Serves 9, 16 party size
If you haven’t yet discovered Brioche – this is your time and this is your recipe. Brioche is a dough with egg, butter and normally a bit of sugar. My personal favourite use for a brioche dough is as a burger bun. Bit of rocket, bit of cheese, raw onion and some Tommy K. Salivating. I stumbled across this recipe whilst building a brunch menu and it’s the easiest enriched yeast dough I’ve baked. The absence of having to add the butter teaspoon by teaspoon to a beating dough is a welcome addition, especially if your cooking for big numbers.
DO NOT try to guess the temperature of your milk. Too hot and it will kill your yeast. Too cold and your yeast won’t even have the chance to activate. Get a thermometer. You’ll probably have one in the candle kit you bought 2 years ago but shoved to the pack of the airing cupboard when you realised it wasn’t as easy as you hoped. I did.
Recipe:
- 1 1/4 cups milk, warmed (about 110F)
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/4 cups to 3 1/2 cups flour (I needed 3 1/4 + 2 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg plus 1 teaspoon water for egg wash
- poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, gently stir together the milk, yeast, sugar, melted butter, and egg.
- Add in 3 1/4 cups flour and the salt. Mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined then switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed for about 5 to 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add in more flour within the first few minutes if it appears too wet and sticky, 1 tablespoon at a time. I needed an extra 2 tablespoons. The dough should stretch without breaking but will still be very slightly sticky to the touch.
- Divide the dough into about 12 pieces (about 3.5″ buns) or less for larger buns, and shape into a ball. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Once all are rolled, cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 10 minutes. Whisk the extra egg and water together and brush the dough balls with the egg wash. Sprinkle with toppings if desired. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
- Buns may be frozen in a freezer bag or airtight container. (let me know if you’ve tried freezing the dough before it’s baked and how it defrosted!)