How to Make the Best Brioche Hamburger Buns From Scratch

It’s almost Memorial Day here, which means it’s officially barbeque season! Woohoo!

One of our family’s favorite meals is burgers. We probably make them once a week during the summer months because they are so easy to make and always a crowd pleaser! I love pairing them with a variety of fresh toppings in the summer, and serving them with pasta salad and some homemade pickles on the side. Awhile ago, I had the thought to begin making homemade hamburger buns to go along with the burgers, and turns out it is a very simple process! It requires basically the same method for homemade bread, the only difference is that you will spend some time sectioning out the dough and shaping it into buns. This adds just a couple extra minutes of time and is well worth the effort, I promise.

Brioche is an enriched dough, meaning it has some extra fat in the dough thanks to the added butter, egg, and milk. This ensures that the buns will be fluffy and buttery! Enriched doughs are much richer and softer than doughs made with just yeast, water, and salt. These lean doughs (like pizza crust), are made without the extra fat to give them that nice crust that we all love.

But for buns? I think everyone can agree we definitely want soft and fluffy. Let’s make them!

To make these soft brioche buns, you will need a few simple ingredients:

• Bread flour
• Active dry yeast
• Sugar
• Whole milk (can substitute lower fat if you prefer)
• Water
• Softened butter (salted or unsalted butter works just fine)
• Salt
• Egg
• Sesame seeds (optional but definitely recommended)

1. To begin making the brioche dough, begin by activating the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast has bloomed. It is crucial that you use warm water and milk… cold liquid will not activate the yeast! To easily measure the temperature of the liquid, I use this food thermometer.
2. Once the yeast mixture is ready, begin adding in the rest of the ingredients, beginning with 3 tbsp of softened butter, one beaten egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 3 cups of flour. I like to add the flour slowly, one cup at a time until it is completely incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed until it begins to form a ball. This will be a soft, very sticky dough. If you find your dough mixture is too dry, gradually add water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough begins to come together. Be careful not to add too much flour, you don’t want your dough to be dry!
3. Keeping the mixture on medium speed, knead the dough for 5-8 minutes. You will know the dough is ready to rise when you poke it with your finger and it slowly bounces back.
4. Add the dough ball to a bowl that has been lightly greased with a neutral flavored oil (I like to use avocado oil). Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm area of your house. At the end of the first rise, the dough should be doubled in size.
5. Once the dough has completed the first rise, turn it out onto the counter that has been sprinkled lightly with flour. Using a bench scraper or serrated knife, cut the dough into 8 equal sections. If you want to be extra precise about this, you can use a kitchen scale to measure out the dough.
6. To create each bun, gently flatten each ball of dough into a rough circle and then tuck the remaining dough underneath.

7. Lay each bun onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure to leave a couple inches in between each bun to allow them to rise a second time. For the second rise, simply cover the buns lightly with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap again, and let rise for another hour.

8. Towards the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

9. In a small bowl, create an egg wash by beating together 1 egg and 1 tbsp milk. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash over each bun, and then sprinkle immediately with sesame seeds.

10. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Let cool before cutting in half and adding your favorite toppings.

• This brioche dough works great not only for hamburger buns, but also for homemade dinner rolls! Just skip the sesame seeds on top.
• Top it with my favorite homemade avocado oil mayo. Its easy and delicious!
• There are many different brands of active dry yeast you can use. I like Red Star Active Dry Yeast. I have also used Bob’s Red Mill. If you don’t have or don’t want to use active dry yeast, a packet of instant yeast will also work!
• I recommend using bread flour in this recipe, however if you don’t have it on hand you can substitute all purpose flour using a 1:1 ratio. The buns will still be delicious!
• Use this bun recipe for burgers, sloppy joes, sandwiches, rolls, and more!
• I recommend not skipping the egg wash. It gives the buns a beautiful golden color.
• Store these buns in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission off of them with no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.

• Thermometer
• Kitchen Scale
• Bench Scraper
• Magnetic Measuring Spoons
• Pastry Brush

• Homemade Avocado Oil Mayo
• Delicious + Freezer Friendly Pizza Dough
• Honey White Sandwich Bread
• Homemade Everything Bagels

Did you love these buns? I would love it if you came back and left a review!

Rachael

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