Brioche Burger Buns

ByNatalya Syanova
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For some reason, simple at first look brioche burger buns appeared so hard for me to master. I made more than a dozen attempts adjusting and perfecting the recipe. The buns were coming out either too hard, or too stiff, sometimes way too crunchy on the outside. And I was looking for a perfect result with soft texture and incredible taste, that would stay fresh for at least 2-3 days.

Finally I feel confident sharing my discovery with you.

The amount of butter in the dough is about 25%. That means – the fermentation process will take a VERY long time. For this reason I added 0.33% of instant dry yeast to speed up the process, and eliminate the extra sourness.

You might ask, why not pick one and either go with sourdough or instant yeast.

The answer is simple: the combination of both ingredients helps to achieve an almost perfect result. Starter extends the product shelf life (in 3 days you should still have soft buns), yeast will speed up the fermentation and will get rid of sour taste.

Here are the details.

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

  • 8 g sourdough starter
  • 25 g water
  • 50 g bread flour
  • 5g sugar

Yudane 

Dough

  • 250 g bread flour (83%)
  • 125 g milk (42%)
  • 60 g sweet stiff starterย (20%)
  • 1 g dry instant yeast (0.33%)
  • 2 egg yolks + 1 large egg
  • 50 g sugar (16.6%)
  • 75 g soft butterย (25%)
  • 6 g salt (2%)

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

  • 10 pm dissolve sugar in the water, add starter and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, place in jar, cover let sit at room temp 74-78F until it increases in volume in 2 or more times.
  • Stiff sweet starter will help us to lower the acidity of final product (learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here).

Day 2

Yudane method

Yudane is a paste of flour, cooked in water that is used to improve the bread texture, making it soft and fluffy. For tangzhong the flour is cooked at 65ยฐC in water which causes its starch to gelatinize. For yudane the flour is mixed with almost equal weight of boiling water poured over it.

  • 7 amย  mix flour and hot boiling water, until all flour hydrated.
  • Let it rest and cool downย .

Dough 

  • 8 am in a bowl of stand mixer add milk, yudane mixture, sweet stiff starter, yeast, an egg, egg yolks, sugar, yudane to the flour and let autolyse for 1 hour.
  • During the autolyse period the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
  • 9 am mix dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
  • Add salt mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
  • Add soft butter, increase the speed of mixer, mix for 10-20 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together but still will stick to the bottom of the bowl. You will be able to perform windowpane test.
  • Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
  • During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
  • The dough should become slightly puffy.
  • 1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation till next morning.

Day 3

  • 8 am Remove the dough from the fridge.
  • Divide equal pieces (about 70 g each)
  • Pinch all edges to the bottom of a roll, try to round it tightly.
  • Transfer the shaped rolls on to a baking tray, lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. I was afraid the buns would spread a lot during baking, so Iโ€™ve created DIY foil shape holders (you can use silicone burger bread form). It will help to hold the shape better.
  • Cover the rolls and let them proof for 3-4 hours 70-74F /20-23C, or until they double in volume. Egg wash the buns with mixture of an egg and 2 tbs of water.
  • Bake at 375F for about 20-25 min until golden light brown.

Note: donโ€™t let the buns get too dark, that’s an indicator of the dry crumb. The goal for them is to stay soft for a long time๐Ÿ™

Enjoy your brioche burger buns!

Brioche Burger Buns

Brioche Burger Buns

270kcal
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Prep 1 hour
Cook 25 minutes
Total 1 day 25 minutes
This hybrid recipe uses a sweet stiff sourdough starter to maximize product shelf life alongside a tiny pinch of commercial yeast to quicken fermentation and eliminate heavy sourness. Combined with a traditional Japanese Yudane starch paste, these buns bake up marvelously pillowy, rich, and stay fresh for 2 to 3 days.
Servings 8 Large Burger Buns
Cuisine French

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)
  • 8 g Sourdough starter culture
  • 25 g Water
  • 50 g Bread flour
  • 5 g Sugar
The Gelatinized Yudane Paste (Morning Of)
  • 50 g Bread flour (17%)
  • 60 g Hot boiling water (20%)
The Main Brioche Dough
  • 250 g Bread flour (83%)
  • 125 g Milk (42%)
  • 60 g Prepared sweet stiff starter (20% – From the stage above)
  • 1 g Dry instant yeast (0.33%)
  • Egg yolks + 1 Large egg
  • 50 g Sugar (16.6%)
  • 75 g Unsalted butter, softened (25%)
  • 6 g Fine sea salt (2%)
The Golden Glaze & Topping
  • 1 + 2 tbsp Egg + Water (Whisked for the egg wash)
  • Sesame seeds (Optional, for dusting the crowns)

