Quick Brioche Bun Recipe

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 45 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup warm water (105-115° F)

¼ cup warm milk (105-115° F, whole milk is best)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon instant (rapid-rise) yeast

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 large egg

2 cups all purpose flour (240 grams, plus more as needed)

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour (170 grams)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces)

Egg Wash

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the warm water, warm milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam and/or bubble.

Add the salt, egg and both flours to the bowl. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the butter pieces on low speed.

Switch to the dough hook attachment on the mixer and knead the dough on low speed for 8-12 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Partway through the kneading time, press your finger to the dough to check how sticky it is - it should be soft and slightly sticky. If the dough is very sticky, you can add more all-purpose flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Avoid adding too much flour, because this will make the buns more dense instead of light and fluffy. The dough should stick to your finger a little bit when you touch it but should not be so sticky that it won't be workable when you shape the buns.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead a few times with your hands to form it into a ball. Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Loosely cover the dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes. (You can increase the rise time to 30 minutes if you have time.)

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine the egg and 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl, stirring with a fork. Remove the towel and brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash. Bake hamburger buns in the oven for 13-15 minutes, until tops are golden.

If desired, you can brush the tops of the buns with a little melted butter when they're warm from the oven.

Notes

Brioche buns freeze well. Cool completely, wrap airtight, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Yeast: To use active dry yeast (instead of instant/rapid-rise), let the shaped buns rise for 45 minutes instead of 15 minutes on the baking sheet.

Flour: You can substitute all-purpose flour for the white whole wheat (you will likely need to add a little extra flour this way). You can also use regular whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat. The buns may be a little more dense and hearty tasting if using regular whole wheat flour.

Dairy Free: I’ve made this recipe with olive oil instead of butter and water instead of milk (in both the dough and egg wash) and it worked great. The buns were delicious. Readers have also substituted almond milk, coconut milk and cashew milk for the whole milk with good success.

Hot Dog Buns: You can use this recipe to make hot dog buns. The bake time will be the same

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bun
• Calories: 244 kcal
• Total Fat: 5 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 1.4 g
• Cholesterol: 39 mg
• Sodium: 452 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 43 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 8 g