Soft, fluffy and classic burger buns sprinkled with sesame, made with dough enriched with butter and eggs, but not as much as to make it a brioche.
Burger in a brioche?
Please - do not serve burgers in a brioche bun. It’s wrong in so many ways.
First off, tiny kobe burgers in tiny brioche sliders served for a hundred bucks or so in the NY db bistro moderne were a luxury novelty thirteen years ago. They created a gourmet version of what you regularly noshed for a couple of dollars in a local diner, and the idea was certainly original.
The wagyu beef they used (btw all kobe is wagyu: breed; only chosen wagyu is kobe: regional variety, the crème de la crème) tastes rich, a brioche tastes sweet; together they tasted weird-wonderful, especially if you were paying top whack. That’s all good and up there with the bacon ice cream.
Shop bought brioche buns are rubbish
Since then the world has wanted brioche buns for burgers. The most common search question in relation to burgers is ‘where can I buy brioche burger buns?’
But I believe you don’t, nor should you want to. All you can get in answer to that question is a fake bun that the supermarkets call 'brioche', or even ‘light brioche’ which is an oxymoron.
It's fluffy, puffy and yellow, sprinkled with sesame so you knew what it was meant for. It’s a con and you don’t want to go near it.
A proper brioche on the other hand is way too sweet, way too buttery and way too BRIOCHEY to be sliced and packed with a beef patty and an onion slice. Novelty is great but it won’t feed you very well every day.
What to pack the burgers in?
Plain, comforting soft baps will do well as burger housing but if you want to be a bit fancy, this is a good option.
These are burger buns made with enriched dough but not too sweet or eggy. You can give them the sesame treatment safely, and swap the milk for water for lighter texture. It’s my go-to burger bun.
Unless I can be bothered to make the Japanese milk rolls… But that’s a different story.
How to make classic soft burger buns
The dough is made all at once, without preferment and rises in the bowl until doubled.
Shaped buns also prove, wrapped in plastic or a clean tea towel, until ready to go into the oven.
Egg wash and the sesame sprinkle makes them pretty, but the glaze also keeps them soft and fresh for longer.
All you need is a patty now.
Various types of burger recipes
Classic beef patty, with a secret ingredient.
Grilled chicken burgers, best for the barbecue.
Chunky salmon burgers, with some of the fish minced and the rest diced coarsely.
Delicious prawn burgers, with crunchy homemade coleslaw.
Halloumi burgers, packed into the bun with grilled vegetables.