Sourdough Brioche Burger Buns
Soft, buttery sourdough brioche buns made with freshly milled flour, active starter, and poolish for incredible flavor and a light, tender crumb.
Ingredients
Poolish
- 100 g all purpose flour
- 100 g water
- 2 g instant yeast about ½ teaspoon
Dough
- 500 g freshly milled flour I use 400 g hard white wheat and 100 grams kamut
- 13 g salt about 2 teaspoons
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 5 g instant yeast about 1½ teaspoons
- 125 g whole milk about ½ cup
- 5 large eggs
- 150 g active bubbly sourdough starter
- 200 g prepared poolish
- 115 g unsalted butter 8 tablespoons, or one stick, softened but still cool
Topping
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tbsp heavy cream a splash will do, no need to measure
- Poppy seeds for topping
- Sesame seeds for topping, optional
Instructions
For The Poolish & Sourdough Starter
- Mix the all purpose flour, water, and yeast for the poolish until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or put it directly in the refrigerate to rise overnight.
- Feed the sourdough starter so it is active and bubbly when you are ready to mix the dough. Mine normally needs 4-6 hours to rise. Do this early in the morning or right before bed.
Prep Your Ingredients
- Cut the stick of butter into ½ inch pieces. Keep this is the fridge until 30 minutes before mixing, so it can soften while still staying chilled. Also weigh out your 150 grams of sourdough starter right into the poolish bowl so you can add those to the dough together. Weigh out your 125 grams of milk and optionally crack your 5 eggs into another bowl. Now all of your wet ingredients are ready for mixing.
Mix The Dough - Then Rest
- Add the freshly milled flour, sugar, salt, and 5 grams of instant yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- With the mixer running on medium low speed, add the 5 eggs and 125 grams of milk. Add the poolish and sourdough starter. Mix just until combined. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Knead The Dough & Add The Butter
- Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it begins to look smooth and elastic.
- With the mixer running on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time. Let each piece incorporate before adding the next.
- Continue kneading for 6 to 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, glossy, and stretchy.
Bulk Fermentation
- Transfer the dough to a large covered bowl and let it rise in a cool spot.
- During the first hour, complete two sets of stretch and folds. During the second hour, complete one additional set.
- After about 2½ hours at room temperature, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before shaping. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight. If you choose the overnight method, it helps to stunt your dough in the freezer for 1 hour before transferring it to the fridge overnight.
Divide and Shape
- Turn the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 14 to 16 portions. For large burger buns, make each portion about 100 g.
- Shape each portion into a tight ball and place it on parchment lined sheet pans. Gently flatten each ball to create a wider bun shape.
- Space the buns about 2 to 3 inches apart. Cover and let rise for 1½ hours, or until visibly puffy.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C.
- Whisk together the egg and cream. Gently brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds and sesame seeds.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 15-17 minutes, or until the buns are deeply golden brown.
- Transfer the buns to a cooling rack and let them cool before slicing.
Notes
- Keep the dough cool so the butter does not melt.
- The butter should be soft enough to bend but should not feel warm or greasy.
- For smaller buns or sliders, divide the dough into smaller portions and begin checking them a few minutes earlier.
- Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the buns in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
