Brioche Burger Buns

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.

How to Make Brioche Burger 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!

The 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.

The Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together both flours with the salt and one tablespoon of sugar.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

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.

Storage: Brioche Burger 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.