Quick Brioche Bun Recipe
This brioche bun recipe makes the best homemade hamburger buns! This quick and easy recipe takes just one hour start to finish.
I originally shared this recipe in 2013 and it’s been a personal and reader favorite ever since! Today I’m updating the post with more tips to ensure that your brioche buns turn out perfect.
Brioche Buns: Perfect for Bread Beginners
Would you believe me if I told you that you could make your own delicious homemade burger buns and have them ready in just an hour? It’s true! I’ve taken my favorite hamburger bun recipe and made it quicker and easier than ever. These brioche buns are light and soft with just a hint of sweetness. You will love them!
If you are new to baking with yeast, don’t let it intimidate you. This recipe is the perfect place to start. I’ll walk through the steps so that you can feel confident making these brioche buns yourself.
My family is spoiled by this recipe – we hardly want to buy hamburger buns from the store anymore! Luckily, I can make a batch of these buns practically any day to enjoy with our favorite Turkey Burger Recipe, Sloppy Joes or Instant Pot BBQ Chicken sandwiches. We also love these warm from the oven, spread with a pat of butter, alongside a bowl of soup for dinner. They make a great stand-in for Dinner Rolls and are perfect for soaking up soups and stews.
These buns come out perfect every time. My entire family loves them and I always double the recipe so they can make sandwiches with them the next day. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s my go-to when I want to spruce up dinner.
Jennifer
Brioche Bun Ingredients & Notes
Brioche bread is made with butter, eggs, milk and a touch of sugar. These simple ingredients bring so much flavor, as well as a soft crumb.
Here’s a look at what you’ll need to make this recipe, along with substitution options. Find the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Milk and Water: The milk and water activate the yeast and add moisture to the dough. For the richest dough, use whole milk.
- Sugar: Helps to activate the yeast and adds a touch of sweetness. If desired, you can substitute honey for the sugar.
- Instant (Rapid-Rise) Yeast: To make this recipe especially quick, I use instant yeast. I’ve also tested this recipe with active dry yeast. To use active dry yeast instead of instant, let the shaped buns rise for 45 minutes instead of 15 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Salt: Salt is an essential ingredient when making bread. Without it, the buns would be lacking in flavor.
- Egg: Adds richness and structure.
- Flour: This recipe calls for both all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. The all-purpose flour helps to keep the buns soft and light, while the white whole wheat adds fiber and other nutrients. You can substitute all-purpose flour for the whole wheat (you will likely need to add a little extra flour). You can use regular whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat. The buns may be a little more dense and hearty tasting.
- Butter: Makes the brioche buns soft and flavorful.
- Egg Wash: The egg wash is a mixture of one egg and one tablespoon of milk. Brushing it on the buns before baking gives them a lovely golden brown color.
Dairy Free Version: 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.
How to Make Brioche Buns
I recommend using a stand mixer to mix and knead the dough for your hamburger buns. You can mix and knead by hand, but a stand mixer makes the job much easier.
Proof the yeast. Proofing the yeast is a quick way to check that your yeast is active and will therefore make your dough rise. To proof the yeast, combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast and sugar 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. It should look something like this after proofing:
Mix the dough. Add the salt, egg and flour to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mix on low speed until combined. Then mix in the butter pieces on low speed.
Knead the dough. Switch to the dough hook attachment on the mixer and knead the dough on low speed for 8-12 minutes, until it is smooth. The dough will be very soft and fairly sticky. It is properly kneaded when you press a finger onto the dough and it sticks to your finger just a bit but then springs back and releases, rather than leaving a hole in the dough and lots of dough on your finger.
Using the Right Amount of Flour
When making soft rolls and buns, you want to use enough flour so that the dough isn’t too sticky to be workable when you shape it, but no more flour than is necessary. It’s normal for the dough to be slightly sticky, this means that your buns will turn out soft, not dense.
For this recipe, start with 2 cups of all-purpose flour (240 grams) and 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour (170 grams). As the dough kneads, I usually have to add a little more flour – up to 1/4 cup – to achieve that slightly sticky, still soft texture. The exact amount of flour needed can vary depending on the humidity where you live, as well as other factors.
Shape the buns. This recipe is unique (and quick) because you do not have to let the dough rise after you knead it. You can immediately shape the dough into balls for your burger buns. Place the kneaded dough onto a floured work surface and shape it into a large ball. Cut the ball into 8 equal pieces. Use floured hands to shape each piece into a round ball. I usually stretch the dough from the top down towards the bottom, to shape into a ball. Place the dough balls, smooth side up, on a baking sheet that you’ve lined with parchment paper.
15 minute rise. Cover the buns with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 15 minutes. They will rise and almost double in size during this time. Here is a visual:
Brush with egg wash and bake. Whisk together one egg and one tablespoon milk; brush this egg wash over the tops of the buns. After baking the brioche buns, you can brush them with a little bit of melted butter. This is not a necessary step, but it makes for unbelievably delicious and golden, shiny burger buns.
Tips for Success
- Use an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of your liquids before combining them with the yeast. You want the temperature to be between 105 and 115 degrees F. Water and milk that are too hot will kill the yeast. If the water/milk aren’t warm enough, they won’t activate the yeast and your dough will not rise.
- Measure the flour correctly, either by weighing it with a kitchen scale or by using the spoon and level method. To spoon and level, use a spoon to gently put the flour in your measuring cup and then level it off with the back of a knife.
- Avoid adding a lot of extra flour to your dough, as that will lead to tough burger buns. This dough is supposed to be soft and fairly sticky. Flouring your hands and work surface will make the dough easier to work with.
This Brioche Bun Recipe Also Makes Hot Dog Buns
Some readers have shaped the burger buns as hot dog buns with great success. The bake time is the same.
How to Store and Freeze
These buns freeze wonderfully after baking. Let them cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container (such as a zip-top bag with the air squeezed out) for up to 3 months. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they will stay fresh for about 2 days but are at their softest the day you bake them.
Quick Brioche Bun Recipe
- 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
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 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.
- 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.
The best! And so easy!
Absolutely amazing! Came out perfectly and tasted incredible. My new go to buns!
Woooow! These were so good! They are bigger sized, so you can easily cut and roll them smaller for whatever size you need. Thank you!
Can this recipe be made with a bread maker?
Hi Barbara,
I have not tested this in a bread machine, but a few other commenters have with good success. They noted that their machine has a function that does all the mixing and kneading, then they remove the dough, shape the rolls, and bake in the oven. I hope that helps!
10/10.. very descriptive recipe and they are delicious!
I see that it’s recommended to use whole milk. However, I wanted to know if I could replace that with coconut milk instead, or will that throw off the taste or texture of the brioche? Thanks so much.
I haven’t tried it myself, but at least one other reader has commented that they’ve made this recipe with coconut milk with good success.
These rolls are wonderful. Easy and soft. Thank you so much for a great recipe!!
Wow! Just amazing!!! Mine came out great! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