BHA & BHT Free Brioche Burger Buns with Sesame Seeds
Soft, pillowy, and crowned with a golden sesame crust, these brioche burger buns are the kind of thing that makes a backyard cookout feel genuinely special. Store-bought buns are a minefield for anyone avoiding synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT, which show up in packaged breads far more often than most people realize. Baking your own from scratch sidesteps all of that — every ingredient here is straightforward and clean, from the active dry yeast and whole milk to the eggs and unsalted butter that give brioche its signature richness. The butter incorporation method is the real secret: adding it piece by piece while the dough hook runs builds a silky, elastic crumb that holds up beautifully under a loaded burger without going soggy. The egg wash gives each bun that deep, glossy, bakery-style color, and the sesame seeds add a subtle nuttiness that pairs with just about any filling you can imagine. Yes, there's a rise time involved, but the hands-on effort is minimal and the results are genuinely miles ahead of anything in a plastic bag. Once you've made these, it's hard to go 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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