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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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
Brioche Bun Recipe
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
Nutrition
If you love baking bread as much as I do, here are a few of my favorite recipes!
Cuban Medianoche Bread Recipe
6 Ingredient Simple Classic Italian Bread Recipe
Super Easy Potato Roll Recipe
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Thursday 28th of October 2021
[…] like Hawaiian rolls for this recipe but feel free to use your favorite buns. I like this homemade brioche bun […]
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!
Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen
Friday 30th of March 2018
There are soooo many sandwiches that I would love to eat on these brioche buns! You make the best bread, Julie, seriously!
Julie Menghini
Saturday 31st of March 2018
Thank you so much, Ashlyn!