Equipment

Method

Night Before โ€“ Sweet Stiff Starter Build
  1. 10:00 PM โ€“ Stiff Starter Initialization: In a small glass jar, dissolve the 5g of sugar into 25g of water and whisk cleanly. Stir in your 8g of starter culture and 50g of bread flour. Mix thoroughly and knead into a tight ball. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature 74โ€“78ยฐF (23โ€“26ยฐC) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it more than doubles in volume. This low-acid stiff sweet build keeps the final brioche perfectly creamy and non-sour.
Day 2 โ€“ Yudane, Enriched Autolyse, and Heavy Mixing
  1. 7:00 AM โ€“ Hot Yudane Mash: In a small heatproof bowl, add 50g of bread flour. Pour 60g of hot boiling water directly over the flour and stir vigorously until all dry flour is fully hydrated into a thick, sticky paste. Cover and let it rest on your counter to cool down completely to room temperature.
  2. 8:00 AM โ€“ The Grand Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine 125g of milk, the cooled Yudane paste, all 60g of your active sweet stiff starter, 1g of dry instant yeast, 1 whole egg, 2 egg yolks, 50g of sugar, and 250g of bread flour. Mix thoroughly with a spoon just until a rich, sticky mass forms. Cover and let it autolyse untouched for 1 full hour to completely hydrate the flour proteins.
  3. 9:00 AM โ€“ Developing the Core Structure: Attach your dough hook. Mix the autolysed dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until well incorporated. Add the 6g of fine sea salt and continue mixing for a couple of minutes until the dough pulls together into a cohesive ball.
  4. The Butter Incorporation: Turn your mixer up to medium speed and gradually drop in the 75g of softened unsalted butter piece by piece. Once all the butter is introduced, increase the speed and mix continuously for 10 to 20 minutes. (The Structural Milestone: The rich dough will look loose at first but will eventually pull together cleanly away from the bowl walls while remaining slightly sticky at the very bottom. It must pass a clear, translucent windowpane test).
  5. Bulk Fermentation Folds: Cover the bowl tightly and let it proof for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76โ€“80ยฐF (24โ€“28ยฐC). During this window, perform 2 gentle rounds of stretches and folds to organize the rich gluten strings. The dough should become noticeably puffy and light.
  6. 1:00 PM โ€“ Cold Stabilization Retard: Slide the covered proofing bowl directly into your refrigerator to rest and solidify the heavy butter fats until the next morning.
Day 3 โ€“ Dividing, Shaping, and the Golden Bake
  1. 8:00 AM โ€“ Portioning & Tight Tension Rolling: Remove the cold, firm brioche dough from the refrigerator. Tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper and a kitchen scale, divide the dough cleanly into equal pieces weighing roughly 70g each.
  2. Shaping: Take a portion of dough, fold all its outer edges tightly into the bottom center, and roll it firmly under your cupped palm against the counter in a circular motion to form a smooth, taut ball. Arrange the shaped balls onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. (The Pro Shape Trick: To prevent heavy brioche dough from spreading flat during the rise, place DIY foil ring bands or silicone burger molds around each bun to force a tall, uniform climb).
  3. The Final Ambient Rise: Cover the tray loosely and let the buns proof for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature 70โ€“74ยฐF (20โ€“23ยฐC) until they completely double in volume and feel incredibly airy.
  4. The Glazed Bake: Preheat your oven to 375ยฐF (190ยฐC). Gently brush the top crowns of the expanded buns with your prepared egg wash mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 375ยฐF (190ยฐC) for 20 to 25 minutes until the crowns turn a beautiful, uniform golden light brown color. Transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely.

Nutrition

Calories270kcalCarbohydrates40gProtein7gFat9gSaturated Fat5gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.3gCholesterol43mgSodium307mgPotassium78mgFiber1gSugar8gVitamin A290IUCalcium32mgIron1mg

Notes

  • The Magic Synergy of Sourdough & Instant Yeast: Brioche dough contains a massive 25% butter load alongside heavy eggs and sugar, which can naturally slow down wild sourdough yeasts to a crawl. By adding a tiny 0.33% pinch of instant dry yeast, you provide a structural boost that speeds up the fermentation windows while keeping the dough light. Meanwhile, the sweet stiff sourdough starter steps in to naturally preserve the crumb, ensuring your buns stay soft and moist for 3 full days without drying out.
  • Why the Yudane Paste Technique Changes Everything: Yudane is a traditional Japanese baking method where flour is scalded with an equal weight of boiling water. This high heat instantly gelatinizes the starches within the wheat, allowing the flour to hold onto significantly more moisture than standard raw flour can. Integrating this starch paste into your brioche mix gives the burger buns a cloud-like, silky interior texture that resists drying out, even after being toasted on a hot grill.
  • Monitoring Crust Color to Protect the Crumb: When baking rich, egg-and-butter enriched doughs, do not let your buns get too dark in the oven. A deeply dark or charred exterior is an instant indicator that the interior crumb has been overcooked and dried out. Aim for a brilliant, glossy, light golden brown crownโ€”this ensures the center remains remarkably juicy, pillowy, and robust enough to hold up to a heavy burger patty.

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40 Comments

  4. Hi, i love your site, and these buns look amazing! I can’t wait to try them, but i have 1 question on the timing. Your instructions say to put the dough in the fridge at 1pm on day 2 and refrigerate 6-9 hours. But then it says to take them out of the fridge at 8am the next day, which is 19 hours later. Am i missing something? Somehow I’m not understanding the timing. Any tips? Thanks!

