Quick Brioche Bun Recipe
Homemade hamburger buns are easier to make than you think! This quick brioche bun recipe takes just one hour from start to finish.
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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!
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. Toasted or as is, a brioche bun will make your burger the best it can be.
If you are new to baking with yeast, don’t let it intimidate you. I’ll walk you through the easy steps to making your own perfect brioche burger buns. With this recipe, you don’t need to let the dough rise before shaping it into balls. This makes this recipe especially quick!
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.
Try this brioche bun recipe for serving your favorite burgers or sandwiches. These brioche rolls are delicious with any type of burgers – my favorite turkey burger recipe, or beef or veggie burgers! They also make amazing pulled pork sandwiches and breakfast sandwiches!
Or, eat them warm from the oven with a spread of butter. There’s nothing better than fresh, warm homemade bread. Try my easy Honey Yeast Rolls Recipe next!
How to make brioche buns:
How to proof yeast
The first step when baking with yeast is to proof your yeast. Proofing yeast is the process of combining the yeast with a warm liquid plus sugar and then letting the mixture rest for 5 minutes. This allows you to check if your yeast is alive and active. Active yeast will form a bubbly foam on the surface of the liquid. You need your yeast to be active so that your dough will rise.
For these brioche buns, you will gently stir together warm water and milk, instant yeast (sometimes called rapid rise or bread machine yeast) and two tablespoons of granulated sugar. You want the water and milk to be between 105 and 115 degrees F. An instant-read thermometer is the easiest way to measure the temperature. Too hot water will kill the yeast and too cool water will not activate the yeast.
Mix the dough
You’ll add salt and an egg to the yeast mixture and mix to combine. Next, you’ll mix in some all purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is a lighter, milder variety of whole wheat flour. I like to use a combination of all purpose and white whole wheat flours. The white whole wheat flour adds healthy whole grains, while the all purpose gives a light, tender texture. You may make this recipe using only all purpose flour if you wish. You can also use only white whole wheat flour, just know that your buns will be a little heavier in texture.
After mixing in the flour, you will mix in two tablespoons of unsalted butter. The butter will make the dough rich and flavorful. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in your recipe.
Knead the dough: How do you tell if your dough is kneaded?
The easiest way to knead the dough is to use your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. You will knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. 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. Dough that is kneaded enough will also look mostly smooth, rather than shaggy.
Shape the brioche 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. The shaped rolls will have a quick 15 minute rise and then they’ll be ready for you to bake them… and eat them!
To shape your brioche buns, place your kneaded dough on a well-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 pull the dough around itself into a ball shape. Place the dough balls, smooth side up, on a baking sheet that you’ve lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Let the buns rest
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.
Bake the brioche buns
Before you put your brioche buns in the oven, you will brush them with an egg wash. An egg wash is a mixture of one beaten egg and a tablespoon of milk. The egg wash gives the brioche buns their beautiful golden color and delicious crust.
After baking, you can brush the brioche rolls with a little bit of melted butter. This is not a necessary step, but it makes for unbelievably delicious and golden, shiny burger buns.
Baking tips for brioche buns:
- 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 is too hot will kill the yeast. Too cool liquids won’t activate the yeast and your dough will not rise.
- Be sure to spoon and level your flour rather than scooping it with a measuring cup. Use a spoon to place flour into 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. The dough is supposed to be soft and fairly sticky. Flouring your hands and work surface will make the dough easier to work with.
- You can toast your brioche buns before serving your burgers and sandwiches or serve them as is.
Quick Brioche Bun Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
- ¼ cup warm milk (105-115 degrees F, whole milk is best)
- 1 tablespoon instant (rapid-rise) yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces)
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- 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.
- Add the salt and egg to the bowl. Use the paddle attachment to combine on low speed.
- Add both flours and mix on low speed until combined, then mix in the butter pieces.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead for 8 minutes. The dough will be very soft and slightly sticky.
- 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 round ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Loosely cover the dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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Yum! I love this recipe. Glad you liked it too 🙂
Yum, do these ever look good! Maybe Thanksgiving week would be a good time to bake these, I will be home!
