Beef Free Brioche Burger Buns with Sesame Seeds
Soft, pillowy, and kissed with golden sesame seeds, these brioche buns are the kind of thing that makes any sandwich feel like a special occasion. The enriched dough gets its tender, buttery crumb from a classic French technique — slowly incorporating softened butter until the dough is silky and passes the windowpane test — so the texture is genuinely bakery-worthy. Because the whole recipe is built around flour, eggs, butter, and milk, there's no meat of any kind in sight, making it a completely natural fit for anyone keeping beef off the table. The egg wash gives each bun that gorgeous deep-golden finish you usually only see at a proper burger joint, and the sesame seeds add just enough crunch and nuttiness to make them feel complete. These buns work beautifully with veggie patties, pulled mushrooms, fried chicken, lamb — honestly, anything you want to pile high. Homemade brioche can sound intimidating, but the stand mixer does the heavy lifting, and the result is so far above anything from a grocery store bag that you'll have a hard time 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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