Soft and Fluffy Homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns

Have you ever bitten into a great burger and the bun was the worst part of it? Falling apart, no texture, yeah, I know exactly what that feels like, and that is precisely why I started looking for the perfect homemade hamburger bun recipe. I picked this one almost like a test, because I wanted something that really works, and I can tell you it works perfectly! These are American brioche style buns, so its a bit of American+France, with a slightly sweeter dough that is unbelievably fluffy but still sturdy enough to hold a hamburguer and all the toppings. Some people love that combination of flavors, and some prefer a plainer bun to let the meat shine, but whichever team you are on, these buns are hard to resist. 😀

This recipe uses what I would call a brioche style dough, which means butter, milk and egg, resulting in an incredibly soft crumb, slightly sweet, with a subtle richness that makes all the difference. It is not a sweet bread like a “real” French brioche! Heheheh, it’s something between a milk bread and a brioche! The dough has a fairly high hydration, so don’t panic if it looks sticky at the beginning, that is exactly how it should be. Avoid adding extra flour until the part where you actually shape the buns individually.

And yes, I know, making bread has its process, its rising and its little steps, but it is nothing out of this world and the final result is worth the wait. Homemade is a thousand times better than anything you find at the supermarket or sometimes even the bakery, and these are good for any occasion, with or without fillings. Once you try them, you will hardly ever go back… huhuhumm Let’s get to it!

Soft and Fluffy Homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns

Servings: 15
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Hehehe here is the perfect recipe if you want soft, fluffy and creamy brioche style buns that are great on their own or for making all kinds of sandwiches, sweet or savory... perfection!

Ingredients

Flour – 420g
Baker’s Yeast – 9g (1 Sachet)
Water – 180ml (Warm)
Milk – 60ml (Warm, Whole Milk)
Egg – 1 Large (Room Temperature)
Unsalted Butter – 42g (3 Tablespoons)
Sugar – 25g (2 Tablespoons)
Salt – 7g (1 Teaspoon)
Egg – 1 (For Brushing)
Sesame Seeds – For Sprinkling
Butter – For Brushing

Directions

In a bowl, combine the warm water, warm milk, sugar, and baker’s yeast. Mix everything together and set aside for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to foam slightly (this indicates that the yeast is active).

Add the egg, room-temperature butter, sifted flour, and salt. Mix until a ball of dough forms. Knead the dough thoroughly for about 10 minutes, until it becomes very elastic.

Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen well, knead it briefly to remove excess air, then divide it into 50 gram portions and shape them into balls.
Prepare a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the dough balls on the tray, I placed them close together so they would touch, but if you prefer them separate, simply space them further apart.
After shaping all the balls, gently flatten each one with your hand (this helps them rise evenly).
Cover the tray with a cloth and let them rise again, depending on the temperature, this should take between 30 minutes and 1 hour. until the dough has puffed up (refer to the photos).
Now preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F).

Once the rolls have risen, brush them generously with whisked egg and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Take them to the oven, middle rack, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are well-risen and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. While they are still warm, brush them with a little melted butter if you want the extra glow, and that’s it! Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: This recipe uses instant baker’s yeast (also called fast-acting dry baker’s yeast). But always check your yeast package, whatever the type, and look at the amount per flour. Usually 1 packet is for every +/- 500gr of flour, so check the ratio on your package and adjust if needed, like here in Portugal fresh baker’s yeast is normally a cube sold on the supermarkets in the fridge section and its normally 1 cube per 1kg, so for this recipe you would use half a cube.

The water and milk should be warm but not hot, around 45ºC (113ºF) is ideal. If they are too hot, they will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise properly. If they are cold, the yeast takes much longer to wake up.

A sticky dough is a good sign! This is a high hydration dough, so it feels sticky at the beginning. Resist the temptation to add too much flour, that is what guarantees a soft, fluffy crumb!

Use a scale. For all the buns to have the same size and bake evenly, weigh each portion of dough. Buns with different weights end up some underbaked and some too dry.

You can make this ahead of time, you can shape the buns, cover them and keep them in the fridge overnight. The next day, take them out of the cold, let them do the second rise at room temperature and go straight into the oven. No problem!

Rising time depends on the season. In summer, the first rise is usually around 1 hour. In winter, it can take up to 3 hours to double. A great trick in the winter or cold places, is to warm the oven to a very low temperature, just barely warm, turn it off, and place the covered dough inside. The oven holds the gentle heat and lets the dough rise beautifully in a cold day.

Not feeling the sesame? Try poppy seeds, or “everything bagel” seasoning mix, or leave them plain with just the buttery shine. They are equally delicious, i would say these are mostly for show than for flavour, you really need to cover the whole thing to get any meaningful flavour.

Check the dough before you stop kneading. Take a small piece and stretch it gently between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough to almost see light through it without tearing, the gluten is ready. If it tears right away, knead a few more minutes.

Let them cool before slicing. Cutting a warm bun squashes the crumb. Give them at least 20 to 30 minutes on the rack, and use a serrated knife for clean cuts.

For burguers, toast the cut sides in a hot pan with a little butter for 30 seconds. It adds flavor and keeps the bun from getting soggy.

They are good for about 3 days, on the third day you can still make delicious toast with it! ;D They also freeze fresh really well, then when you want one take it out and let it defrost by itself…

This recipe for Soft and Fluffy Homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Pãezinhos Macios e Fofinhos de Massa Tipo Brioche foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.