KR
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Made these buns last night for a weekend hamburger dinner and they turned out great! Love them so much I am definitely keeping this recipe in THE recipe for hamburger buns. Thanks!
These buns were great. Easy to make. It is true, one hour and done! I shared this recipe now that I have tried it. thanks!
I’m so glad you liked these!
Loved this recipe! Extremely easy and quick way to make up buns if unexpected guests arrive!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. And at what ratio?
You can use the same amount of active dry yeast, but the dough might take a little bit longer to rise.
Mine came out hard. I don’t know what I did wrong. Maybe I’ll try again.
I’m sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out well for you. Dense, tough bread can occur for a couple of reasons. It could be that your yeast was dead, so the dough did not rise well. If the dough isn’t kneaded enough or if it doesn’t rise long enough (rise time can be affected by many conditions, including room temperature) those could also be the problem. It could also be that you used a flour with a high amount of gluten and protein. I would try again with new yeast and a lower gluten/protein flour. This article helps explain more about flour and bread baking.
Hi just wondering if the measurements for the ingredients are metric or imperial?
Thanks
Looking to make these this weekend, they look delicious😃.
The measurements specified are those most commonly used in the United States, which has slight differences from the British Imperial system.
Wish I could post a picture because these came out so beautifully. I had to let them rise for 30 minutes instead of 15, but that was an easy adjustment. Once I did the egg wash I sprinkled them with poppy seed, sesame seed and fresh minced garlic. Gorgeous and tasty, we had the best burgers tonight! Thank you!
I wish I could see a picture! I’m so glad this recipe turned out so well for you. 🙂
Has anyone made this dough in a bread machine?
Did you try it in your bread machine? I was just wondering the same thing myself
My friend, (who sent me this recipe) uses her bread maker. It’s a newer machine and has a function that does all the mixing and kneading, then beeps and she removes the dough, forms the rolls, and bakes. I don’t know much about the machines, or if they all have that ‘mix only’ type function. Hope this helps. I’ve had great luck with this recipe and just the stand mixer!
Can I use 00 bread flour? Or do I need to use these specific flours?
Yes, bread flour will work well in this recipe. Enjoy!
do i have to use wheat flour or just ap would be ok woudl they still be soft
You can use just all purpose and they will still be soft. Enjoy!
Can these be made gluten free ?
I haven’t tested this myself, but you could try a gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour, such as the one made by Bob’s Red Mill.
Really delicious! I didn’t have white whole wheat so I used rrgular whole wheat. Subbed honey for sugar. They came out soft and so yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m happy to hear that these turned out so well for you! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
These were by far the easiest buns I’ve made yet. They look & smell amazing! I tried to form them into longer buns cause I want to use them for a meatball sandwich recipe but I need to work on forming them better but otherwise they’re my go-to bun now. Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m wondering if you did make these for your meat ball sandwiches? Did the bread hold up for a saucy sandwich like that? Just asking if it worked before I try it. Thanks!!
Is it possible to make this recipe into a loaf? How would I adjust time/temp?
I have not tried this recipe as a loaf, but another commenter said that it worked well to make two loaves of bread. You would have to bake it longer – I can’t say exactly how long without trying it myself. I would suggest baking loaves at either 350 or 375 degrees F. If you try it, let me know how it goes. 🙂
Made these buns the other night and they turned out perfect. Now I’m wondering if I can use this same recipe and make a loaf of bread instead of buns.
I have not tried that, so I can’t say for sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Thank you for a great bun recipe. I’ve made these 6 times in the last 2 months. I mainly make it for Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes. I also stuffed them once with shredded mozzarella to go along side soup. The mozzarella oozed out but was still delicious!
Can you freeze these before baking?
I haven’t tried freezing these before baking. I have frozen them after baking, with great results.
I’ve just thrown half of them into the freezer on a tray to put in a bag once frozen. I have also glazed them at this stage as i thought it would be a nuisance if being used one by one from frozen. The other 3 are in the oven along with homemade vege patties.. Yum yum. Will try to take a photo of my cooked buns.
Have you tried doubling this recipe? I need to make about 80 buns and was hoping I could at least double it
I haven’t tried doubling this. It should work so long as you don’t exceed your mixer capacity if you are using a stand mixer to mix the dough.
