Brioche Buns

     ANOTHER great ZO dough!

  • 2 3/4 cups (11 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or bread flour
  • 1/4 cup Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast 
  • 3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, white reserved for topping
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons lukewarm water*
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter

*Start with 3 tablespoons in summer, or under humid conditions; 4 tablespoons in winter, or when it’s dry out.

Attention, #Zoheads: set your machine on the dough cycle, and walk away.

Let the dough rise for 1 hour.  Brioche dough is easier to handle when it’s cold. So let it rise at room temperature until it’s noticeably puffy; then place it in a bag (no need to grease the bag), fasten the bag at the top, and refrigerate the dough overnight.

This recipe will make six mega-buns, perfect for your half-pound burgers; eight standard burger buns; or 16 mini-buns, just right for sliders.

Divide the dough into the desired number of pieces. If you have a scale, weigh the dough before you start; this will make division totally simple.

Shape each piece of dough into a flattened round: about 3 1/4" diameter for large buns, 3" for standard, and 2 1/2" for mini.

Place the larger buns in a hamburger bun pan, if desired, for extra support. Standard and mini buns will be fine on a half-sheet pan, spaced about 2" apart. I like to line the pan with parchment, for easiest cleanup.

For smoothest shape, flatten shaped brioche buns with a tool – not simply your hands.

You can get pretty smooth brioche buns simply by using the palm of your hand to flatten them. But here’s a helpful tip: once you’ve shaped the dough into a ball, flatten it with something completely flat: like a bowl scraper, or the bottom of a measuring cup (if you have one large enough). Press down firmly, then make a couple of small circles with your hand (think washing a window), to “round” the bun under pressure.

 

Another fantastic recipe from King Arthur Flour and PJ Hamel!  (Like, word for word!)  And yes, that is a piece missing - PJ said I could!