The absolute best brioche burger bun recipe for the softest, fluffiest bread rolls ever! This recipe contains step by step photos so you'll have guaranteed exactly results. The recipe contains a small amount of whole wheat flour, and that's exactly what makes these burger buns the softest, fluffiest ever with the most incredible texture.
The only real reason I ever eat a burger is for the bun. Brioche buns, to be more specific. I can pass up on a burger if it has a bad bun, because really: I'm just here for the carbs.
A burger bun should be soft and fluffy, but never mushy or stiff. It shouldn't detract from the actual burger, which in my case, I have to be honest: I'm usually a veggie burger girl.
And while you might not want to trust a veggie burger eating gal, you totally should. I mean, look at these fluffy brioche burger buns! Plus, I do eat regular burgers on occasion, like spicy turkey burgers, bleu cheese burgers, or chicken apple burgers. But let's not forget my favorite: French burger + French fries. Wait, I might be a burger girl, after all.
Why you'll love Brioche Hamburger Buns
I've never been happy with burger buns I've bought at the store, so I set out to make my own homemade hamburger buns. It wasn't an easy task, because I knew that I wanted to incorporate some whole wheat flour.
I started with a standard brioche hamburger bun recipe, and then added increasing amounts of whole wheat flour until they were the perfect texture. I had to adjust the liquids along the way, so I wouldn't call this recipe authentically brioche. But I would call it delicious! Another delicious one to make is small batch hot dog buns, which are very similar to these buns!
What is a Brioche Bun?
Brioche is an enriched dough that contains eggs instead of just flour and water. The resulting bread is light, fluffy and slightly yellow from the additional eggs. If you’ve ever had a burger at a fancy burger place that had a golden yellow bun with a shiny top, that is a brioche bun. We love them for burgers because they’re fluffy and soft.
Brioche Burger Bun Ingredients
- Whole Milk. Anytime bread dough contains milk and/or eggs, it's considered an enriched dough. The opposite of an enriched dough is just water, flour and yeast. So, anytime a bread dough uses milk, it's best to use whole milk. Skim milk lacks the fat required to fully enrich the dough.
- Active Dry Yeast. Please read your yeast labels, as yeast products vary. The label should say 'active dry yeast,' and not 'instant yeast.' If all you have is instant or fresh yeast, use google to figure out the conversion, and use your skill set to determine if the yeast is foamy enough in step one to proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Butter. We just need one tablespoon of softened unsalted butter.
- Egg. We need one whole egg plus one egg yolk. The whole egg is for the dough, and the egg yolk is for brushing on the buns before baking to help the sesame seeds adhere. Obviously, sprinkling the sesame seeds on top is optional so if you want to omit them, you won't need the second egg yolk.
- All-Purpose Flour. We need 1 cup (120 grams) of all-purpose flour that has been fluffed, scooped and leveled off with a knife.
- Whole Wheat Flour. Just ½ cup of whole wheat flour brings some structure to these brioche burger buns.
- Sugar. Granulated white sugar for the dough.
- Sesame Seeds. Again, entirely optional, but great for that classic hamburger bun look.
How to make Brioche Hamburger Buns
- First, we're going to scald the milk. 'Scalding' means to heat the milk over medium heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Steam will waft off the surface. Do not boil the milk, just scald it.
- Remove the milk from the heat, pour it into a bowl, and add the water to help it cool down. Let it rest until the temperature is about 105-degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it safe enough to add the yeast without hurting it.
- Once the milk-water mixture is the right temperature, stir in the yeast and a small pinch of the sugar. Let the yeast mixture bubble and bloom, about 5 minutes. When it's fully bloomed, you will see foam on the surface.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together both flours with the salt and one tablespoon of sugar.
- To the milk and yeast mixture, stir in the butter and egg. Then, pour this mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn on the mixer, add the dry ingredients in two batches. Crank the mixer to medium-high, and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
- Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, turning it to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and then let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled.
- Punch the dough down very well, and gather it into a ball. Weigh the dough, and divide it by 4--each dough ball should be between 95 and 97 grams
- Roll each dough piece into a ball, and then use your fingers to pinch the edges under until the seam is on the bottom (see photo above for reference). Then, cup your hand over the dough ball on the counter, and make circles on the counter with the dough to roll it into a perfect ball. Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dough.
- Place the 4 dough balls on a baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. They will be puffy when ready. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375.
- Finally, make the topping: whisk the egg yolk with a splash of water. Brush generously on each bun, covering the entire surface, and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 16-19 minutes, until deeply golden brown.
Brioche Buns recipe adaptations
- By-Hand: I use my mini stand mixer to do all of the work, but you could knead by hand, or double the recipe to make in a regular stand mixer.
- Whole Wheat Flour: If you don't want to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, and want the classic brioche bun recipe, you can make this recipe with all regular flour. Just know that you'll have to add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of flour to combat any stickiness.
- Climate: I'm just going through the comment section on this recipe now, and I'm so happy to hear that this recipe worked perfectly for so many of you. For the few people that said the dough was too wet, you need to add an extra tablespoon or two of flour and knead again. We all live in different climates with different humidity. Bread making is an adaptable technique, and you should be flexible when making anything with flour and yeast.
- Gluten-Free: My friend Sarah has an incredible recipe for a gluten free version of these rolls!
How to store Brioche Buns
This brioche bun recipe makes just 4 burger buns. We use two buns at dinner, and then freeze the other two buns for our next burger craving. To defrost, leave them on the counter for a few hours, and then slice and heat before serving.
I love the commenter below that said they used this recipe to make two burger buns and two hot dog buns. That is smart small-batch baking!
