Forget the sad store-bought buns and make these golden Homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns for your next BBQ or cookout. They are made with eggs and butter for a rich flavor and perfect for pulled pork sandwiches, some grilled chicken & avocado, or your favorite hamburgers!
If you love making bread and things from scratch, be sure to also check out our Flour Tortillas, Sweet Molasses Brown Bread, French Bread, and Homemade Garlic Naan!
Brioche Bun Recipe
It might seem like a lot of extra work to go to the trouble of making your own hamburger buns, but I promise you that it is 1000% worth it. The sad, stale store-bought buns at the grocery store just cannot hold a candle to a tender, fresh brioche bun made in your own home.
And your burgers and sandwiches taste so much more amazing on this quality bread that is enriched with butter and eggs. The recipe makes 8 good-sized buns that are perfect for your backyard bbq, although you could make them smaller and use them for sliders instead.
Our most favorite way to use these buns is for pulled pork sandwiches. We like to slice them in half, butter both sides, and toast them on the griddle first before piling them with the tender, smokey spicy meat and sauce.
Or top them with cheeseburgers and allllllll the toppings. I’ll share a bunch of our favorite burgers and sandwiches at the end of this post if you want some gourmet burger inspiration to wow your friends and neighbors!
I originally posted this recipe for homemade brioche buns years ago when I posted my recipe for sweet & spicy slow cooker pulled pork. But it was time for an update to the pictures and a slight tweak to the recipe. Really the only change is that I now really recommend using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Back then, I never used to use bread flour and instead I recommended adding a little baking powder to the dough for extra lift. But I have found over the years that it just isn’t the same and the buns have a much better, chewier texture when made with bread flour. So that’s my solid recommendation now.
Of course, if you don’t have bread flour, you can make this recipe with all-purpose flour instead. It’s obviously what I did for years. Just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of additional salt to the recipe if you are taking that approach.
How to make brioche hamburger buns
- Start by combining warm water, a little sugar, and milk with yeast in a bowl and letting the yeast proof for 5 minutes.
- Add some softened butter, beaten eggs, the remaining sugar, and 1 cup of the flour. Beat with the paddle attachment of an electric stand mixer, if you have one, until combined, then switch to the dough hook and gradually add the remaining bread flour.
- Continue to knead the dough on medium speed for a full 7 minutes to develop the gluten in the flour, then transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap.
- Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
- When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a clean surface. Even though the dough is soft and sticky, I have found that I don’t need to use any flour on my surface because the little bit of oil from the bowl is enough to keep the dough from sticking too much.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (or 16 if you are making smaller, slider-sized buns) using a sharp knife or bench scraper. Roll and shape each portion of dough into a ball with your hands. I find the best way to get beautiful, round buns is to tuck the edges from cutting the dough up underneath to create a smooth round ball shape on top and rolling it around in my hands.
- Transfer the balls of dough to two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. You don’t want to crowd the pan since the buns are going to rise again and there is a good likelihood that their sides will touch if they are too close together, so I only ever bake 4 buns per pan.
- Cover the buns with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with a little cooking spray so it doesn’t stick, then let rise for another hour.
- When the buns are almost risen, preheat the oven to 400°F. Make an egg wash with the remaining beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of water, then brush it over the top of each bun with a pastry brush. You can sprinkle them with sesame seeds or poppy seeds at this point, if you like.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until golden brown on top, then remove from the oven and cool. Slice in half horizontally to use in burgers and sandwiches.
Tips for making homemade hamburger buns
One thing to know before you start making this brioche bun recipe is that the dough is very soft and sticky. But don’t go trying to add a lot more flour to compensate for that or the buns will turn out tough instead of light and wonderful.
Just make sure to measure properly and then knead the dough in the stand mixer for the full amount of time noted in the recipe and all will be well. The gluten will be developed and as the dough rises it will gain a little more structure.
