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This homemade brioche bun recipe is super light & fluffy. Stuff them with pulled pork, slather them with peanut butter & jelly, or snack on ‘em straight!
This brioche bun recipe is easier to make than you think! Instead of buying buns at the store, try your hand at making them homemade. I like to make a couple of batches and have them on hand for a last minute BBQ (hello, meaty sandwiches!). If you love the rich and fluffy flavor of brioche, don’t skip our brioche cinnamon rolls!
Note: You can make these buns by hand or use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
What is Brioche Bread?
Made with eggs and butter, this brioche bread recipe has a rich and beautiful yellow color to it. Hailing from France, this bread is similar in flavor to the croissant with much less work. Slightly sweet and buttery, brioche works well with both sweet and savory recipes.
How to Make this Brioche Bun Recipe
Making this brioche bread recipe only requires 6 ingredients and the help of stand mixer (although you can make these buns by hand).
- Build the Dough Foundation: Using the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and a spoon, combine the warm whole milk, active dry yeast, sugar, and two cups of all-purpose flour. Stir by hand or whisk the ingredients over medium speed, cover the bowl, and allow the mixture to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Add in the Eggs: In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add the eggs and melted unsalted butter to the dough mixture, followed by the remaining flour in small portions.
- Knead the Brioche Dough: Knead the dough by hand on a floured work surface or with your mixer until it becomes elastic (about 10-15 minutes).
- Allow the Dough to Rise: Next, cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour.
- Divide the Dough: Divide the dough into even pieces and flatten them out into round shapes.
- Give the Dough a Final Rise: Place the dough pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover them with a towel, and allow them to rise for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and water together and brush the tops with the egg wash.
- Bake the Brioche Buns: Lastly, bake the brioche buns in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Eat them warm or allow them to cool on a wire rack on the counter. Enjoy!
Hot Tip: Make dividing the dough a million times easier by using a dough scraper (also commonly called a bench scraper) versus a knife or your hands.
Tips for Making this Brioche Bun Recipe
A couple of foolproof tips will help you nail this brioche bun recipe and get the fluffiest rolls possible.
- Make sure the temperature of your milk is right. 110 ℉ is the ideal temperature to help with rising and activating the yeast.
- Use eggs to get that bakery-worthy, shiny top. Brush the tops of your buns with whisked eggs to add a nice glossy top! You can also sprinkle some sesame seeds on top for a nice crunch and pretty presentation.
- Quality flour goes a long way. Great quality flour goes a long way. We like to use Bob’s Red Mill of Oregon. These flours have a higher protein content, yielding baked goods richer in flavor.
- Allow the dough to “proof” itself. “Proofing” is the process of letting the bread dough rise. Specifically, it refers to the specific time that the fermentation process needs to take place. Simply put, don’t take shortcuts. Your yeast needs enough time to expand your bread and create enough carbon dioxide bubbles to make it rise into fluffy goodness. The fermentation process also allows for the yeast to create a natural alcohol that gives the bread its flavor and aroma.
- Make sure the dough is the perfect texture. Soft and sticky dough is totally normal! In fact, it is what makes the buns taste so good.
Ideas for Serving
You can use this brioche bun recipe for homemade hamburger buns for grill night and serve the burgers alongside some crispy air fryer french fries or air fryer potato wedges. If you’re looking for something more fresh, use the brioche burger buns to make deli sandwiches for a picnic. They are also great for serving alongside a piping hot bowl of minestrone soup.
Storing Brioche Buns
We love making a large batch and storing these buns for a rainy day. Double, triple or quadruple the recipe!
- Room Temperature: These buns have a propensity to get a bit stale, so make sure to store them in a plastic storage bag or airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 3 days when stored properly.
- Freezing: When kept in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag, these buns will stay good for up to two months frozen. To thaw them, simply place them on the counter for a couple of hours until soft.
Hot Tip: Bring your buns back to life by zapping them for a few seconds in the microwave or for a few minutes in the oven.
FAQ
What makes brioche buns different from traditional bread?
