Soft, buttery, slightly sweet — these are the buns that make a homemade burger taste like the burger you remember. Pillowy enough to hold up to a tomato slice, sturdy enough not to fall apart. The whole batch comes together in one afternoon.
There is a moment in May, usually the long weekend, when the BBQ comes back to life and somebody in the family asks the question: can we just make better buns this year? Yes. You can. You can make them right now in three and a half hours from a cold start, and never look at the soft sesame mound at the grocery store the same way again.
These freeze beautifully — make a double batch and you're set for the season.
What you'll need
8 burger buns (90 g each)
- 500 g (4 cups) bread flour
- 60 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt
- 8 g (2¼ tsp / 1 packet) instant yeast
- 200 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) lukewarm whole milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 100 g (7 tbsp) softened unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk, beaten
- Optional: sesame or poppy seeds for topping
Flour notes
Canadian bakers — bread flour from Robin Hood, Five Roses, or Anita's Organic gives you the right protein for this enriched dough. Standard Canadian AP works in a pinch but the bun will be slightly tighter.
US bakers — bread flour mandatory here. King Arthur Bread Flour, Gold Medal Better for Bread, or Bob's Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour all work beautifully. AP is too low-protein for the structure these buns need.
Butter note: 100 g is roughly 7 tablespoons or just over half a stick (US). Use real unsalted butter, not margarine — the flavour is most of why you're making these.
The method
Mix the dry · 2 minutes
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), whisk flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
Add the wet · 3 minutes
Pour in the milk and eggs. With the dough hook, mix on low until the dough comes together — about 2 minutes. It will be sticky.
Add butter, cube by cube · 8 to 10 minutes
With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter one or two cubes at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. The dough will look broken at first — keep going. After 8 to 10 minutes total, it will come together into a smooth, glossy, slightly tacky ball that pulls cleanly from the bowl. This is the most important step. Don't rush it.
First rise · 1.5 to 2 hours
Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Rise in a warm spot until doubled — 1.5 to 2 hours. Enriched dough rises slower than lean dough; be patient.
Divide and shape · 12 minutes
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Divide into 8 equal pieces, roughly 90 g each (use a kitchen scale). Cup each piece under your palm and roll in tight circles to build surface tension into a smooth ball. Place on a parchment-lined tray, well spaced — they'll spread.
Second rise · 45 minutes to 1 hour
Cover loosely with oiled plastic. Rise until puffy and pillowy — about 45 to 60 minutes. They should look softly inflated and feel pillowy when poked.
Egg wash and bake · 18 to 22 minutes
Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F. Whisk the egg wash. Brush each bun gently. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if using. Bake 18 to 22 minutes until deeply golden brown — the colour you want is just past 'golden,' approaching mahogany. Internal temperature 95°C / 203°F.
Cool 15 minutes before slicing
Move to a cooling rack. The buns will look glossy and beautiful straight from the oven; let them set for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Hot enriched dough is gummy in the middle.
Climate notes
Cold winter kitchens: first rise stretches to 2.5 hours; second rise to 75 minutes. Use a turned-off oven with the light on as a proofing chamber.
Hot summer kitchens (above 26°C): watch your butter. If the kitchen is hot enough that butter starts to melt during incorporation, the dough will look greasy and won't develop. Mix in a cooler space (basement, AC'd room) or refrigerate the bowl midway through.
For BBQ-day timing: mix at 9 AM for buns at 1 PM lunch. Or do a 24-hour cold proof: complete the first rise, shape, then refrigerate covered overnight. Warm at room temperature 90 minutes before baking. Better flavour, easier morning.
Variations
- Hot dog buns. Same dough, divided into 6 pieces of about 120 g each. Shape each into a 12 cm log. Bake the same way. Slot for hot dogs, lobster rolls, or soft sandwich fillings.
- Slider buns. Divide into 16 pieces of 45 g each. Bake 14 to 16 minutes. Soft, palm-sized, perfect for parties.
- Brioche loaf. Skip the shaping into rolls. Pat the dough into a rectangle, roll up tightly, and place seam-down in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. Second rise 60 to 75 minutes. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. The classic brioche loaf — French toast made in heaven.
- Vegan brioche-style buns. Replace milk with oat milk, butter with refined coconut oil, eggs with 100 g unsweetened applesauce. Egg wash with plant milk + maple syrup. Crumb stays soft, flavour is slightly different but lovely.
Storage
Brioche burger buns are at their absolute best within 24 hours of baking. Day-of, with a smash burger fresh from the cast iron, they're nearly perfect.
After day one, store in a breathable linen bag at room temperature. Day two and three, slice and toast on the cut side in butter for any sandwich — the toasting brings them right back.
These freeze beautifully. Cool fully, slice in half (or leave whole), wrap pairs in foil, and freeze in a zip-top bag. Defrost at room temperature 2 hours, or microwave wrapped in a damp tea towel for 30 seconds. They're indistinguishable from fresh after a brief warm in the oven.
Common questions
Why is my brioche dough not coming together?
It will. Enriched doughs go through a 'broken' phase as the butter incorporates — it looks greasy and ugly for several minutes. Keep the mixer running on medium-low. The dough comes together when the gluten finally develops enough to absorb the butter, usually around the 8-minute mark. If after 12 minutes it still looks broken, your butter might have been too cold or your kitchen too warm.
Can I make brioche burger buns by hand without a stand mixer?
Yes, but it's a workout. Mix everything except the butter by hand and knead 5 minutes. Then add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time, kneading vigorously between each addition until incorporated. Total kneading time by hand is roughly 25 minutes. The mixer is genuinely worth it for these.
Do I need bread flour or will all-purpose work?
For Canadian AP (Robin Hood, Five Roses ~13% protein), AP works. For US AP (10.5–11.5% protein), you really need bread flour — the lower-protein US AP gives a tight, dense bun rather than the pillowy structure brioche is famous for.
How do I make these for someone with a dairy allergy?
Replace milk with oat milk, butter with refined coconut oil (the same weight), and the egg wash with plant milk plus maple syrup. The texture is genuinely close to dairy brioche; the flavour is subtly different but still excellent.