This brioche buns recipe is a great way to show off your bread baking skills. These soft, buttery, rich and delicious buns make perfect companions to any meal. Serve them with any main course in place of dinner rolls or use them in sandwiches or as burger buns.
Don't you just love buttery soft buns that just melt in the mouth? As a kid, I remember mom made these for breakfast and our afternoon snacks. And, we'd eat them just on their own, nothing else needed. In addition, for my favorite breakfast, I love to sandwich these buns with a sunny side up over avocado.
Also, brioche is a classic, and if you like baking bread, then you must try my Brioche Sandwich bread or classic brioche or brioche a tete.
And, if you're new to baking, don't be intimidated just because they have the name brioche attached to them. In truth, these are just like any other bread recipe but more enriched with a longer proofing time. So, this bread can be made by anyone, even if you are baking bread for the first time.
Table of Content
About these buns
The buns are soft but the top crust is firmer than regular buns. That's because we have enriched them with eggs. Lots of eggs.
And, the recipe is simple and easy. However, it takes longer to make because we let the dough rise in the fridge for a good 6 to 12 hours. This helps the yeast develop more flavor and also makes it easier to work with.
Also, I highly recommend using a stand mixer because we need to do a fair amount of kneading. Having said that, I always knead my brioche buns by hand. So, don't be afraid to make these by hand.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour – Often, bread flour is recommended for making homemade dinner rolls or any homemade bread. But, I have been making bread now for over 5 years and I always use all-purpose flour.
- Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. If you have to use active dry yeast, you will need 2 ¼ tsp or one packet. And, if you use fresh yeast, you will need about 21 grams. Also, it’s not necessary to activate the yeast, but I like to take the guesswork out and make sure my dough will rise.
- Sugar – The sugar here is not really to add sweetness. So no, the one tablespoon won’t make your homemade dinner rolls sweet. In fact, the sugar and fat in the recipe are there to feed the yeast. Just as you need warm liquid to activate the yeast you need sugar and fat to strengthen it and let it grow. And yet, if you prefer, you can substitute sugar with 2 tbsp of honey.
- Butter – I like adding butter not just to feed the yeast but also to add flavor. However, you can substitute the butter for 2 tbsp of oil in this recipe.
- Egg - Adds a lot of flavor to the bread, gives a tender crumb and strengthens the texture. The egg is also a leavening agent that helps the bread rise. You can omit the egg if necessary, but you will need to use less flour than the recipe states as the egg is a liquid ingredient.
- Milk - Enhances the flavor, and tenderizes the dough giving it a soft texture.
Step by step instructions (pin)
Prepare dough
- In the mixer bowl, combine – warm milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.
- Combine salt with the flour, then add it to the mixer as well.
- Knead on medium speed for about a minute scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Once all the flour is incorporated.
- Knead the dough for two minutes until smooth.
- The dough will be soft and sticky – that's ok.
- Next, add the soft room temperature butter one cube at a time.
- Once all the butter is in, knead again for 2 minutes until smooth and elastic and soft.
1st & 2nd Rise
- Remove the dough from the mixer bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
- Form into a smooth ball.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp kitchen cloth.
- Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in volume.
- Then, punch the dough down. Make a smooth ball again.
- Cover again and let rise in the fridge for 6 hours up to 12 hours.
Shape the buns
- Divide the dough into 8 small, 6 medium or 4 large buns.
- Hold each piece of dough in your hand and gather all the seems together.
- Place seam side down on the counter surface.
- Place your hand on the ball and move your hand back and forth rolling the ball into your palm making sure the seams stay down at all times.
- This will compress the dough which bakes beautifully, as well as seals the seams.
Proof and bake
- Cover with cling/plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in size. This can take an hour up to 3 hours.
- When almost doubled in volume - preheat the oven at 190 C/ 375 F.
- Apply egg wash and sprinkle with sugar pearls.
- Cut a cross on top to let steam out during baking.
- Bake between 10 to 15 mins (depending on size and oven) or until golden brown.
- If the buns get too dark on the top - tent with a foil.
Keep them soft
- As soon as you take the buns out of the oven - cover them with a clean kitchen cloth so the buns will retain the steam and stay soft.
- Let rest for 15 mins before you remove the kitchen cloth or serve.
Frequently asked questions
If stored properly, these soft brioche buns will stay for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. And, they can also be frozen for a month or more too. However, never store bread in the fridge as it dries out.
You want to keep bread covered in an airtight container or ziplock bag to prevent air from drying them out. I like to use my reusable silicone bags to keep bread fresh.
The best way to keep homemade bread soft is to contain the steam within the bread. So, while they are still hot, place a clean kitchen cloth over them and let them rest for 10 minutes. Keeping these dinner rolls covered will keep them from drying out too.