Brioche bread has fluffy, airy sweet layers of dough. Traditional bread is made with water, flour, yeast and salt. This results in a lighter, more mild flavor dough. Brioche, on the other hand, is made with eggs, butter and milk.
What are the key ingredients in homemade brioche buns?
They key ingredients in any recipe for brioche buns are flour, butter, yeast, milk, and a ton of eggs. In fact, the eggs are what make a brioche a brioche and can be credited for that beautiful yellow hue to the bread.
What are some good toppings for brioche buns?
If you want to spruce up your brioche buns, some good toppings include a dusting of flour or a sprinkle of flakey kosher salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or flax seeds.
Other Simple Bread Recipes
- Easy Brioche Bread – Classic braided brioche
- No-Knead Easy Bread – Easy overnight bread recipe (video included)
- Easy No-Knead Dinner Rolls Recipe – Simple buns for burgers or sandwiches
- Hot Cross Buns – Soft and lightly sweetened buns
- Easy Homemade Flatbread Recipe – Cheese and herb flatbread
Recipe
Homemade Brioche Buns
Print Pin
Servings
18 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
This homemade brioche bun recipe is great for everything from hamburger buns to dinner rolls. You’ll love the fluffy texture and the beautiful yellow color!
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk heated to around 110 °F
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 6 cups all purpose flour depending on the brand of flour, you may need 7 cups
- 6 eggs
- 200 grams unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
For Brushing the Tops
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp water
US Units – Metric
Instructions
Using a stand mixer or spoon, combine the warm milk (about 110 °F) with yeast, sugar, and two cups of flour. Whisk the ingredients together. Cover the bowl with a towel and set it aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add the eggs, salt and melted butter to the dough mixture. Whisk in the remaining flour in small portions. (Depending on the brand of flour, you may need an extra cup of flour)
Knead the dough by hand or with your mixer until it becomes elastic (about 10-15 minutes).
Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour.
Divide the dough into 18-24 pieces (depending on the size you prefer). Form a flattened, round shape out of each dough piece.
Place the dough pieces on a lined baking sheet. Cover them with a towel and allow them to rise for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with water and brush the tops of the buns with the mixture.
Bake the brioche buns at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Enjoy!
Note: The dough texture should still be soft and slightly sticky. You may need to add an extra cup flour, depending on the brand you use.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Brioche Buns
Amount Per Serving
Calories 319 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 90mg30%
Sodium 38mg2%
Potassium 110mg3%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 414IU8%
Calcium 49mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted April 29, 2020
About Author
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Nadia WolmaransAug 17, 2024 Really delicious buns. We used it to make chicken burgers! Worked so well!!
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 19, 2024 Hey Nadia, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the buns! Chicken burgers sound delicious! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
EricAug 16, 2024 These turn out great and I make the dough and refrigerate over night for more fermentation and flavor, but the proportions seem off. I use high quality ingredients (King Arthur flour, etc.) and I needed almost 9 cups of flour to match the hydration in this dough.
Anne-MarieAug 21, 2024 I’m with you on this one, I halved the recipe and still needed to add a little over 1 cup of flour because it would’ve been to wet otherwise! Maybe because it was a rainy day and it was extra humid in my house?
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 16, 2024 Thanks for the feedback and for sharing your experience Eric! It’s great to hear that the dough turned out well with your tweaks. 9 cups of flour seems like quite a bit. I'm curious what texture you aim for, because the dough should still be slightly sticky.
Mark MAug 15, 2024 Hi, these look the business! Can’t wait to give them a go - I’m in Wales, so how would ‘cups’ work out as ounces? Thanks! : )
Natalya DrozhzhinAug 16, 2024 Hey Mark! So happy to hear our recipes are being made in Wales! By the ingredients list in the blog, there's an option to convert the measurements from US to metric. Press on the metric option and it will be converted for you. I hope this helps, and enjoy the buns!!
RobertAug 14, 2024 Natalya DrozhzhinAug 14, 2024 Hey! It totally can. I hope you enjoy the brioche buns!
LiliJul 25, 2024 Consistency was beautiful but they need so much more salt.at least another tsp or 2.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 25, 2024 Thank you for the feedback! It's great to hear that the consistency turned out beautifully. You certainly can add more salt next time to taste!
