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Soft and Buttery Brioche Bun Recipe

A Brioche Bun recipe that makes a soft and buttery bun that is strong enough to stand up to the heartiest of sandwiches or burgers.

Angled view of brioche buns over a cooling rack and topped with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Some are left plain.

I grew up thinking that I didn’t like eating sandwiches. The sandwiches that we had started with two pieces of white bread with a dry crust. You could swallow them with a glass of milk, and I usually tore off the crust. How pitiful is that? I wasn’t abused, everyone’s sandwiches looked like that. If only I had a soft and buttery Brioche Bun!

A closeup view of a brioche bun topped with sesame seeds. More buns sit in the background.

As I got older, the store-bought bread got better, but it wasn’t until I redefined my idea of a sandwich that I could say bring ’em on!

You know I love baking bread and bake most of the bread that we eat on a daily basis. Brioche buns make a great sandwich.

My go to is a Harvest Grains Bread recipe, developed by King Arthur Flour.

A closeup view of a sliced brioche bun topped with sesame seeds. More buns sit in the background.

Some sandwiches just belong on a bun. You know, those sandwiches that take two hands to eat.

This recipe was also developed by King Arthur Flour. I’ve made them several times. Their recipe says that it makes 6. I would say it makes 6 bread bowls!

I remade them into 8 and they were still a very generous size. I say for a reasonable sandwich that is a balance between ingredients and bread, that this recipe makes 10. 10 good-sized brioche buns that are the size of a regular hamburger bun.

Don’t have time to make them now? Pin it for later!

Top-down view of brioche buns sitting in a wire basket and on a piece of slate. Some buns are plain. Others are topped with poppyseed or sesame seeds.

These Brioche buns are easy to make, buttery to eat and freeze well. You can top them with anything you like. John likes sesame seed, but poppy seed or just plain is delicious too.

Another nice thing about this recipe is that you make the dough up one day and bake them the next so it isn’t an all-day thing.

Top-down view of brioche bun dough sitting on a piece of parchment paper garnished with sesame seed or poppyseed.

Since I wanted these Brioche buns all about the same size, I measured the ingredients on a kitchen scale and then weighed my dough so I could split it into 10 perfect sized pieces.

I also use a thermometer to test my bread for doneness.

A Broche Bun topped with poppy seeds sits on a blue napkin in front of a basket of Brioche rolls.

After splitting the dough into pieces, I rolled them into balls and placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I also sprayed my parchment paper with a bit of oil, and then I smashed each ball slightly with the back of my bench scraper that had been brushed with oil. Any flat surface will do. that way they are all the same size in height and diameter. It works better than your hand

Side view of a bread bun topped with sesame seeds

Brioche Bun Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini
A Brioche Bun recipe that makes a soft and buttery bun that is strong enough to stand up to the heartiest of sandwiches or burgers.
5 from 14 votes
Prep Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American, French
Keyword: Brioche, Brioche Bun, Homemade Brioche
Servings: 10 people

Ingredients
 
 

Dough

  • 2 3/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 326g
  • 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk 35g
  • 2 tbsp sugar 25g
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp instant yeast
  • 3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk white reserved for wash (below)
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water 57g
  • 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 142g

Egg Wash

  • 1 large egg white reserved from above, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions
 

  • Mix and knead the dough ingredients —I used my KitchenAid mixer. Go to the original recipe shown in notes if using a bread machine. Hand kneading isn’t recommended for this recipe.
  • To make a smooth, shiny dough. It starts out sticky and takes 15 to 20 minutes of kneading in a stand mixer to develop. I used the paddle attachment for 8 minutes and then switched to a dough hook attachment, all on a speed of 4.
  • Form the dough into a ball, place it in a large greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 1 hour.
  • Refrigerate the covered dough overnight (or 8 hours+), to slow its rise and make it easier to shape.
  • The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and divide into 8 to 10 pieces, depending on the size of the buns you want.
  • Shape each piece into a ball, and place onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2″ to 3″ between them.
  • Cover the buns, and let them rise until they’re quite puffy. This may take as little as 1 hour; or more. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Brush the buns with egg wash, and sprinkle with seeds if using. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, tenting with foil after 10 minutes if they appear to be browning too quickly. The finished buns will register at least 190°F on a digital thermometer inserted into the center.
  • Remove the buns from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Notes

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour, https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/brioche-buns-recipe
Prep time doesn’t include the overnight rest.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 7gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 434mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 495IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 1.9mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

If you love baking bread as much as I do, here are a few of my favorite recipes!

We love baking bread, and rolls. Some of our favorites include these Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Rolls, Potato Rolls, Hawaiian Rolls, and our super easy 1-hour roll recipe. I hope if you make them you’ll let me know how it goes!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!

Close-up side view of brioche buns garnished with sesame seeds, poppyseed, or left plain sitting on a cooling rack over parchment paper. The title Brioche Bun Recipe runs across the bottom.
5 from 14 votes (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




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Madi

Saturday 31st of March 2018

Brioche buns are my favorite for burgers! These buns would be such a hit at my house!

Julie Menghini

Saturday 31st of March 2018

Thank you Madi! John loves these rolls for his sandwiches.

Michele Phillips

Friday 30th of March 2018

Brioche is my favorite! These buns look so light, airy and delicious! I really like the sesame and poppy seed toppings, too... So pretty!

Julie Menghini

Saturday 31st of March 2018

Thank you Michele! We do too.

Jennifer A Stewart

Friday 30th of March 2018

These are perfect for some amazing breakfast sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches! I love the buttery flavor and the texture provided by the sesame seeds sprinkled on top!

Julie Menghini

Saturday 31st of March 2018

Thank you, Jennifer! That grilled cheese would definitely be amazing!

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