Lighter Brioche Hamburger Buns...with Caramelized Onions and Sesame

Brioche Hamburger Buns...with Caramelized Onions and Sesame. I've been wanting to make some Brioche buns for some time now... ever since I've seen it on so many sites. Yet, I didn't have the guts to use the high amount of butter and eggs usually called for in a brioche dough. But recently I was craving hamburgers for some reason... maybe it's because the warmer months are here... or maybe because I haven't had a hamburger in ages:). I still wanted to make the "ultimate burger" using brioche buns, so I looked at this recipe for inspiration and proceeded to make my "lighter" brioche dough.

When working with the brioche dough, it is good to keep in mind that the dough is a bit "stickier" than other normal bread doughs. It is best to resist adding too much flour or the brioche will become tough. I found these brioche buns extremely light and fluffy...and oh, so pillowy-soft. And the bun tasted so good... just by itself, no need for a hamburger:). All kidding aside, I am still planning on making the burgers ...made the burgers and they were amazing! Definitely worth making the brioche hamburger buns from scratch. They are now my new favorite hamburger bun. Hope you enjoy...

Note: While I added some caramelized onions as a topping to some of the burger buns, it is totally optional. But, I do like to keep caramelized onions in small batches in the freezer... for things like this.

You will need:

2/3 cup warm milk

1/3 cup warm water

3 TBS honey

2 ex-large eggs, room temp.

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 cups bread flour(+ more, if needed)

1 cup white whole wheat flour*

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 TBS unsalted butter, softened

*you can use regular bread flour

Topping:

1 egg yolk, for brushing( you can mix the yolk with a bit of water, if you like)

caramelized onions

sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a mixer add the flours(3 cups first), yeast and the salt. Whisk to combine and add the sliced soft butter.

2. In a glass measuring cup, combine milk, warm water, eggs and honey. Whisk to combine and add it all to the dry ingredients.

3. Place a kneading hook and turn on mixer. Mix on low scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the flour. Increase the speed to medium. Knead for 8 minutes...the dough should be tacky and look pretty sticky. If you feel the dough is sticking to the sides too much add 1 TBS of flour at a time until the dough gathers around the hook and slaps around the sides of the bowl. It may still stick a bit to the sides, but not overly. Don't be tempted to add too much flour or the buns will be dry.~ I probably added another couple of tablespoonfuls of extra flour.

4. Continue kneading for an additional 2 more minutes... for a total of 10 minutes.

5. Scrape the sticky dough that clings to the sides of the mixer bowl and then form all of the dough in a ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until at least doubled in bulk and is nice and puffy... 1 to 2 hours.

6. Plop the soft dough unto a floured countertop... sprinkle a bit of flour on top as well. Using a dough scraper, divide dough into 8-10 equal parts( or in my case, just grab a lemon size piece of dough). With floured hands form balls and place on lightly oiled parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet as they will rise some more.

7. Flatten the balls down a bit( to about 1 1/2-2 inches or so) and brush with egg yolk. Add caramelized onions and/or sesame seeds. Cover loosely( with oiled plastic wrap) and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours... or until nicely puffed.

8. Pre-heat oven to 400 deg. F with rack in center. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes(depending on the size of the bread buns...mine took about 11 minutes.)

Transfer to a rack to cool completely and freeze, if desired.