LoriJul 22, 2024 These are the best buns I have made! I love how super soft they are on the inside and the taste is just amazing. I did add more salt to the dough, but other than that, these are perfect. Thank you so much for sharing!
I made mine on an air fryer and got great results. Thanks again!Natalya DrozhzhinJul 23, 2024 I'm thrilled to hear that you loved the buns and found them super soft and tasty. Making them in an air fryer is such a smart idea—I’m glad it worked out so well for you! Do you mind sharing what temp and how long you cooked them in the air fryer for? I have not tried that yet, but am curious to try!
LoriJul 23, 2024 I used the "bake" setting at 350°F and they took about 12 to 15 minutes. I read that it was recommended to lower the temperature by 25° or so, but 350° worked just fine for me.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 23, 2024 Thanks for sharing Lori!
[emailprotected]Jul 4, 2024 6eggs. 1/2 cup butter? Wow I had to add near 2 cups of extra flour. the recipe turned out as good as most but that one star is for what ended up to be my recipe
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 5, 2024 Thanks for sharing your experience! Brioche is known for being a rich, buttery bread, which is why the recipe calls for a higher amount of butter and eggs. However, it sounds like the dough was too wet, which can happen due to factors like humidity or flour type. I'm curious what type of flour you used? But I’m glad you adjusted and still got a good result! 🙂
[emailprotected]Jul 11, 2024 thanks for your follow up and first I wanted to apologize. My son loves your recipe and will easily tell the difference if i were to sneak a different one on his burger. Structure, taste and you've probably heard the rest of the compliments. It was First Street from Smart and Final in southern California. It sounds like the have various suppliers but never had to adjust so far out of the recipe. Was starting to worry about over kneading but they did turn out great. Thanks again
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 11, 2024 You're welcome! I'm pleased to hear that your son loves the recipe. It's understandable to be cautious about any adjustments, but it sounds like your approach worked perfectly. 🙂
ThomasJun 28, 2024 The recipe came out perfectly. I added twice the amount of sugar to make them sweeter, that's just a personal preference.
If you didn't know that bread dough needs to rise for long periods of time, you have never made bread...
Natalya DrozhzhinJun 29, 2024 Hi Thomas! I'm glad to hear they came out perfectly for you, that's the best kind of feedback to hear. Enjoy!
AlyssaJun 27, 2024 I did have to use about 7 1/2 cups of King Arthur flour but the results were fantastic. I used salted butter because that’s all I had so I reduced the added salt but that was probably not necessary. If anything they were a touch under salted. But again, absolutely beautiful and delicious buns. Thank you!
Natalya DrozhzhinJun 27, 2024 That's wonderful to hear Alyssa, and I'm glad the buns turned out beautifully despite the adjustments. Enjoy those delicious buns!
NadiaJun 27, 2024 Super amazing recipe! I actually made this dough for buns and decided at the last minute to mould them into dinner rolls and a mini bread loaf and it was really really good.
Natalya DrozhzhinJun 27, 2024 That's fantastic to hear! Your creativity in adapting the dough for both dinner rolls and a mini bread loaf sounds delightful. It's great when a recipe can be so versatile and turn out wonderfully. Thanks for sharing your experience! 🍞🌟
Dorothy JonesJun 9, 2024 Frustrated that I didn’t read the reviews first. As others have said it needs wayy more salt and wayyyy more flour! I should have trusted my baking skills to make it right.
Natalya DrozhzhinJun 10, 2024 Hey Dorothy, Depending on the brand and type of flour used, less or more may be needed. I'm sorry they didn't work out as expected! I hope you give them another try.
ElisaMay 15, 2024 I love this recipe! I always do add my own little touch.
When the recipe said 6 eggs was that in total?
Bc I put 5 eggs and then the other egg for wash.
Is it 6 eggs and plus the other for the wash?
Either way came out perfect.