Sandwich and Burger Recipes Where You Could Use These Brioche Buns
- Red, White, and Blueberry Bacon Burger with Basil Aioli (it is honestly my favorite burger of all time)
- Soy-Glazed Mushroom Swiss Burgers with Caramelized Onions & Rosemary Aioli
- Slow Cooker Applesauce Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Sandwiches
- Grilled Cajun Chicken Sandwiches
- All-American Hamburger with Crispy Onion Strings & Burger Sauce
- Grilled Poblano Pepper Southwest Burgers
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Homemade Brioche Hamburger Buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs divided
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour plus extra as needed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter softened
- Sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup, combine the warm water, milk, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the yeast. Allow the yeast to proof (get all foamy and bubbly) for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, gently beat 1 egg and the yolk of the second egg, reserving the white of the second egg for brushing the tops of the buns before baking them.1 cup warm water, ¼ cup whole milk, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 large eggs
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 cup of the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, butter, beaten eggs, and yeast mixture, mixing with the paddle attachment for 1-2 minutes until combined.3 ¼ cups bread flour, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time. Knead for 5-8 minutes, until a very sticky and wet dough forms. You may need to add additional flour (anywhere from ½ to ¾ cup) if the dough is so wet as to be unmanageable, but I recommend using as little as possible for the best texture.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, roughly 1-2 hours. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 equal-size parts using a bench scraper or pizza cutter.
- Shape each portion of dough into a smooth ball by flattening it slightly and then tucking the edges together at the back to create a seam. Gently roll into a smooth ball and then set the ball of dough down on your parchment-lined pan so that the seam is on the bottom and there is a smooth, domed top to each bun. Space the buns 2-3 inches apart to allow for expansion.
- Loosely cover the shaped buns with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour until doubled in size, then beat the reserved egg white from earlier with a splash of water and use it to gently brush the top of each bun with egg wash so that it will brown nicely and have a beautiful shine when baked. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.Sesame seeds
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing in half and serving.
Funny thing about flour. We simply don’t have a thing like bread flour in Denmark. I basically bake every day and have 12 different kinds of flour in my cabinet but no “bread flour”. Homemade burger buns are the best!
I know! You would think most flour is basically the same, but apparently no!
I had no idea hamburger buns were so easy to make! I need to do this, because whenever I buy a pack of buns they just sit there…and sit there…and eventually a couple go to waste. This would be much better
That’s what happens to me too!
Brioche is my favorite to use for buns! Love this recipe!
The recipe says add baking powder, but it doesn’t say how much.
Oh dear! I’m recently updated the recipe and forgot to remove that from the instructions. When I originally posted the recipe I used all-purpose flour and added 2 teaspoons of baking powder for extra lift to make up for the additional protein that you get with bread flour. But after making this many more times over the years since it was first published, I learned that I much prefer bread flour so I adjusted the recipe accordingly and just missed that mention about the baking powder. Sorry for the confusion!
A hit run! Pulled pork sandwiches…perfect!
Thank you!
Petra
The instructions call for 2 TBSP of sugar and it states to use one of them with the yeast mixture in the beginning but I do not see where it says to use the other TBSP. Where might we use that?
Sorry – that gets added with the first cup of flour and other ingredients. I’ve fixed that in the recipe card!
We’re a family of 4 – could I make the full batch of dough, bake half, and refrigerate the other half to bake another day? If so, at which stage should I refrigerate and how long do you think it would last in the fridge? Also, I don’t have a stand mixer – could I just use the raw dough setting on my bread machine to mix and knead?
Yes, you could make the full batch of dough and even shape the buns and freeze them before letting them rise. If you are just going to refrigerate them, you would have to make them the next day (it won’t last longer than that in the fridge), in which case it seems like it would just be easier to bake them all at once. But if you freeze the buns before the final rise, then stick them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag, they will be good for 1-2 months. Just let them thaw completely and rise before baking like normal. And yes, you can use your bread machine to mix and knead.
Thank you for an accurate recipe. I bought a 50# bag of flour and it does not tell me if it’s all-purpose or bread so I did use the baking powder and salt. I do think I’d like just a bit more salt. Will also flatten them some when I form the bun. They were sturdy enough to hold up to a juicy burger yet nice and tender.. Great recipe.
I’m making this now and the ingredients call for 2 tbls of sugar but I don’t see where the second tablespoon is used. Thanks!
Can you use instant yeast and if so is it the same amount? Also would you still proof it for 5-10 mins. Thank you
Yes! Use the same amount and you can just skip proofing it!
