Light Brioche Hamburger Buns
sandravalvassori.com
Light and puffy, yet strong enough to hold any patty, these homemade Light Brioche Hamburger Buns are guaranteed to create a stir at your next burger cookout. Much easier to make than you think, once you try them, you'll never want store bought buns again! Adapted from the NY Times
Servings: 8 Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup ( 227 ml) warm water (between 105ºF and 115°F)
- 3 Tablespoons (45 g) warm milk (between 105ºF and 115°F)
- 2 teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 (35 g) tablespoons white sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, brought to room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) bread flour
- 1/3 cup (45 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt (or Kosher salt)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (35 g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
For egg wash topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a 2 cup measuring cup, or small bowl, combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast and 1/2 tablespoon of the sugar. Let stand until a thin layer of foam is visible on the top, about 5 minutes. In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, place the bread flour, all-purpose flour, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix briefly just to combine then pour in the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Add in the the beaten egg and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. With the mixer still running on low (I use #3 on my Kitchen Aid mixer), add the butter and continue kneading for 8 - 10 minutes. The mixture should look smooth and silky but it might still feel quite sticky, which is fine.
- Lightly oil a large bowl. Using a plastic dough scraper, scoop out the dough onto an unfloured surface. Use the dough scraper to help you fold the dough into a rough ball then transfer it to the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, or almost doubled, in size. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this will take about 1 to 2 hours.
- Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper. Alternatively, use two smaller sheet pans so the buns will not stick together when baking.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean, unfloured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. If the dough is impossibly sticky to work with, add just a tiny bit of flour to your work surface.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, pull the outer edges towards a middle point and keep pinching them together to create a taught surface on the underside. Even if your dough still seems too sticky, resist the urge to add more flour unless absolutely necessary. Flip the ball seam side down and place it on an un-floured surface. Cup the ball lightly with your hand and gently roll the bottom around until the ball has a smooth, taught surface. Place each ball on the prepared pan(s), spaced at least 2-3 inches apart.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again until balls look puffy and almost, but not quite, doubled in size. This could take 45 minutes to 1 hour. However, if your kitchen is very cold it could take up to 1 1/2 hours.
- 30 minutes (or so) before the buns are done rising, place a shallow pan filled with 1-inch of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg and water to make the egg wash. Lightly brush the tops and sides of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer buns to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
-
- This is One. Sticky. Dough. But that's what makes these buns fluffy and delicious so resist the urge to add too much flour when shaping the dough balls. If you add too much flour the buns will be dense and dry rather than light and airy. Add just the bare minimum you need to be able to shape the buns.
-
- If you are making this recipe on a super hot, humid day, hold back 1/4 cup of water. I recently made the buns on a really humid day and I had to add quite a bit of flour to work with the dough, which is not ideal. You're better off starting with a little less water, than adding more flour later.
-
- If necessary, add a little more flour. The flour you use, and the weather will impact how sticky your dough is. If your dough is impossibly sticky to work with, go ahead and sparingly sprinkle in a bit more flour.
-
- The second rise should not take longer than 1 hour. Particularly on hot, humid days. I find if I let the buns rise for much longer, they are too puffy and huge once baked. Or worse, they are over-proofed and ruined.
-
- To store: These hamburger buns are truly best the day they are baked but they will keep for a few days. For best results, do not refrigerate the buns. Instead, store the cooled baked buns in an airtight container for up to two days at room temperature. Slice and toast before using.