I used bread flour and it was close to your measurements! Thanks!- See AlsoHow and Why to Make Pork Broth
Natalya DrozhzhinMay 15, 2024 Hey Elisa, Thanks for sharing! So glad the buns worked out well for you. The six eggs are for the buns. Under the ingredients, there is another section called "for brushing the tops" and that lists one egg and 3 tbsp. water. That is for the egg wash, so a total of 7 eggs for this recipe. I hope this helps clarify any confusion! 🙂
AmandaApr 16, 2024 Can I make the dough the day before and make it the next day?
Natalya DrozhzhinApr 16, 2024 Hey Amanda, That would work. Place it in the fridge after it rises, then remove from fridge and shape the dough into buns, allow to rise and then bake. Enjoy!
BrittanyApr 3, 2024 My favorite bread recipe so far. It's got that rich texture and taste we all want. I do have one question and that is do I need to add more sugar to get it closer to the store bought brioche taste?
Natalya DrozhzhinApr 4, 2024 Hey Brittany, Are you wanting a sweeter bread? If so, you could try adding more sugar.
OSMar 9, 2024 Needed exactly 6 cups of flour (Five Roses brand). The dough was beautiful and easy to work with. Buns turned out great. All the recipes from this website turn out great for me. Thanks for all your hard work.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 11, 2024 Hey OS, Thank you for sharing your love for our recipes! It makes my day reading comments like this!
MelanieMar 8, 2024 Calling this a 45min recipe then having 2 hours of dough rising time is incredibly (and I’m assuming intentionally) deceptive. Those 2 hours should be included in the “prep time”. That’s literally what “prep time “ means.
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 8, 2024 Thanks for sharing your feedback and insight Melanie. The reason I don't include it in the prep time is because it's a time when you're not actually engaging in prep work. The recipe card doesn't include a rise time, so we make sure to add it into our blog notes and instructions instead.
LCMay 4, 2024 Hi - i'd like to second the opinion to add this as prep time. When I hunt for recipes, I'm trying to decide whether or not I have time to make it for tonight. This is still time I have the project on my mind -- and cannot potentially leave the house to do other errands or hop on a zoom work call -- so I think it is fair to include it as necessary time like other recipes do.
ShanzayFeb 28, 2024 The recipe was easy to follow and the measurements were on point! Maybe it’s me but it didn’t taste like the store bought brioche bun! 😞
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 28, 2024 Hi Shanzay, I'm glad the recipe was easy to follow. Do store bought ones taste more sweet?
C. MillerFeb 25, 2024 This is super deceptive when the recipe says "prep 20 min, cook time 25 min total 45mins"
And then in the recipe it has to rise for 2 hours, measurements were pretty off and they definitely aren't brioche buns but closer to dinner rolls.
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 27, 2024 Hi, I am sorry about time. The calculation only includes hands on time, we don't have a way to provide "waiting time" in the way the platform is made. Did you see the video we have with this recipe? It might be useful to see the process because they come out pretty good size for us. I hope all the tips are helpful for the future. 🙂
LarryJan 30, 2024 This is an unbelievable Brioche Recipe, and I give it 5 Stars hands down, & I bake professionally!
It’s like any other bread or roll recipe, depending on a number of factors especially the humidity, and your ingredients, but any real baker should know you could have to add or subtract flour by a little or a lot!!!!!This will be a Brioche Recipe I will definitely make for burger buns again & again!!!!
Thanks for sharing Natalya!!!!
Larry
Natalya DrozhzhinJan 30, 2024 Thank you Larry! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much. Cheers!
MarkDec 17, 2023 If you can actually figure out how much flour to use, it is a great recipe.
I halved it and it says to use 375g of flour, I think I used almost double that just so the dough would stop sticking to the side of the bowl when machine kneading.
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 17, 2023 Hey Mark, Thanks for sharing your feedback. What type of flour did you use?
MarkMar 10, 2024 King Arthur all-purpose. These were fantastic once I got enough flour in! Didn't have to change any other part of the recipe.
JenniferDec 5, 2023 Made these several times now and they turn out perfectly!
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 6, 2023 I'm happy to hear you enjoy them! Thanks for sharing.
