How to Make the Best Brioche Hamburger Buns from Scratch

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Soft, buttery, and delicious paired with a juicy burger and flavorful toppings, these brioche hamburger buns are very easy to make! They are easily thrown together using a handful of wholesome ingredients, making them the perfect homemade buns for your next summer BBQ.

baked homemade hamburger buns

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.

What You’ll Love About These Buns

  • SOFT AND FLUFFY: The additions of the egg and butter create a rich dough, ensuring soft and fluffy hamburger buns!
  • BASIC INGREDIENTS: These buns can be made fairly quickly using staple ingredients you likely already have hanging around your kitchen.
  • STURDY FOR LOTS OF TOPPINGS: Although these buns are soft and chewy, they are still sturdy enough to handle all of your favorite burger toppings! Go ahead and pile ’em high.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This is a quick overview of some essential ingredients needed for this recipe. Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list!

  • Flour: I used organic bread flour in this recipe. The higher gluten content in bread flour ensures the buns are extra fluffy! You can swap regular all purpose flour if needed.
  • Active Dry Yeast: I love and use Red Star Platinum Yeast.
  • Butter: Make sure its softened! You can use salted or unsalted.
  • Milk: Whole milk preferably.
  • Eggs: One egg gets beaten into the dough to add richness. I also suggest an extra egg for an egg wash on top. You can’t beat that beautiful golden color!

Tips for Preparing to Make This Recipe

  1. This brioche dough works great not only for hamburger buns, but also for homemade dinner rolls! Just skip the sesame seeds on top.
  2. Top it with my favorite homemade avocado oil mayo. Its easy and delicious!
  3. 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!
  4. 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!
  5. Use this bun recipe for burgers, sloppy joes, sandwiches, rolls, and more.
  6. I recommend not skipping the egg wash. It gives the buns a beautiful golden color.

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!

How to Make Brioche Hamburger Buns

  1. Activate 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. 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 softened butter, one beaten egg, salt, and flour. 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. First Rise: 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. Divide and Shape: 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.

Making Brioche Buns (Continued)

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.

homemade hamburger buns laying on a parchment paper covered baking sheet

FAQs and Storage Instructions

What is brioche bread?

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 brioche dough 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.

What’s the best way to store homemade hamburger buns?

These buns will store well in an airtight container for up to three days.

Can I freeze homemade hamburger buns?

Yes! After the buns have baked and cooled, freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen buns (no need to thaw) with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

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Soft and Buttery Brioche Hamburger Buns

burger buns with sesame seeds on top laying on a wooden cutting board with lettuce and tomato
Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water, warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit
  • 1/2 cup milk, warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit
  • 3 tbsp salted butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 egg, beaten + 1 egg for egg wash
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups bread flour

Instructions

  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.
  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 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. I also like to create a little tension by rotating each bun slightly.
  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. Lightly brush the egg wash over each bun, and then sprinkle 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.

Notes

  • 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!
  • I used whole milk in this recipe, you can substitute lower fat milk if you prefer
  • Salted or unsalted butter works just fine!
  • 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.
  • Storage Instructions: These buns will store well in an airtight container for up to three days.
  • Freezing Instructions: After the buns have baked and cooled, freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, brush frozen buns (no need to thaw) with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

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    © Rachael

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    Rachael

    14 Comments

    7. Just making these now…i didn’t use salted butter but followed the 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt. WAY too salty for my taste and glad i used unsalted butter instead. Next time i’ll cut it to 3/4 tsp. Now in my final rise, i do have to say i really like the texture of these buns.

      Reply

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