Ever since I started making my own bread, I vowed to also never buy burger buns from the store again, unless times called for desperate measures. These fluffy brioche burger buns are that good. No preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, no strange chemicals — Sounds good to me! They’re pillowy-soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
My favorite way to serve these is to pop them in the toaster to get them a little crispy.
Next time I will definitely make these with sesame seeds on the tops, just because they’re cuter that way.
Feel free to make these regular-sized, or even into small slider sized buns.
The egg wash is optional, but if you want to get your sesame seeds to stick — or you want them super fancy and glossy and impress your guests — then don’t skip it. The egg wash also helps dough to brown more evenly.
The rise
I like using Quick Rise Yeast (Red Star Quick Rise to be exact) instead of active dry to make my breads, which is done a little differently than using “active dry”. If all you have is active dry yeast then you can refer to the *Notes below the recipe.
I like quick rise because you don’t have to wait in the beginning for it to activate — and rise times are a bit shorter — which means bread is ready in no time!
Make sure you give your dough ample time to rise. Brioche is an enriched dough, which means there is added sugar, eggs, butter, etc. This means that it takes a little longer to rise than other breads — but it’s well worth the wait, I promise.
Equipment
I used a stand mixer (with the beater attachments) to cut the flour mixture with the softened butter, then hand kneaded. You can also just do it all by hand and rub the butter with the flour until crumbly, or use your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
Make and freeze
These are easy to store. Keep them in a plastic bag or airtight container for up to 3 days. Then you can move them into the fridge for a couple more days if you’re going to eat them.
Alternatively, you can freeze them, which is what I like to do. Wrap them up individually and pop them in the freezer for up to a month. When you want to use them, take out what you need and leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes to thaw out. Then crisp them up in the toaster oven, or just eat them as-is
There are lots of NOTES below the recipe, including substitutions and tips on making the buns!
Let me know how these turned out for you.
….and don’t forget to make my Ridiculously Good Pulled Pork to go along with them!
FLUFFY BRIOCHE BURGER BUNS
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour can also use spelt flour
- 1½ tsp. Quick Rise yeast* also called ‘bread machine yeast’
- 2 Tbsp. sugar I use 2¼ tsp. granulated Truvia
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 2½ Tbsp. unsalted butter softened
- 3 Tbsp. milk warmed (you can use almond milk or other nut milks)
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 egg + 1 Tbsp milk, whisked together for egg wash (optional)
- sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Whisk bread flour, all purpose flour, yeast, sugar, and salt together until well combined.*
- Using a hand or stand mixer, add in softened butter and beat on medium until the butter is thoroughly incorporated and the dough looks just slightly crumbly.
- Add the beaten egg, warm milk, and warm water. Use a stiff wooden utensil handle and mix in all ingredients to combine and form a dough.*
- Knead for 8-10 minutes by hand until it all comes together and the glutens work their magic. This process is a little sticky and will get all over your hands, but is easily washed off. If the dough is not sticky add 1 Tablespoon of warm water and knead it in with your fingers until it gets a little stickier. (It should not be a stiff, shaggy ball of dough. You want it sticky and pliable.)
- Shape dough into a ball in the same bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let sit until it doubles in size, around 1 hour. Do not rush this process. Make sure your dough is nice and puffy and has definitely doubled. (Tip: I like to turn on my oven to 250 for about 4 minutes, turn the oven off, then pop the bowl in there and let it sit until it is done rising. This gives it a nice warm environment to rise faster. Just remember to turn the oven OFF)
- After it has risen, sprinkle a cutting board with flour and get that sucker out of the bowl. Flour a spatula and work it out. Knead the dough about 7-8 times.
- Using a dough scraper or knife, cut the dough ball in half, then each in half, then each in half again to form 8 pieces. If you want smaller buns you can cut them in half one more time.*
- Take each ball, flatten it like a pancake on the floured surface, then pull the sides up into the center rotating around to get a tight ball, pinching them in the middle to seal the seams. (I will get a picture of this process the next time I make these). Then flip them over seam side down on an unfloured surface, cup your hand over it, and roll in a small circle. Don’t be afraid of it; use a little pressure. This will round out the bun into a perfect shape. (If it sticks to your hands while you do this you won’t get a good smooth round shape on the top, so lightly flour your hands or the dough ball before rolling it)
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until slightly puffier (see photos above). Preheat oven to 400° and add an empty small metal pan (do not use glass) to the bottom rack of your oven.
- 10. After they have risen, (optional) mix 1 egg with 3 Tablespoons water. Brush the tops with the egg wash and (also optional) sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
- 11. Pop your buns in the oven, add 1/2 cup cold water to your empty pans and shut the oven door right away. This will make steam and keep the buns nice and moist.
- 12. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown on the top.
- 13. Take them out and cool on a rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Bun size options:
-For 8 regular sized buns: Cut dough ball in half, then each in half again, then each in half again.
-For 12 larger slider buns: Cut dough ball into thirds, then cut each in half, then each in half again.
-For 16 small slider buns: Cut dough in half, then each in half again, then once more, then once more to make 16. - If all you have is active dry yeast, stir 2 tsp. yeast with called-for ingredients (warm water, milk, and sugar) and let sit for 10 minutes until bubbly. Then add egg and yeast liquid to flour/butter mixture and continue on with step 3.
- Make sure you don’t overcrowd your baking sheet when you make your dough balls. They puff up and if they stick together they are hard to get apart. If you bake them like that then you’ll have to cut between them after they bake and they won’t be nice and round. Use multiple baking sheets if you need to.
- These can be wrapped in plastic wrap individually and left on the counter for up to 5 days and will stay soft.
- To freeze: You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then each in foil and pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, just leave on your countertop for a few hours or pop in the oven at 250° for 10-12 minutes.
