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These delicious, golden glazed Buttermilk Brioche Buns have a soft, tender crumb, and come together, start to finish, in less than an hour!
I just made a double batch of these Easy Buttermilk Brioche Buns to stash in the freezer for all the cookouts, picnics and get-togethers, coming up. It’s that time of year and I’m super excited. I can close my eyes and smell the delicious aroma of burgers and steaks grilling and hear the wonderful, unique sounds of summer. Are you ready?
What are brioche buns?
Brioche is a buttery, sweet French bread that, unlike most yeast bread, has butter and eggs as star players. You’ll find it made into beautiful braided loaves, dinner rolls, breakfast bread and sandwich rolls like these Easy Buttermilk Brioche Buns. Brioche has a rich and tender crumb and a golden, paper-thin crust that makes incredibly delicious sandwiches, burgers, toast, paninis, French toast and breakfast casseroles.
When I call these Easy Buttermilk Brioche Buns, I’m not spoofing you about the easy part – these rolls come together in less than an hour, start to finish. How does that work? There are a few easy secrets. First of all, the dough mixed up with a stand mixer, so all the kneading is done right in the bowl.
The second secret is instant yeast. Instant yeast is a fast-acting yeast that requires very little time to “do its’ thing”. It also doesn’t require proofing and a double rise (as most yeast bread recipes do). What that means is, after the dough is mixed up and kneaded in the mixing bowl, it’s all set to be shaped into rolls. Once shaped, there’s just one, short, 15-minute rise time – thanks to the instant yeast.
How to shape brioche buns
Since we’re talking about shaping, I wanted to share my technique. It’s a two-step method that will take about 30 seconds for each roll. It produces consistent, attractive round rolls. Start by dividing the dough into 12-14 pieces and rolling each one in a bit of flour. Using a scale is important for me because I have a food blog and I want each roll to be the same size. You, however, could just eyeball it.
Take one piece of dough at a time and flatten it slightly. Bring up the edges and pinch them together to form a smooth, tight round ball on the underside. Flip the ball over so the smooth side is on top. Then place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface and cup your hand over it, forming a little “cage”. Keeping the heel of your hand and your fingers on the work surface, move your hand in a circular motion. This will create a smooth, round ball.
Then finishing touch is a simple glaze consisting of an egg beaten together with a splash of water. It gives the rolls an authentic “brioche” look – golden, shiny and beautiful!
Café Tips for making these Buttermilk Brioche Buns
- This brioche buns recipe calls for instant yeast. Instant yeast can be purchased at most grocery stores, right next to the packets of regular yeast. It’s also sometimes called “rapid-rise” yeast.
- Take a bit of time when brushing on the egg wash glaze. You want to cover the entire surface so it won’t be splotchy
- You want to heat your buttermilk up to the right temperature to activate the instant yeast. Use a clean finger to test it. It should feel nice and warm to the touch but not so hot that you pull back your finger. If you’re unsure use an instant thermometer – it should read between 120 and 130˚F.
- Every oven is different so keep a close eye on these brioche rolls. I usually set my timer for 10 minutes and then check them every two minutes after that.
- I love these pre-cut parchment paper sheets. It saves a lot of time and makes lining a sheet pan, a breeze. They’re easy to store and a box lasts forever.
- These rolls freeze well. I like to freeze them on a sheet pan or plate for about an hour, uncovered. Once they are fairly well frozen, I throw them in a ziplock bag or freezer container. Freezing them for a short period, uncovered will keep them from getting crushed in the freezer.
- Anytime you’re working with yeast dough and it seems too sticky, just add a bit more flour. Or if you’re trying to shape it into rolls, just roll the dough pieces in a little more flour.
- I love to serve these buns toasted. If it’s just Scott and myself, I just drizzle a tiny (less than a teaspoon) of oil in a sauté pan over medium low heat. Once the pan is hot, I add the sliced buns with the cut side down. It takes just a few minutes till the surface is golden and crisp. If I’m serving a crowd, I drizzle a sheet pan with oil and rub the oil to coat the pan with my fingers. Then add the rolls and place in a 350˚F oven for about 10 minutes, till golden and crisp. Delish!
- These Easy Buttermilk Brioche Buns make wonderful sandwiches. We love them with ham and cheese, burgers, egg salad, chicken salad and this wonderful Brown Sugar Balsamic Pulled Pork. Be sure to come back for this delicious recipe at the end of the week! You’re going to love it for all those late spring and summer get-togethers!
These delicious, golden glazed Buttermilk Brioche Buns have a soft, tender crumb, and come together, start to finish, in less than an hour!
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus up to 1/4 cup more
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/4-ounce packages instant yeast 4 1/2 teaspoons
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
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Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Combine 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with the dough hook to combine.
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Place butter and buttermilk in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl or cup and cook on high for 1 minute. Stir and then cook for another 20 seconds. Check the temperature of the mixture with your finger. It should feel very warm to the touch, but not so hot you pull back your finger. Continue to cook in 10-second increments until proper temperature is reached, 120-130˚F.
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Add buttermilk and butter to the flour mixture. Mix, with the dough hook, until well combined, then add the egg and remaining 1 1/4 cups of flour. Knead at medium-low speed (#3 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) for 5 minutes. Add more flour (up to 1/4 cup), 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
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Transfer dough to a well-floured work surface. Turn to coat all sides of the dough with flour. Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces. Shape into round rolls - (see technique above in the post).
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Place the dough balls on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each piece with the palm of your hand. Cover both sheets with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 15 minutes.
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Whisk the extra egg together with the water. Brush each roll with the egg wash, covering the entire top surface.
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Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer rolls to a wire rack to cool.
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Valerie P. says
Easy. Quick. Delicious. I will never buy hamburger buns from the store again. Have made these three times recently and the buns come out perfectly every time. I follow the excellent directions to the letter. The most difficult part is trying to keep my family from eating all of the fresh warm buns directly from the oven. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It has beome a famiy favorite.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Valerie, for sharing your results! I know what you mean about not wanting to buy buns at the store after enjoying these!
Britt S Madson says
these were delicious but mine turned out more like a biscuit than brioche, has anyone else had this happen? any ideas on what I may have done wrong? I did have to substitute the buttermilk with half and half, could that be the reason ?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Britt, it’s really hard to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. The buttermilk does help make the rolls really tender.
Jennie says
Quick question please. I am making the brioche buns and the brioche rolls for two separate meals. Regular flour is called for in buns and bread flour is called for in rolls. Is there a preference of yours since both are brioche type bread. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jennie, I have used both with good results. So if you only have all-purpose it will be fine.
Kathleen Pickard says
Made the buns yesterday, WOW so good! My bread making skills have mixed results but these were perfect. And, done in a hour as promised. The detailed instructions were so helpful I will be making them often. Thanks so much.
Chris Scheuer says
That’s awesome, Kathleen! Maybe you’re more of a bread expert than what you thought! Thanks for taking the time to share your results 💕
Victoria says
Question yeast it says 2 1/4 ounce package so that means it equals 4 1/2 teaspoon you use right vicky
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, it’s two ¼-ounce packages of yeast which equals 4½ teaspoons.