Artificial Food Coloring Free Brioche Burger Buns with Sesame Seeds
Homemade burger buns are one of those small upgrades that completely transform a backyard cookout, and these buttery brioche rounds are proof. The enriched dough — built with eggs, whole milk, and softened butter worked in gradually — produces a soft, pillowy crumb with a gorgeous golden crust that no store-bought bun can really compete with. For anyone avoiding synthetic dyes, packaged buns can be a minefield of unnecessary additives hiding in that suspiciously uniform color, but every ingredient here is exactly what it looks like: flour, dairy, eggs, and a little yeast. The deep amber finish comes entirely from a simple egg wash, so that beautiful color is 100% real. Sesame seeds on top add a satisfying crunch and a classic look without a single artificial shortcut. The windowpane test and two-stage rise might sound fussy, but they're what give these buns their bakery-quality structure — sturdy enough to hold a loaded burger without falling apart. Once you pull a tray of these from the oven, golden and hollow-sounding when tapped, it's genuinely hard to imagine going back.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the dough
- ¼ cup warm water (105–110°f / 40–43°c)
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar, for proofing
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup whole milk, warm
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch pieces
For the egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp whole milk
For topping
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1
Combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir briefly. Let stand for 5–8 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and visibly active.
- 2
Add the flour, 2 tbsp sugar, salt, 2 eggs, and warm milk to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
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