ChelseaDec 4, 2023 I don’t think this is a bad recipe but it is not what it claims to be. I think the final product is more similar to a standard dinner roll than to brioche.
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 4, 2023 Thanks for your input Chelsea. I'm curious what would make it more brioche like in your opinion?
Carren ScialacomoDec 3, 2023 This dough was absolutely beautiful. I added extra salt after reading the reviews but it’s a beautiful 5 star dough. I’m about to make my second batch. I’m using AP flour.
Too bad about the review below- sounds as though she had too much liquid or didn’t add the flour in small quantities.Natalya DrozhzhinDec 3, 2023 Hey Carren, Sounds like you perfected it! Enjoy! 🙂
SabrinaNov 27, 2023 I don’t want to be mean but I don’t understand how this recipe can get so many great reviews. As so many other people have said… the measurement is waaaay off.
I used almost 9 cups of flour and the dough was still too sticky. And the amount of salt is also completely inaccurate. I used salted butter, doubled the amount of salt and it was still not enough. Honestly, not worth the riskNatalya DrozhzhinNov 27, 2023 Hey Sabrina, Depending on the type of flour used, the amount needed will vary. I highly recommend Bob's Red Mill flour or Canadian flour which is higher in gluten.
LyOct 15, 2023 Thank you so much for sharing Natalya, I love this brioche recipe! I was wondering if you could use this to make a brioche loaf? If so, at which stage would you put it in your loaf pan to rise and then bake, first rise or second rise (this would be where you form into rounds and let rise for 30 minutes)? I’m not sure how much rise you’ll get in a loaf pan at that point.
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 16, 2023 Hi Ly, I actually have a "easy brioche bread" recipe. You could try that, or refer to it for baking instructions. Enjoy!
LyNov 3, 2023 Thanks so much Nat, I’ll give that one a try 🙂
EricaOct 10, 2023 I made these today and I have a couple of notes:
They definitely need salt.
I needed closer to 8 cups of flower.
With those changes, they turned out well!
CinthyaOct 29, 2023 How muxj salt dis you add? I noticed the same thing. They need salt
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 11, 2023 Hi Erica- Thank you for the feedback. We will take this into consideration when reviewing/updating the recipe. I'm glad they turned out well for you! 😀
Rebekah BaylusOct 10, 2023 Everything about this recipe was great, except that it desperately needs salt. I made the buns we needed for dinner, and used the rest of the dough for cinnamon rolls. I loved everything about it, but unsalted butter and no added salt left the bread a little flat-tasting.
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 10, 2023 Hi Rebekah, Thanks for the feedback. The cinnamon rolls is a genius idea! Yum!
JakeOct 9, 2023 Forgot to add rating
JakeOct 9, 2023 I’ve done two other brioche bun recipes (the one I use most commonly is king arthur’s) these came out so bland, the worst of the three. I wasted so many ingredients making this because I trusted the five star rating, but when I read the comments, I saw that even the positive comments asked for salt. It would be amazing if you could at least edit the recipe.
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 9, 2023 Hi Jake, Thanks for the feedback! I am looking into updating this recipe.
AntOct 7, 2023 Ok. I have some constructive criticism here. Not in any attempt to insult the author. Yes , to some commenters, I have written recipes and have cooked professionally for over 25 years.
While they came out ok, there are a few discrepancies with the recipe.
1st and foremost, the amount of flour needed is way off. Even with a higher protein flour to produce more gluten, it shouldn't need 1.5 - 2 cups more than the recipe calls for to get that sticky buttery dough you're striving for.
( maybe they used small eggs which lessened the liquid, or used bread flour).Then it needs salt. While baking usually calls for unsalted butter, this person must have used salted butter because it is truly lacking flavor. I would add at least 1.5- 2 tsp. salt.
This recipe made 26 hamburger sized buns after shaping them the size of a 1/2 tennis ball. If you're looking for sliders, make sure you roll them a little smaller than a golf ball.The need for extra flour caused them to be a little dry.
So, if you choose to make this recipe please make these adjustments.
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 9, 2023 Hi Ant, Thanks for your insight and suggestions! We appreciate it.