Hi wondering if the buns were suppose to have a strong flour taste? I made mines with full on all purpose flour since thats the only flour i had. It came out heavy and strong flour taste. I think i under mixed it.???
I’m not sure, I have never experienced that.
Could you provide instructions for those of us without a stand mixer?
Sure! You can easily make these without a stand mixer. You’ll need to use a large sturdy spoon to mix the dough ingredients together in a bowl. You might also have to use your hands to finish mixing the dough. Then you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface.
Great recipe! Used all AP flour and regular yeast so I let dough rise once for 30 min before shaping them again after shaping for just 15 min. They were delicious! So much better than store bought. I can see using the leftover ones way more than store buns as we never seem to finish a whole package.
Love the buns, came out prefect. Didn’t use a mixer though. I substituted the butter and used canola oil, gave the dough a smoother texture..Will make these again. Shared the recipe with my friends.
First time making hamburger buns and they were a hit with all of us! So quick and easy, I will not buy buns again! I added Everything But The Bagel on the top. I used bread flour and whole wheat, my dough was not “soft and sticky”, I added a little more milk. I think because I used bread flour??? Anyway, great recipe!!
These turned out great! I’ll definitely make them again!
This recipe is golden just like the broiche rolls! I returned to work last week after being home for 5 months, where I started baking a lot more, especially bread. I want to continue this despite working full-time now and a recipe like this surely makes it possible. So easy to make, love that it includes whole wheat flour! My rolls came out perfect, soft, fluffy and so delicious! It will now be my go-to broiche recipe, thank you Kristine!
Could this be baked as a loaf?
I’m not sure as I have never tried baking this recipe in a loaf shape.
These are great but I like a larger bun do next time I’ll just cut into 4ths
You can also let them rise a little longer and they should expand more. 🙂
OMG! This recipe is by far the best one for buns that I have tried! I wasn’t so sure about the recipe not rising once before shaping, but girl, these buns turned out so freaking light and fluffy! I’ll never look for another bun recipe in my life! Thank you so much
Wondering if anyone has tried with non-dairy milk or if it’s not quite thick enough? Excited to make!
I always use cashew milk and they turn out great.
could these be shaped into hotdog buns? same cook time?
Probably, but I haven’t tested that out myself. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Yes they can! I just rolled them longer and YUM! Same cook time
Can I use dry active yeast if I don’t have instant?
You can. You may need to allow for a little more rising time.
Can you please let me know the measurements according to grams and kilograms? Asking for a friend from Europe. 😉
Hi S,
I have not calculated the conversions but you should be able to do so easily by doing a google search like, 2 cups of flour to grams etc…
Well, mine are not as pretty as yours, but they taste delicious and were very easy to bake. I forgot to add burger buns to my Instacart order and found your recipe just in time! I was skeptical, due to quick prep time, but they did not disappoint. I added Trader Joe’s “Everything But the Bagel” seasoning to some of them. I followed your recipe exactly, but got distracted by something else and wound up letting them rise for 45 minutes. This will be my new go-to recipe. Thank you for a great recipe.
My boys (13 and 15) decided to make hamburgers for dinner. They wanted to make it special by baking their own buns. They followed the recipe and made the best tasting brioche buns we’ve ever tasted. We will never buy hamburger buns again! Thank you Kristine for sharing your recipe! 👍😀
These were fantastic! I’ve never baked with yeast before, so I was nervous that they wouldn’t turn out, but they turned out perfect and tasted great. They were easy to make and I was done in just over an hour. Thanks for including very specific instructions!
Could you make them with fresh yeast instead of instant/dry? how much of that would it need?
Thank you so much!!
You should be able to but the amount of yeast and its rising time would depend on your yeast so it could vary from the recipe significantly.
I just made this recipe using fresh yeast and only AP flour. I weighed the fresh yeast at about 18g or .67 oz and they turned out beautifully. I did double the rise time for about 30 mins just to allow the yeast more time to develop.
The directions were simple to follow and with just a few ingredients they came out nice & soft. My husband said we’re never going to bu store bought again.
