Light Brioche Hamburger Buns

This recipe for light brioche hamburger buns proves that you can make seriously good hamburger buns at home. With a dough that’s simple to make and easy to handle, you’ll never buy brioche burger buns from the store again!

We like our burgers on soft, buttery brioche-style rolls and this NY Times recipe looked like a great starting point to experiment.

What’s interesting, is that this brioche burger bun is lighter than most traditional brioche recipes (hence the title). It’s still soft and fluffy, but not quite as eggy and rich. Even the color is a bit lighter. Incredible!

In my opinion, nothing beats all natural bread. Whether it’s a thick slice of sourdough bread or sandwich bread, good-quality hamburger buns from scratch are absolutely life changing. The taste, quality, and healthiness can’t be beat. These buns are the perfect vessel for sandwiches too! Let me show you how to make them.

How to Make Light Brioche Hamburger Buns {Step-By-Step Recipe}

Step 1: Make the Dough & Let it Rise

• Whisk the warm water, milk, yeast and sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
• To a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment: add the bread flour, all purpose flour, salt and butter. Mix the ingredients until the butter is the size of pebbles.
• Add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg. Run the mixer on medium-low speed (I used #3 on my Kitchen Aid) until a dough forms, about 5-8 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and shape the dough into a ball. It will be sticky.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it has doubled is size. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this will take about 1-3 hours (mine took 1 1/2 hrs @ 70 degrees F.)

Tip: Giving the dough enough time to rise is crucial in bread baking. In the past, I have rushed this step which caused my bread to be very dense. Rise times will vary, so be patient. Remember to watch your dough and not the clock!

Step 2: Cut The Dough

• Once your dough has risen, dump it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Then, gently flatten the dough to get rid of any air bubbles. Using a bench scraper (or a chef’s knife) cut the dough into 8 equal portions.
• If you have a digital kitchen scale weigh each portion so that they’re all the same size. Do this by weighing the entire ball of dough first, and then divide by the number of rolls you want to make.

Step 3: Shape The Dough Into Balls

• To shape, gently flatten each piece of dough like a pancake.
• Pull up each side pinching it together in the center. Repeat until the ball is sealed. Flip the ball over (seam side down) and move to an un-floured part of your board. It will be easier to roll this way.
• To finish, place your palm over the top and gently roll into a smooth ball.
• Transfer each ball onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Second Rise

• The dough will need to rise again, this time for a shorter period than the initial rise.
• The balls should look puffy and slightly risen, about 1- 1/2 hrs. When they’re ready, gently brush each one with egg wash. See how puffy they are?

Tip: At this point, you could add sesame seeds to the top of your rolls if you’d like.

Step 5: Bake The Dough

• Preheat your oven to 400 F and place a shallow metal baking pan on the oven floor.
• Before the dough goes in, add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan to create steam. This will help keep the bread nice and moist.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

More Delicious Brioche & Bread Recipes to Try!

Once you’ve mastered this recipe, branch out and try my soft brioche rolls and this incredible, sliceable brioche loaf – we love it toasted with strawberry jam!