.
