August 19, 2010

Light Brioche Buns (Hamburger Buns)

My quest to serve only homemade bread is one step closer with homemade hamburger buns! I served my husband a hamburger on one of these buns and he had no idea I had made it.

These buns are soft and the very slight flavor (not sweet like store-bought) doesn't detract from whatever you're going to put inside. The recipe yields 8 buns, and so I froze the remaining and just pull them out of the freezer as I need them.


Light Brioche Buns
from New York Times via smittenkitchen.com

3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2½ tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.
Sesame seeds


1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, unfloured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 8 buns

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