I have a cheap mixer 😒 and it does not have a paddle attachment but does have dough hooks. My question is what attachment do I use in place of the paddle attachment? The beaters or the dough hooks? This is my first time attempting to make bread.
You could use the beaters, or even just mix the dough by hand with a strong wooden spoon.
I made these using all purpose flour. They were excellent. Very sticky dough. Used them for pulled pork. Perfect. Crusty on the outside but beautifully soft inside. Would be wonderful for hamburgers.
Omg is all I can say….I bake A LOT of bread, and these were perfect. I followed the instructions exactly. It was simple, fast ( for a yeast recipe) and came our beautifully. We used them with hamburgers for Fathers Day dinner. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
I have made this recipe twice now, it is very good, but when I put the egg white wash on, it deflates the buns. They still taste wonderful but they aren’t big and round.
That’s a bummer! Try putting the egg wash on earlier then and see if that helps. My guess is maybe the buns are proofing a bit longer than they need and that is why they are deflating slightly when you brush on the egg wash.
Made these Brioche hamburger buns.They were excellent I even made one into a French toast bun delicious.They are relatively easy to make so I think instead of buying hamburger buns I will just make these instead.Regards Noel
Hello,
This recipe looks great! I was wondering if you can sub whole milk at all for 2% milk. Looking forward to making these!
Thanks,
Caitlin
Absolutely! That substitution will work just fine.
I accidentally used both Tbs of sugar in my yeast mixture, will it be ok?
Totally fine!
I live in Hawaii and my houses humidity is always pretty high. My dough came out very sticky but went by directions and didn’t add any more flour. Hopefully they turn out ok. Will update later.
Hi, Any suggestions when substituting whole-wheat flour? Should I add or subtract any ingredients?
I would start by replacing just half of the flour with whole wheat and see how that goes before switching to more than that.
I followed the recipe exactly as written and found the dough VERY wet .. when i put them into balls for more rising .. they more so melted into bigger buns width but not height…. How do you prevent it from getting very wet and sticky ? I found it really hard. to shape / work with
I’m sorry to hear that! When working with yeast doughs like this one, you might need to add a bit of additional flour or even decrease the flour depending on the circumstances. Even very humid days can affect your bread making. The dough should be very soft, but not so wet as to be unmanageable. Try kneading in an extra 1/2 cup, or even 1 full cup, of flour next time.
I’ve made these a few times and they always end up delicious, but it’s a struggle along the way every time haha!
With 390g of bread flour, the “dough” is a consistency of cake batter. I add and add until it ends up being close to the equivalent of 4 cups total, bit still being very soupy and generous to be called “dough” 😂 I think I need to add a full 120g of extra flour to make it easier to work with.
There’s a tiny discrepancy between the written instructions and the recipe card when it comes to rising in an oiled bowl or just covering the bowl they are on. I go the oiled route to help with shaping after rising, but it is hard to flip and coat the dough because it lacks structure. I think I will give it the full two hours to rise to help it come together.
I’m already salivating thinking about them though, they are the best buns I’ve ever made!
I attempted this brioche recipe twice, exactly as shown in the recipe.
Both times I had to throw it out because it was too soft and sticky to form into balls. I even added extra flour to the second batch after the rising and proofing a second time.
It still came out too sticky.
I am not new baking with yeast, so not sure what the issue is.
I would definitely not be recommending this recipe to a novice baker.
I made these and they are delicious and super easy. Definitely keeping the recipe! I’m fairly new to yeasted bread-making, but am learning to love it!
Would it work to make this into more shapes other than just a round bun? I’m thinking hoagie roll/longer. I’m assuming it should bake similarly?
Absolutely you could shape these into other sizes/shapes!
Love these. I’m pretty new to breads, but this was straightforward. Delicious! Wow!
I’ve been trying to make hamburger buns for months. I’ve used multiple recipes, and this is the first recipe I’ve used that it actually turned out! Will use again.
I’ve made this recipe twice. Once with bread flour and once with all purpose, adding cornstarch and both times the results were great. Definitely a recipe that will be on repeat due to both ease and taste!
Made them today and they were excellent- so much better than the buns in the store and we’ll worth the effort- thank you for sharing!
Wow! Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed them!