This post was originally published on May 16, 2018 and was updated on May 5, 2020. This brioche burger buns recipe is perfect for grilling season! It produces eight of the most tender and buttery buns you ever did taste!
I am over the moon about this recipe for brioche burger buns. (I'm kind of in love with the new pics too!) They elevate an ordinary burger or sandwich to make something really special.
What is a Brioche Burger Bun?
A brioche bun is a burger bun made from brioche dough. But what exactly is brioche dough? It’s an enriched, yeasted dough containing a fair amount of butter, eggs, and milk. It’s got a bit more sugar than a standard bread dough recipe that lends a delicate sweetness to it. The resulting bun is soft and dense. A brioche burger bun is tender, yet sturdy, and can hold one heckuva burger.
What are Brioche Buns made of?
- Flour
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Salt
- Milk
- Butter
- Eggs
Can you make this Brioche Burger Buns recipe ahead of time?
Absolutely! This dough can be made the night before and left to rise in the fridge overnight (this is called retarding the dough). You’ll assemble the brioche dough as you would if you were making it on the day of, but for the initial rise it just gets covered in a tea towel and placed in the fridge to slowly rise overnight. Then after about 14 – 16 hours, you’ll remove it from the fridge and prepare as instructed!
Can you freeze Brioche Buns?
Yes, you can! It’s so useful to have a batch of these buns on hand in the freezer should the craving for a good quality burger arise. After baking and cooling I like to place my brioche buns in a freezer safe plastic bag and zip closed. To thaw, remove the frozen buns from the freezer the morning before using. (This is actually how we used to do it at GB&D during busy weekend services!)
How to make the Brioche Burger Buns recipe:
- You’ll start my mixing the yeast into the warm milk. Let it sit to get foamy, about five minutes.
- Then, you’ll whisk together the egg and melted butter. Once that’s done, pour this into the foamy milk and yeast.
- Finally, whisk together the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl. Pour in the liquid and stir to combine.
Mix the milk & yeast 
Mix the egg and butter 
Combine the wet ingredients 
Whisk together the dry ingredients 
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry 
Mix well to combine
- Knead the dough for 5 – 8 minutes, or until it’s smooth and elastic.
- Let it rise in a greased bowl for an hour (or overnight!).
- Divide the risen dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Form the buns by curving them into a round ball with your hands.
Smooth & elastic dough 
Let the dough rise 
Divide the dough 
Roll out the dough
- Place on a greased baking sheet to rise for a second time. Press down on the tops of the buns gently to encourage spreading.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking until golden brown.
Place brioche buns on prepared baking tray 
Press buns down 
Complete second rise 
Brush with eggwash 
Sprinkle with sesame seeds 
Perfectly golden brown
A note on egg wash:
Brioche Buns are beautifully golden brown. They get this way from a little helper known as egg wash. Egg wash is simply a mixture of egg and water (or sometimes milk) that is brushed over the tops of doughs before baking. This creates that beautiful color and deep shine that makes brioche burger buns different than your average slice of bread!
Go forth and build burgers!
Brioche Burger Buns Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
- 240 g milk
- 1 TBSP yeast
- 80 g unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 418 g all-purpose flour
- 3 g salt
- 50 g granulated sugar
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches 105 degrees, sprinkle yeast over the top, stir, and let rest until foamy, about five minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the melted butter and egg in a small bowl. Slowly pour into warm milk mixture, whisking to combine all wet ingredients.
- In the bowl of stand mixer, add the flour, salt, and sugar. Using the dough hook, stir dry ingredients on low speed until combined. Slowly pour in wet ingredients and mix until the dough begins to come together, increasing speed to medium.
- When dough begins to pull away from sides, increase speed to medium-high and knead with dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer to oiled bowl and cover with clean kitchen towel before placing in warm spot to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- When dough has risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough into 104g rounds and roll into tight balls (it’s helpful to make your hands into the shape of Cs and roll towards the edge of the counter to create a good bun shape). Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet sprayed with baking spray and press down with palms to flatten slightly.
- Cover once more with a clean dish towel and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Gently brush the tops of the buns with egg wash (1 egg + 1TBSP water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in preheated oven for 20 – 22 minutes, until buns are golden and sound hollow when thumped.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack.
Leave a Reply