For make-ahead or freezer-friendly dinner rolls. Bake the buns as given in this recipe. Let them cool completely. Once cooled, place them in an airtight freezer-safe ziplock bag. For best results, thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or more as needed.
Yes, we have used the same dough to make a Brioche Sandwich bread as well as Hot Cross Buns for Easter.
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Printable Recipe
Soft Brioche Buns Homemade
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Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Milk (¼ cup)
- 2 ¼ tsp (9 g) Active dry yeast (7 grams / 1 packet)
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 2 ½ cup (310 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Egg large (100 grams)
- 1 Egg yolks
- 4 tbsp Butter unsalted, room temperature
Topping
- ½ Egg yolk
- 2 tbsp Pearl Sugar optional
Instructions
Prepare dough
- In the mixer bowl, combine – warm milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.
- Combine salt with the flour, then add it to the mixer as well.
- Knead on medium speed for about a minute scraping the sides of the bowl.
- Once all the flour is incorporated.
- Knead the dough for two minutes until smooth.
- The dough will be soft and sticky – that’s ok.
- Next, add the soft room temperature butter one cube at a time.
- Once all the butter is in, knead again for 2 minutes until smooth and elastic and soft.
1st & 2nd rise
- Remove the dough from the mixer bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
- Form into a smooth ball.
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp kitchen cloth.
- Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in volume.
- Then, punch the dough down. Make a smooth ball again.
- Cover again and let rise in the fridge for 6 hours up to 12 hours.
Shaping brioche buns
- Divide the dough into 8 small, 6 medium or 4 large buns.
- Hold each piece of dough in your hand and gather all the seems together.
- Place seam side down on the counter surface.
- Place your hand on the ball and move your hand back and forth rolling the ball into your palm making sure the seams stay down at all times.
- This will compress the dough which bakes beautifully, as well as seals the seams.
Proof and bake
- Cover with cling/plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double in size. This can take an hour up to 3 hours.
- When almost doubled in volume – preheat the oven at 190 C/ 375 F.
- Apply egg wash and sprinkle with sugar pearls.
- Cut a cross on top to let steam out during baking.
- Bake between 10 to 15 mins (depending on size and oven) or until golden brown.
- If the buns get too dark on the top – tent with a foil.
Keep them soft
- As soon as you take the buns out of the oven – cover them with a clean kitchen cloth so the buns will retain the steam and stay soft.
- Let rest for 15 mins before you remove the kitchen cloth or serve.
Recipe Notes
10 Tips for Making Perfect Brioche Buns Every Single Time
- Measure all ingredients ahead of time so you don’t forget anything at the last minute.
- For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
- The liquid (milk or water) must be warm (not hot) - about 110F. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast, similarly, if the liquid is too cold it will not activate the yeast.
- Though instant dry yeast has a long shelf life, it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go if not, it’s best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
- Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine salt with the flour then add the yeast mixture.
- A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing, it often will give you a soft puffy bread, so don’t be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
- Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker.
- Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until double in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (30 C / 75 F- not hotter) oven this will expedite the rise.
- Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
- Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Rosa
The recipe did not explicitly say to proof the yeast after the first step of adding the milk, sugar, and yeast to the mixing bowl. My yeast (I use active dry) never fully dissolved and the dough struggled to rise overnight. They did rise in the oven while baking, didn't collapse, and turned out fluffy and delicious. But it was a weird dough to work with and there are little yeast bits on the buns. Is that normal?
As an aside.. None of your recipes mention whether to use convection oven or not. I normally leave it off until I see browning then turn it on for the last 2 minutes. What is your recommendation for buns and other bread recipes?
Veena Azmanov
Hey Rosa. Yes, I use active dry yeast which does not need to be activated necessarily. No matter what yeast you use, you still need to dissolve it in the liquid if not activate. All my recipes are for regular oven baking, not convection. If I use convection I usually say to reduce the temperature by 10%. Thanks
Marilyn
Hi Veena,
I tried this today. It was a hit at home. Thank you. i look forward to trying your other recipes.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Marilyn. So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for coming back to write this feedback. Love hearing from those who try my recipe.
Hein
hello veena,
may i know what is the ingredients for making BREADTALK MEAT FLOSS BUN recipe. it's light and fluffy. after purchase leave it for 2 days but the bread still soft. thanks
Veena Azmanov
That is the famous Singapore bread with meat (pork floss) I remember eating it once. It's actually a basic soft bread dough recipe that is topped with meat floss. They use a mixture of condensed milk and mayonnaise to stick to the floss to the bread after it is baked. I have never been so fond of it so never made it.
Seipel
Made these last week - were so soft and beautiful. Thank you for sharing amazing bread recipes. Your soft burger buns are still my absolute favorite.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Seipel. So happy you had success with this recipe. Yes, the burger buns are a big hit on this blog. Love that recipe myself. Thank you so much for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much. Have a wonderful week.