Sep 26, 2021

Brioche Bread And Burger Buns

Updated: Aug 20, 2022

Ingredients:

Dough:

1/2 cup fat-free milk warm 110°F-115°F
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey
5 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon compliant sugar
500 grams (4 cups + 2 tablespoons) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened and separated into 4 portions

Egg Wash:

1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water beaten together

Utensils:

stand mixer and dough hook
large bowl
bench scraper or knife
scale
2 9 x 5 inch loaf pans if baking loafs or 2 large baking sheets if making burger buns
plastic wrap
mixing spatula
basting brush
cooling rack

Instructions:

Day 1:

Dough:

prepare ingredients
in the bowl of a stand mixer add 1/2 cup of warm milk
add 2 tsp of honey to the bowl
add 2 1/2 tsp of yeast to the bowl and mix it together and set aside for 10 minutes until foamy on top
add 5 large eggs to the bowl
add 1 large egg yolk to the bowl and gently whisk to break up the yolks
add 2 tsp of vanilla extract to the bowl
add 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of sugar to the bowl
add 500g of whole wheat flour to the bowl
add 1 1/2 tsp of salt to the bowl and mix together with a mixing spatula until a shaggy dough forms
place the bowl onto the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on 3 speed for 5 minutes
after the dough has been mixing for 5 minutes, add the first portion of softened butter in increments and allow it to mix for 2 minutes until incorporated
repeat this step with the remaining butter, kneading the dough for 2 minutes before the next addition; make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between kneading as needed
once all the butter is incorporated scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl
turn the speed on the mixer to 6 and knead for an additional 15 minutes; be sure to stay with your mixer at this time because it will tend to "walk" off the counter
once the dough is finished kneading it should lift pretty cleanly off the bottom of the bowl when picked up, it should also be extremely soft and tacky to the touch but shouldn't stick to your fingers
turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly flour your hands and the surface of the dough so it doesn't stick
fold in the edges of the dough towards the middle to shape the dough into a circle
carefully flip the dough over and use the palms of your hands to form a tight ball by pulling the edges in on themselves to create a tight surface
place the dough ball into a large bowl and set aside in a warm space for 1 hour until doubled in size
turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press on it to deflate the dough
fold the edges into the center again just like before to create a circle
flip the dough over so it's seam side dough and, again, use the palms of your hands to pull the sides of the dough in on itself to create a tight and smooth ball
transfer the dough back into the large bowl and cover with plastic wrap
place the dough in the fridge for 8-24 hours to chill

Day 2:

Shaping:

remove the chilled dough from the fridge; at this point it will be much easier to work with
grease 2 9 x 5 inch loaf pans if baking loafs or line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper if baking burger buns and set aside
turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it lightly to deflate
measure the weight of the dough and use that number to divide it into 2 equal portions
at this point, you should have two portion of dough which should each make 1 loaf of bread
weigh the first half of dough and use that number to divide it into 8 equal portions; if you are making buns then divide each half into 6 portions
work with one piece at a time and flatten it out and fold the edges towards the middle to create a ball
flip the dough over and cup your palm and pull the sides of the dough in on itself until you have a smooth ball and all the seams have been smoothed out then set aside
repeat these steps with the remaining 7 pieces of dough until you have 8 dough balls; if you are making buns then you should have 6 total
if baking a loaf, arrange the dough balls in a zig-zag manner in the loaf pan then slightly flatten them and cover with plastic wrap and set aside
if baking burger buns arrange the dough balls on a large baking sheet spaced evenly apart and lightly cover with plastic wrap and set aside
repeat this process with the second half of the dough

Baking:

allow the dough to rise, covered, for 2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size
preheat the oven to 325°F before baking the loaves
once the dough has risen brush the tops with egg wash
place the dough in the oven at 325°F for 35-35 minutes until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 190°F
remove the bread from the oven and le it cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan
once slightly cooled, carefully flip the bread out of the pan and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely