I made these buns to serve with the Aussie Burgers I prepared for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” event that I organised as part of Foodbuzz’s 24×24 program. They were sensational! Soft and brioche-like… just like a burger bun should be. You can see what I mean from the pictures below… the dough rose beautifully and I was more than satisfied with the result. You can serve them as dinner rolls or lightly toast them to have the perfect burger, now that BBQ season will begin in many parts of the world! Enjoy!
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients (makes 8, 10 to 13 cm / 4 to 5 inch burger buns):
50 ml – 3 tbsp milk, warm
7 gms – 1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 ½ tbsp sugar
2 eggs (1 for the dough and 1 for brushing the buns’ tops)
420 gms – 3 cups flour
5 gms – 1 tsp bread improver (optional)
1 ½ tsp salt
35 gms – 2 ½ tbsp butter, softened
240 ml – 1 cup of water, lukewarm
Sesame seeds (optional)
NOTE: You can use bread flour instead of all purpose like in the original recipe. I could not find any at my local store, so I used all purpose and added some “bread improver” that I got from the store.
Mix together the water, milk, yeast and sugar. Keep aside until it becomes frothy.
In the meantime, beat one of the eggs. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, put flour, salt and butter and mix for 2 minutes. Now add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg and knead until you get an elastic and smooth dough. It will take about 10 minutes. The dough will be a bit sticky, but the more flour you add, the tougher the buns will get. Shape the dough into a ball, spray it with some oil and return it to the mixer bowl.
Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it rise until it doubles in volume (at least one hour).
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and gently roll them into balls. Put them on a tray lined with baking paper. Remember to keep them 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 inches) apart as they will rise some more. Cover them loosely with some cling wrap lightly coated in oil and let the buns rise in a warm place for at least one hour. Beat the remaining egg with one tablespoon of water and use it to brush the top of buns. Sprinkle them with sesame seeds.
Put a large shallow pan of water on the oven floor and bake the buns in a preheated oven at 200°C – 400°F (with the rack in the center of the oven) for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Turn the tray around halfway through baking to ensure they cook evenly.
When ready, transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
I also wanted to thank Elies from Give Thanks for awarding MsM with:
And the…
Elies has a fantastic blog!! You should check it out right away!!! THANK YOU Elies! <3
Time to pass them on to…
Marsha from The Harried Cook
Purabi from Cosmopolitan Currymania
Sawsan from Chef in Disguise
Giulia from Alter Kitchen
Paola from An Italian Cooking in the Midwest
Sandra from Sandra’s Easy Cooking
Tina from Pinay Cooking Corner
Nydia from Mi Vida en Dulce
Happy browsing!
Congrats on the awards Manu and so thoughtful of you to pass them on to me once again! Thank you!
This recipe is very interesting and the picture is stunning! What is a bread improver, I mean, can you tell me what is the chemical name of this, if possible (so that I can ask at the Chemist’s)? We don’t get this in Hong Kong.
Hi Purabi. It is a mix made of Wheat flour, Soya Flour, Emulsifier, Ascorbic Acid, Mineral salt and Enzyme. Not sure in what proportions as it’s not written on the packet. Anyhow, in my opinion… it really does not make that much of a difference… you could omit it. If you can find bread flour, use that instead of regular flour. I was looking for it but could not find any, that’s why I used the improver. 🙂
Those brioche buns look fantastic. Great recipe, and I love sesame seeds on top.
Congrats on the well deserved award, and thank you so much for honoring me with one. I appreciate it!!!
Love how beautiful your brioche buns look, Manu! Nothing’s better than homemade burger buns!
Congratulations on all the awards, my dear…and thanks for once again, passing them on to me! It’s very much appreciated!
Oh…these brioches look amazing, so perfect.
Congratulations for you award, and thanks so much for passing it to my blog.
How much instant yeast should I use as an equivalent to dry yeast? Thanks.
Hi Patricia. I have looked it up on the web and it appears that the rule of thumb is 25% less IDY than ADY, so in this case 3/4 tbsp of instant yeast should have the same result as the 1 tbsp of dry yeast I used. Hope it helps! 🙂
These look perfect! Love how they browned so nicely!
Those buns look picture perfect! I just love buttery brioche and I bet it is fabulous as a burger bun… Everything you make is so lovely, Manu!! <3 Congrats on the awards – you really do deserve them! And thank you for passing them on to me 🙂 I really am honored to accept them! Big hugs to you!
Thank you Manu! I cannot find a good burger bun in Italy, which spoils the whole burger experience! I will definitely give these a try. Do you happen to know if they freeze well?
Ciao Mario! Grazie! Yes, they do! They look a bit wrinkled when you defrost them, but the taste and texture do not get affected. Hope it helps! 🙂
You must have gone through a window into my brain, Manu!! Just yesterday I was at the grocery store to buy buns for burgers, and had to change the entire menu because the list of ingredients I can’t pronounce or identify makes my stomach turn. This is absolutely perfect!!! And they are gorgeous!
🙂 You’re the best.
Congratulations on recieving the awards Manu, you totally deserve them. Thank you so much for passing the awards on to me, you made my day with your kindness.
I love the brioche buns and their deeps golden color, I can only imagine their smell baking or their taste …yum! you are a very talented baker my friend
I keep seeing recipes for hamburger buns and really want to try them: the supermarket brands are so full of preservatives and chemicals… You always inspire me to try these things!