Classic egg and butter dough made into beautiful homemade brioche hamburger buns. They’ll be the talk of your summer BBQs!
Rich, buttery, and flavorful…and not as hard as you may think. These tasty buns will be the perfect companion to your juicy hamburgers or sloppy joes. Try pairing with Fruit Salad, Hasselback Potatoes, and Mom’s Oven Baked Beans.
Homemade Brioche Buns
One thing I really wanted to tackle this summer was homemade burger buns. Our grocery store back in Utah sold some really good brioche buns, but I knew with our upcoming move I’d no longer be able to rely on them.
I did some research, tested out a few recipes and pieced together one that I’m really happy with! These buns are light and fluffy- perfect for burgers, pulled pork or chicken!!
What makes brioche buns different? Brioche bread is richer and sweeter than typical white bread. It has more milk and eggs than a typical white yeast bread so it makes it more of a pastry than a typical hamburger bun. It is a special treat when we have brioche hamburger buns because they add an extra layer of deliciousness to our burgers!
How to Make Brioche Buns
To start you’ll make the dough (pictured above). It’s very soft and sticky, so don’t be tempted to add extra flour! That’ll just result in dense, dry buns, and we definitely DON’T want that!
DOUGH. Whisk together the warm water, milk, yeast and sugar, then beat in the eggs. With paddle attachment, mix the flours, salt and butter. Mix on low for 1 minute. Pour in yeast mixture to flour mixture. With dough hook, mix on medium speed for 7-9 minutes (until a soft, sticky dough forms).
RISE. When the dough has been mixed, roll it into a ball, cover it, and let it rise until it doubles.
FORM. Portion the dough out into 8 equal pieces (I used a bench scraper and a scale to get equal size portions). Roll it into tight little balls (see method in recipe). Place them onto a lined baking sheet and cover them with greased foil or plastic wrap.
TOP. Make the egg wash by whisking the egg yolk with water. Brush generously on each bun, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
SPRITZ. Use a spray bottle or mister bottle and spritz your hot oven. (This sounds strange, I know, but if you live in a dry climate, it is essential to creating moist, springy bread with a nice crust!) Spritz the tops of your buns, just don’t go overboard.
BAKE. Bake on lined baking sheet at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until they turn a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe FAQ
Flour:
- Why use both types of flour? The balance of bread flour and AP flour gives the best texture and development of gluten. Brioche is a very specific and picky type of pastry, hence the precise measurements.
- You can switch out the AP flour for whole wheat flour. Keep the bread flour in the recipe to get the right texture. You may have to add more butter to get some of the moisture back into the bread if you use whole wheat flour.
Why use warm milk? The yeast is added to the warm milk because it will help the yeast bloom because the lactose or “milk sugar” will feed the yeast and form more air bubbles. It is similar to adding the yeast to warm water, ubt the milk gives it more of a rich flavor.
What do you eat brioche bun with? Brioche buns make a great stand in for any typical hamburger bun. This means you can use it for pulled pork, pulled chicken, hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, sloppy joes, basically whatever meat your sandwich is in need of. Then, pair your sandwich/burger with a nice side like fruit salad, pasta salad, or baked beans.
How to Store Brioche Buns
Storing? Store hamburger buns in an airtight container/bag at room temp for 3-5 days. If they aren’t stored correctly they will grow stale very quickly.
Freezing dough vs buns? When freezing homemade buns, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and foil and place in a large freezer bag. They will last about 2 months. Let them thaw at room temp for 4 hours before reheating in the oven.
When freezing dough, you need to let it go through its final rise and then place it in a freezer safe bag. It will only last for 10 days!
For more recipes, check out:
Homemade Brioche Buns Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c. warm whole milk
- 2 tbsp. warm water
- 2 tsp. active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 c. bread flour
- 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter - room temperature
For the Topping
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. water
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds - optional
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, milk, yeast, and sugar. Then beat in the eggs.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, salt, and butter. Mix on low for 1 minute. Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer.
- Switch to the dough hook. Turn the mixing speed to medium for 7-9 minutes until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a round ball. Cover the bowl with a damp, clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled. This can take anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity in your house. Check it after the first hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 equal pieces (you can use a kitchen scale for precision).
- To shape the brioche dough, flatten each piece, gather the ends, and pinch the dough to seal in the center. Flip the dough over, cup it with your palm, and roll it into a ball. Place each ball about 2 inches apart. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap or foil (this prevents the dough from sticking). Rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until puffy and slightly risen.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- To make the egg wash, whisk the egg yolk with water in a small bowl. Brush generously on each bun, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
- Using a spray bottle or mister, open your oven and spritz it several times (6 sprays with a big bottle, 10 with a smaller one). Spritz the top of the buns with water to prevent cracking, especially in dry climates. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Do I have to use whole milk. We only get 1%.
Hi Trisha! 1% will work as well!