Really good recipe that works. I didn’t have “rapid” yeast, so I gave it 40 minutes to raise. Thank you :))
Huge burger buns (could probably make 16 regular!), but very dense. Not the light fluffy brioche I was expecting. Maybe cos I used regular whole wheat flour as I can’t get white whole wheat flour now.
That could be why. These have never turned out dense for me, they’re always light and fluffy. I’m also having trouble finding white whole wheat right now. 🙁
I was hesitant after another comment about size so I divided into 4…. waaaay too big but center was cooked, structure was solid, and taste excellent. That implies that the dough is forgiving. I will definitely use this recipe again. And what a workout without a stand mixer!
Life changing! I’ll never buy burger buns again
Love it love it love it. Consistently good every time. We’ve begun reshaping them for our hotdogs too 🙂
This recipe is a keeper! Fast Easy Tasty & Beautiful! Thank you for sharing !
Made these again today and shaped into 8 hot dog buns. Worked perfectly. Same rise time and bake time. We made hamburger buns first time and added Everything But the Bagel seasoning. Yum. No more store bought buns. These don’t take long to make and aren’t complicated. Great recipe.
Fantastic, made a half batch and they turned out great. Thanks for sharing this recipe
These are perfect! Taste delicious and look great. I usually let the dough rest a bit before shaping (15-30 depending on if I get distracted) then 15 min after shaped while Oven heats up and shape into 8 and they are pretty big so this time I shaped smaller (Got 11) and Because I was in hurry only did the one rise so they ended up being a bit smaller than I’d like SO note to others, if you cut into more pieces make sure to rise a bit longer like 30 min after forming.
I just bought a stand mixer. This was not only the first recipe I made with it, but my first yeast bread. It is perfect! The buns are soft and yet hold together really nicely with lots of burger toppings going on. Thank you for making this easy to follow.
I went to the grocery store today and there wasn’t even a squashed bag of hamburger buns. Your recipe was excellent! Super easy to make. Much better than store bought buns. They came out perfect. Thanks for such a great recipe.
I don’t have parchment paper or a silicone mat. Could I possibly flatten out cupcake liners and place one under each bun?
That might work. I would probably just spray the baking sheet with cooking spray (or grease it in another way). The buns might brown a little more on the bottom but I don’t think they will stick if you grease the baking sheet.
I made these buns and we absolutely loved them. Today I decided to make bread instead with the same recipe. I just substituted the whole wheat flour for multi grain flour. Also baked for longer. The recipe made two beautiful loaves of bread. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Can I make this recipe using only all purpose flour? I don’t have white whole wheat flour. Thanks for letting me know.
Yes, you can. You may need to add a little extra flour. I’d start with the amount in the recipe, and then if the dough is too sticky add more flour, a tablespoon or two at a time. The dough should be only slightly sticky when you touch it with your finger.
Hi, can I add more sugar? I like a sweeter brioche bun.
Yes I think that will be fine.
Really easy and simple recipe. I let the dough rise a bit longer and they turned out soft and delicious. I’m saving this forever. Thank you Kristine.
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.
Sifted flour is a different amount than scooped flour. 120g versus 150g, per cup.
What did you use please?
I used unsifted flour. I always measure flour using the spoon and level method: spoon the flour out of the container into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping the flour with your measuring cup will lead to using too much flour. However, with bread recipes you do need to sometimes adjust the flour to get the dough to be the right consistency. It should be sticky but not overly so.
Excellent recipe !
Wow love these I used normal plain flour as that was all I had in. I did prove them longer covered dough in the bowl once I’d kneaded for 1 hour. Then once shaped covered for half an hour, they rose lovely and were just the right size. I also used some of the dough to make fried doughnuts. I got 8 buns 2 were smaller and 6 doughnuts (wish I’d made more) Big hit with the kids, thank you for this will deffo be using in the future.
Crossing my fingers. The dough was not as soft and sticky as I expected but I did use only all purpose flour as it was all I had. They are rising now and I am waiting to see how they turn out. I did have issues with the dough hook in the kitchen aid and had to keep readjusting the dough as it was going over top of the hook. Depending on how they turn out, I might try only 3 cups flour next time and see if that makes a difference. Most of my bread recipes only use 3 cups and there are so many factors to dough turning out. Not going to give up yet though as I love the ease of the recipe. It was very smooth and elastic though, so that was good.
