{Do-It-Yourself} Light Brioche Burger Buns

It’s a rare occurrence nowadays for people to make their own burger buns. And it’s perfectly understandable why this is so, what with supermarkets stocking ample amounts of different types of sandwich breads on their shelves. I need only take a few steps from my house before I get a whiff of the day’s pastries from the operate-from-home mini bakeries in my neighbourhood, most of which would often have cheaper and better-quality breads than those that are mass-produced. Simply put, the convenience and ease of buying ready-made buns is just overwhelming for a normal person. Am I glad I am not normal then!

People say that the long and troublesome road is often the one that reaps the most rewards in the end. The road to making these buns may be long, but I did not find it troublesome in the least. Your mixer does most of the work for you in any case. Besides, I know you’ve heard it a million times by now, but homemade really is different. Homemade food taste better, make you feel better, plus you have a lot of control over what you put into the dish or pastry. You also have a lot of control over portion or sizing.

This recipe originally called for dividing the dough into 8, but I had a feeling that the buns would end up being too big, so I went ahead and divided them into 10 and thought they were perfectly-sized that way. If you’re planning on making a giant burger though, by all means, stay with dividing the dough into 8, just make sure you place only 4 pieces of dough on each of your baking sheets, else they may rise and grow into each other. If making 10 buns, it’s best to place only 5 pieces of dough on each baking sheet, to be sure.

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Light Brioche Burger Buns

Super soft and sinewy, these buns are halfway to being a full-fledged brioche, but with a mild richness that will no doubt complement your burger patty of choice.

Makes 8 to 10 buns

Ingredients

For the dough

• 3 tablespoons warm milk, about 110°F to 115°F
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2½ tablespoons sugar
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For the topping

• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

• 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, water, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Mix briefly to combine.
• 
• 2. Add the flours to the bowl, and mix just until incorporated. Mix in the butter until a dough begins to form.
• 3. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be somewhat tacky, but you want to avoid adding too much extra flour which will create tough buns.
• 4. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
• 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 8 or 10 equal parts. Gently roll each portion of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet, 2 to 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise again, 1-2 hours, until puffed up and nearly doubled.
• 
• 6. Set a large metal pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven*. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) with a rack in the center.
• 7. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns about 15 minutes rotating halfway through baking, until the tops are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

* I didn't do this bit and yet my bread turned out great anyway.

Adapted from Annie's Eats blog

Stay tuned for the burgers I assembled using these gorgeous buns!