Marygold Bread Studio: Brioche Buns
Easier than you think!
I have a goal.
(Dream, plan and desire all fit too).
I would love to make all my own bread products.
A few years ago I taught myself how to make sourdough bread. Before then, we always purchased our bread at the big box down the street. Growing up in an Italian family, we ate a lot of bread. So, I am used to putting out Italian bread with dinner. But after learning how to make sourdough, we haven’t needed to purchase any bread for dinner.
Not only that, but we don’t even purchase sandwich bread anymore.
Crazy, right? We save so much money.
I make our bagels, rolls, baguettes and pizza dough too.
The only bridge I need to cross to reach my goal are buns and English muffins. Well, as of today, I am one step closer because I created the perfect Brioche Bun recipe.
In the past I made sourdough buns, but I didn’t love them. I suppose it’s because I am partial to those beautiful brioche buns you see in the store. Brioche buns are buttery and slightly sweet, glossy on the outside, tender on the inside. There’s nothing like a brioche bun for a juicy burger. So every time we need buns (hamburgers, brats, chicken sandwiches, etc), we have to run to the store.
The thing is, the store-bought buns are so unhealthy. Here’s a typical ingredient list for a “Brioche Bun” sold in the bread aisle:
ENRICHED FLOUR [UNBLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), NIACIN (VITAMIN B3), FOLIC ACID], WATER, SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOYBEAN OIL, WHEAT STARCH, SALT, WHEAT PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (A PRESERVATIVE), VINEGAR, YELLOW CORN FLOUR, DEXTROSE, NATURAL FLAVORS, LACTIC ACID, ANNATTO EXTRACT AND TURMERIC ADDED FOR COLOR, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ASCORBIC ACID, VEGETABLE PROTEINS, VEGETABLE OIL, MALTODEXTRIN, SESAME.
Exactly what is this??? Where’s the butter, eggs and milk that defines Brioche?
Yuck.
No wonder everyone is sensitive to American bread ingredients. I mean, why is the gluten always the fall guy?
Homemade bread is so simple. Commercial bread manufacturers complicate it by using unhealthy oils for several reasons, including:
Using the cheapest ingredients to reap bigger profit;
To create dough that is elastic, uniform, resistant to drying and tolerant of long mix times;
To extend shelf life;
As a support for all the additives like emulsifiers, mono and diglycerides, dough conditioners and shelf stabilizers;
To Create consistency.
Homemade brioche uses milk, eggs, butter, flour, yeast, salt and sugar. These ingredients not only create better texture and flavor, but also, they are more easily digested and carry a better nutrition profile. I cannot imagine someone choosing soybean oil and maltodextrin (a starch made from corn) over real butter and eggs, arguing it’s better. Seed oils create Omega 6 imbalance, oxidative stress and inflammation, while starches damage the gut lining, cause insulin spikes and create inflammation that damages mitochondria.
Here’s the great thing about learning to make your own food: you control what you put in it. If you don’t want to put sugar in these buns, don’t. If you’d rather substitute honey for the sugar, do it! I substitute honey in my sweetened breads all the time. It works! Can’t do milk? Use your favorite nut milk instead. These are the options afforded to you that you do not get when you walk the bread aisle at the grocery stores.
Every time I find a great recipe, it gets written in my recipe book and I can stop endless recipe testing. Life is too short to keep searching for recipes when the perfect one has already been tested as tried and true. This is the one that is going in my book as my Buns recipe. I am excited about it so that I can make some and put them in the freezer to have on hand when we need them.
I hope you like them!
XO,
Michelle
Brioche Buns
Ingredients:
1/2 C warm milk
1/4 C warm water
2 1/4 t instant yeast
2 T sugar (or honey)
2 eggs
5 T very soft, unsalted butter, cubed
3 C all purpose flour, plus an extra 1/2 C
1 t sea salt
1 egg (for egg wash)
Directions:
Mix
Bloom the yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, add the warm milk, warm water, sugar and yeast. Wait 5 minutes until foamy.
Add eggs and whisk in until smooth.
Mix the dry ingredients (3 C flour and salt) together and add to the bowl. Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms.
Once the dough comes together, add the butter, one T at a time. Allow each T to incorporate fully before adding the next.
If the dough seems sticky, add up to 1/2 C more, one T at a time until it no longer appears loose and sticky. Typically an extra 1/4 C is needed.
Knead
Knead 10 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook, or 12 minutes by hand.
When the dough is glossy, stretchy and soft (tacky but not sticky), it’s ready for the first rise.
First Rise
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
Turn the dough out and divide into 8 pieces, each weighing approximately 100 grams.
Shape each piece into a tight, smooth ball. Tuck the dough under itself and roll gently between your palm, then on your counter to seal the bottom.
Place on a parchment covered cookie sheet and flatten slightly into a disc.
Second Rise
Cover and let rise for 60 minutes, until full and puffy.
Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sea salt or sesame seeds.
Bake
Bake at 375 degrees for 14 to 17 minutes until deep golden and shiny.
Brush with melted butter if you’d like them extra soft (I did not do this for the ones in the photo, above, and yet they still look glossy!) Then cool fully and slice each one in half.
For Hot Dog Buns:
Divide dough in 8 pieces, same as burger buns. Shape each into a tight ball. Let rest 10 minutes (this relaxes the gluten and prevents them from shrinking). Then roll each ball into a log about 5.5 to 6 inches long. Lightly tuck the ends under for a clean look. Place the logs on a parchment covered cookie sheet close together, about 1/2 inch apart. The buns bake touching so their sides stay soft. Let them rise the 60 minutes, then bake 12 to 15 minutes.