I hope these turned out well for you!
Beginner baker here…I’ve made these twice and they are fantastic. However…I burned the bottoms both times–are you supposed to cook it on the parchment paper? (The second time I even baked them two minutes less, but they were less golden on top–the first time, the tops were a beautiful golden color.) I used different cookie sheets each time, but think I may need to buy a bigger Airbake sheet to cook these on. Thanks for any help!
I do bake these on the parchment paper. I would suggest moving your oven rack to a higher position in the oven, to help the tops brown more and the bottoms brown less.
Great recipe!
I am at 5000 feet so I had to let it rise about 30 min and add the usual 2 tablespoons of extra flour.
Would make again and again….
Tried these and they were great!! Making again now for leftover meatloaf sandwiches…one hour!! Game changer especially during pandemic when I don’t shop very often and need bread…now!
I thought these were great. Imo though it tasted more like a hearty dinner roll than a brioche bun. It was definitely delicious. It’s possible I had the wrong type of wheat flour. I keep mine in a glass jar and it just said wheat flour. I’ll buy some whole wheat white flour and try again. It was just missing that light, fluffy ,sweet flavor brioche makes. That said I’ll definitely make them again and use this batch for soups or chicken sandwiches.
Regular wheat flour has a much heartier texture, so it was likely the type of flour. White whole wheat will give you a lighter texture.
Hi, I’ve made three a few times and live the recipe! Could this be adapted to a loaf? How long would you bake?
I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe! I haven’t tried it in loaf form, but another commenter said that it worked well to make two loaves of bread. You would have to bake it longer – I can’t say exactly how long without trying it myself. If you try it, let me know how it goes. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. Tried it out today and had excellent results. I used all purpose flour and the atta flour we use for chapathis (the Indian flat bread).
I usually go for the slow rising breads that use very little yeast. But today, I couldn’t afford the extra time.
Thank you, The recipe is a keeper……
Wonder if the yeast quantity can be reduced if I can let it rise overnight….
I’m glad that you enjoyed this recipe. You should be able to reduce the yeast to 2 teaspoons if you can allow the dough to rise for 1-2 hours before shaping the rolls. I haven’t tested this recipe with less yeast or an overnight rise.
I made these rolls yesterday and they were perfect. Having read a batch of recipes for brioche (so many recipes with so many different steps in them) I’d been skeptical that brioche rolls could be made so quickly, but they came out great.
My husband isn’t fond of whole-grain flavors, but I wanted the rolls to have enough body to hold up against tuna salad and sliced tomatoes. So, I powdered a cup of plain rolled oats in my blender to oat flour, made up the 1/2 cup difference by increasing the AP flour to 2 1/2 cups, and let the rolls proof for 30 minutes, and it worked well. Delicious, sturdy rolls with a nice crust. Thank you for a terrific recipe!
Thank you so much.I am gonna make this recipe for the first time because im tired of what’s sold! You are my instant saviour, wish me luck. (Never baked bread*, but i know perfect cake and traditional pizza). greetings from the Netherlands.
This recipe is fantastic. I have made the buns many times, used this for hot dog buns and recently, I roll into a square and using either thin Roast beef, horseradish mustard and Gruyere cheese, I roll up up a log and cut into pinwheels. Right now I am making a batch to do taco beef pinwheels. Love, just love this dough. Thank you
I really want to try these, but I don’t have a stand mixer. About how long would the kneed time be if kneeding by hand?
It would be about the same amount of time, about 8 minutes. Have extra flour handy to flour your hands and work surface. 🙂
I converted this to a lower carb recipe by using a combination of 1 1/4 cup King Arthur Keto flour, 1 1/4 cup Carbalose flour (not carbquik) and 1 cup regular flour and doubled the yeast and then followed the recipe as written. I made smaller rolls to lower the carbs even more.. OMGsh. Its real bread. No funky taste, perfect crumb. Thank you for sharing!
Oh, and I used my bread machine to mix the dough then baked in the oven.