Best Homemade Brioche Buns

These homemade brioche buns are soft, fluffy, buttery, and rich with that classic bakery-style texture. Made with butter, eggs, and milk, the dough bakes into beautifully golden buns that are light inside yet sturdy enough for burgers and sandwiches.

Whether you’re making juicy burgers, breakfast sandwiches, sliders, or simply want better homemade bread buns, this brioche buns recipe delivers soft, flavorful buns that stay fresh for days.

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I started making brioche buns years ago when homemade burgers became a regular weekend thing in our house. After spending so many years working with enriched doughs and celebration cakes, I realized the secret to really good brioche is patience more than anything else.

The overnight rise gives these buns incredible flavor and texture, and once you taste homemade brioche buns fresh from the oven, it’s honestly hard to go back to store-bought buns again.

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Step-by-step: Brioche hamburger buns

Brioche dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, and on medium speed, combine the warm milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs.
• Flour – Combine salt with the flour, then add it to the mixer as well. Knead on medium-high speed for about a minute, scraping the sides of the bowl.

• Knead – Once all the flour is incorporated, knead the dough on medium for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth. The dough will be soft and sticky but quite elastic.
• Butter – Next, add the soft room-temperature butter, one cube at a time. Once all the butter is in, knead again for 6 minutes until smooth, elastic, and soft.
• Bowl – Remove the dough from the mixer bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a smooth ball.
• Rise – Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour. Then, transfer to the refrigerator and let ferment for 6 to 8 hours or until it doubles in size.
  Pro tip – The slow, cold process of fermentation helps this highly enriched dough and makes it more flavorful.

Divide and shape

• Divide – Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the dough into two portions and then each portion into 6 to make a total of 12 buns, about 110 grams each.
  Pro tip – You can also make 16 smaller buns of about 60 grams each.
• Shape each portion into a tight ball. To do this correctly, roll into a ball shape, tucking all the seams under tightly. Then, roll the ball on an unfloured surface. The unfloured surface creates the tension we need in the dough.
• Tray – Place the buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, seam side down, leaving enough room for them to rise. Flatten each bun so they bake like flat buns rather than balls.
  Pro tip – Flattening the buns makes a better base for the hamburgers. They won’t topple so easily, too.
• Proof – Cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth and let them proof for 60 to 90 minutes on the counter or until doubled in size. The cold dough can take up to 3 hours to double in size. You can even proof them in the fridge overnight.

Bake

• Preheat oven – Preheat the oven to 190°F / 375°C / Gas mark 5.
• Brush – Brush each bun with an egg wash. You can even sprinkle the buns with some sesame seeds or sugar pearls.
• Bake small buns for 15 to 20 minutes and larger buns for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  Pro tip – When baked, the internal temperature of the hamburger buns should be about 195°F. The bread will have a hollow sound on the bottom when tapped.
• Keeping them soft – As soon as you take the burgers out of the oven, cover them with a clean kitchen cloth to keep them soft. Cool on a wire rack.
  Pro tip – Do not leave the buns on the tray for too long, as the steam will make the bread soggy on the bottom. Covering the buns with a cloth will help them retain moisture and prevent them from drying out.

Tips for Success

• Use room-temperature eggs and soft butter so the dough mixes smoothly.
• Knead the dough until soft, smooth, and elastic before adding the butter.
• Add the butter gradually, one cube at a time, for the best texture.
• Cold overnight fermentation gives the buns better flavor and structure.
• Shape the buns tightly to create surface tension and help them rise evenly.
• Flatten the buns slightly before proofing so they bake into burger-shaped buns instead of tall rolls.
• Cover the hot buns with a clean kitchen towel after baking to keep them soft.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Possible Cause	Solution
Brioche buns are dense or heavy	Dough did not proof long enough	Brioche is a rich dough and rises slower than regular bread. Let the dough double in size during both rises.
Brioche buns did not rise well	Yeast is old or inactive	Use fresh yeast and make sure the milk is warm, not hot.
Dough feels dry and stiff	Too much flour added	Brioche dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Resist adding extra flour while kneading.
Buns are dry after baking	Overbaked	Bake just until golden brown. The buns should sound hollow underneath or reach about 195°F internally.
Butter leaks from the dough	Butter was too warm	Use soft but still cool butter and add it gradually while mixing.
Buns lost their shape while baking	Dough was over-proofed	Proof until puffy and doubled, but not collapsing or overly soft.
Brioche buns are pale	Not enough egg wash	Brush generously with egg wash before baking for a shiny golden crust.

more buns you may like to try

• Burger Buns – Hamburger Buns
• Sourdough Brioche Buns
• Softest Japanese Hamburger Buns  
• Soft Whole Wheat Burger Buns
• Best Juicy Beef Burgers or Turkey Burgers Recipe
• Homemade Chicken Burgers

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Frequently asked questions

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More brioche recipes

• Recipe For Classic Brioche
• Brioche Pullman Bread
• Sandwich Brioche Bread Recipe
• Sourdough Brioche Buns: Soft and Fluffy
• Jam Babka Recipe (Brioche)
• Brioche French Toast

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