    Reply

    2. Thank you for your comment.
      It should be refrigerated for at least 6-9 hours. Overnight is more convenient, so you can bake next morning ๐Ÿ˜Š

      Reply

      1. Thanks for your reply! Sorry to keep bothering you, but I’m still struggling. I mixed up the dough, and it was very very wet. Way too wet to hold a shape. I added an extra 100g of flour, and it is now a very sticky dough but can at least hold a shape and windowpane. Perhaps i measured something incorrectly, but before i try again i just wanted to check if the measurements are correct on here. I didn’t weigh my eggs, but between those and the milk and the water and the butter, it seems like we’re looking at about a 100% hydration dough. Is that correct? Trying to figure out what i did wrong. Thanks!

      2. Laura, hi!
        Sorry to hear you had to struggle with this recipe. Hydration of the main dough is only 50%, water for yudane method doesnโ€™t count , it turns into starch, eggs and butter are fats , they donโ€™t count as a water too.
        As I mentioned in descriptions, the dough required longer mixing, for up to 20 min, because of the amount of eggs and butter, same technique as a brioche making.
        And it still should be little sticky after mixing is done, but with proofing and folding during that time, it has to come up together.
        Plus after refrigeration, it so much easier to shape chilled dough.
        Hope it will help ๐Ÿ™

  5. Everything i tried from this site is sooo goood. Now these buns are going to the oven cant wait to try them. I will put beefsteakes in them and try beefsteak burgers for the first time. Wish me luck!๐Ÿคฃ
    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Katarina! Thank you so much for your feedback. Beefsteaks sounds so delicious.
      Iโ€™m sure youโ€™ll love it ๐Ÿ™

      Reply

  6. Hi! I tried your recipe, it was delicious. Everybody liked it, thanks.
    I was not sure about the timing for the recipe because I usually make my levain in the morning with the feeding and wasn’t sure if it was fine to do it at night (I haven’t done this too long and there are still things I don’t understand). So I did one in the morning and one in the night, put the one in the morning on the fridge for some time for it to be ready next day as opposed to the night or something), and then the next day both seemed fine, (but one was sweeter) so I used half and half (couldn’t choose). Any way, they made excellent ham&egg sandwich buns. I’m not sure if the stand the weight of the burger though. Maybe I overproofed them.

    Reply

  7. I got as far as making Step 1, the Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter, but I donโ€™t think it tried to rise at all. So I discarded it rather than spend time and ingredients on a failure. Question: Should the 8 grams of sourdough starter be โ€œjust fedโ€ and doubled or tripled (mine Is very strong and triples in 2 hours), or waiting to be fed, or somewhere in between? Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Thank you. Not to belabor this, I noticed the Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter for the pretzels has a different proportion of ingredients. I thought Iโ€™d try a starter made with 14 g Sourdough Starter, 25g Water, 50 g Bread Flour, and 7g Sugar. That keeps the same flour and water but more starter and sugar and matches the pretzel proportions.

      Reply

  10. I made the buns with great success. My husband says they are much better than any we buy (and he didn’t like several attempts I’ve made using other sites). I used the proportions from the pretzel recipe for the Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (14g Starter at its peak, 25g water, 50g bread flour, 7g sugar) and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. Thank you so much. PS My scale measures in grams, but doesn’t register anything under 3g. So I had to do some work to find that 1/4 t dry instant yeast was .9 grams and go from there.

    Reply

  12. Iโ€™ve made this recipe twice already and itโ€™s amazing! Iโ€™ve made it as a loaf only and it worked wonderful! Great comments from my family. Thank you Natasha!

    Reply

  14. I tried the recipe, but used regular levain instead and vegan milk and margarine. Bulk fermentation was only for 4h at room temperature (23C) and second fermentation for 2h. The best brioche bun I ever made. The dough was fantastic, easy to work. The result was a very soft and elastic bun. Thanks for sharing the recipe!๐Ÿ˜

    Reply

  15. Hi Natasha! Again and again I use your recipe for the most delicious burgers, thank you!
    Just a small comment, every time I use it I can see that you missed yudane in the dough recipe. Probably you haven’t seen that and can correct it.
    Cheers!

    Reply

  17. “8 am in a bowl of stand mixer add milk, yudane mixture, sweet stiff starter, yeast, an egg, egg yolks, sugar, yudane to the flour and let autolyse for 1 hour.”

    Don’t you have to mix it before you can let it autolyse?

    Reply

    1. If you will mix flour with all liquids, and let it rest for 30 min to 1 hour, it will help to hydrate the flour and will help to start gluten development. Then mixing will become much easier and faster.

      Reply

  19. Hi. I have question when you make sweet stuff sourdough starter you use activated starter or starter from fridge unactivated. I mean you activate the starter then use it to make sweet stiff sourdough starter

    Reply

  20. Made these and loved them! Wondering if I can cold ferment in the fridge for two days because of a hectic schedule?

    Reply

  22. Hi !!!
    I like trying your recipes, thank you for that.
    For this recipe specially I would like to ask that do we have to use sweet starter? Can I use normal starter? Is there any differences between them? Thank you so much
    XXX

    Reply

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