After you let these beautiful balls of dough rise twice, you brush them with egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake.
You'll never eat any other bun again. Promise.
Brioche Burger Bun (Brioche Hamburger Buns Recipe)
Homemade brioche burger buns, small batch style! Recipe makes just 4 burger buns.
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the top:
- 1 large egg yolk, beaten
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, scald the milk (Scalding is heating until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan and steam rises from the surface, but never boiling).
- Remove the milk from the heat, and then add the water. Stir, and let sit until it registers about 105-degrees F.
- Once the milk-water mixture is the right temperature, stir in the yeast and a pinch of the sugar. Let the yeast mixture bloom, about 5 minutes. It should be foamy on the surface.
- To the milk and yeast mixture, stir in the butter and egg. (Don't worry if the butter doesn't melt all the way immediately).
- In a mini stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the liquid ingredients, and beat briefly to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together both flours with the salt and tablespoon of sugar.
- While the mixer is running, add the dry ingredients in two batches.
- Crank the mixer to medium-high, and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
- Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, turning it to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and then let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled. (Rising time is dependent on the temperature of the room; let rise until the dough is doubled).
- Punch the dough down very well, and gather it into a ball.
- Weigh the dough, and divide it by 4--each dough ball should be between 95 and 97 grams.
- Roll each dough piece into a ball, and then use your fingers to pinch the edges under until the seam is on the bottom (see photo for reference). Then, cup your hand over the dough ball on the counter, and make circles on the counter with the dough to roll it into a perfect ball.
- Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dough.
- Place the 4 dough balls on a baking sheet, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. They will be puffy when ready.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375.
- Finally, make the topping: whisk the egg yolk with a splash of water. Brush generously on each bun, covering the entire surface, and then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 16-19 minutes, until deeply golden brown.
Notes
Whole Wheat Flour: If you don't want to use whole wheat flour in this recipe, and want the classic brioche bun recipe, you can make this recipe with all regular flour. Just know that you'll have to add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of flour to combat any stickiness.
Climate: If the dough seems too wet, you need to add an extra tablespoon or two of flour and knead again. We all live in different climates with different humidity. Bread making is an adaptable technique, and you should be flexible when making anything with flour and yeast.
Storage: This brioche bun recipe makes just 4 burger buns. We use two buns at dinner, and then freeze the other two buns for our next burger craving. To defrost, leave them on the counter for a few hours, and then slice and toast before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 472mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g
Jacob K Thomas says
I just love this recipe! I make this my go-to recipe when I want to make hamburger buns. I just went the next step today and made two hamburger buns and two hotdog buns. They look great! So happy to have found this and use it all the time.
Christina Lane says
Thank you so much, Jacob! What a great idea to make 2 hot dog buns too!
Bay says
Haven't made these yet but by Baker's percentages these rolls are 103% hydration (milk, egg and water). Seems odd. Buns usually are mid 60s. I can believe the posts I read about pancake batter. Have to really mix to develop gluten at that hydration level. These may be beyond the capability of the home Baker who doesn't have a mixer. I'll follow recipe exactly though and report back soon.
Susan says
I made these today and the dough was was sticky when it was done rising the first time, I couldn't even form it in my hands I had to sling it off my hands onto the baking sheet. I agree with Bay that the liquid ratio and dry is not correct. I don't know how the others had theirs come out perfect. After the second rise I took the "loosely" covered wrap off which the (batter) stuck to and I lost half of each bun. I think I will look for another recipe sorry.
Christina Lane says
Hi Susan,
Sorry this happened to you. In any case when dough is overly wet, knead in more flour. The kneading process tightens the dough and the flour helps with the moisture. You and I probably live in very different climates, which accounts for the differences in water needed. But again, don’t underestimate what kneading does for bringing a dough together that seems overly wet.
jenny says
This is good
Stephanie says
These were amazing (is anything on your blog not?)
Like some other readers, mine was too wet to handle - more similar to a batter - however, I added around 5 extra tbsps of flour and they came together just fine and tasted phenomenal. My go to hamburger recipe makes 4 patties, so 4 buns was perfect. I will officially be using this recipe every time we have hamburgers & we won’t need to buy store bought again!
My 1 year old is going through a weird texture phase right now and she won’t eat bread-like things (muffins, pancakes, etc) but even she had a few bites of a bun! :)
Also if I could make a recipe suggestion.. I would LOVE to see your take on a mini baguette :)
Meg Erickson says
These are now my go to burger bun recipe. I have made them many times this summer and they always come out perfectly. A great bun really makes the burger.
Jen says
If I only have bread flour and all purpose flour what would be the amount I could use?
mindy says
The nutrition info says 884 calories per serving which seems rather high, is this correct for 1 bun or is it for the total of 4?
Bart Clutter says
My friend Lise Ode sent me this recipe. She is an amazing baker/person so I figured I better give it a shot. She was right these are amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Susanna says
Another winner! After so many days isolated at home I ran out if burger buns and I could finally give this one a try! Omg!! Just amazing!! Really humid dough but the result was great! So soft and fluffly. Buns were in the oven while burger in the grill, what could be better than just baked buns on a friday night?
Unfortunately I could not taste them.myself since I am very allergic to eggs, but the family loooooved them. Now I need to find a good egg replacer. Do you think flaxseed egg would to the trick here?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jen says
Trying these out for the first time tonight! I followed the recipe and used my full sized Kitchenaid mixer, but the dough was sticking to the bowl and not coming together so I had to add a couple extra Tbsp of flour - hopefully these will still turn out yummy, as I am unable to leave the house to go buy buns 😅