The ultimate game-changer to elevate your burger game. Light, pillowy soft and oh so rich, these burger buns are easily a thousand times better than what you get in store. They are a cross between Hokkaido milk bread and brioche buns and if you know how amazing those breads are respectively, just imagine how incredible these hybrid burger buns are!!!
I’ve never been one to diss store-bought bread but I was looking for something to help me pass the time over the weekends during this lockdown and the first thing I thought of was bread. Proofing, rolling it, and proofing again… it was exactly what I needed to help the day go by! Burger buns was the natural choice given how much I love my burgers so I embarked on my quest to create the BEST BURGER BUNS OF ALL TIME. Boy was I glad I did because these bad babies are remarkable.
What makes these burger buns so special is how light, tender and yet rich they are – tenderness from the light and fluffy Hokkaido milk bread and richness from buttery brioche. You’ll want to dig a hold inside them and sleep, that’s how good they are! These bad boys have slightly less butter than a traditional brioche and uses the tangzhong method – tangzhong is a water-roux paste that is often used in Asian baking to make soft fluffy bread that more importantly, stays soft for days.
All about tangzhong
Tangzhong is a Japanese technique that combines a small amount of flour and liquid (typically water/milk) over heat until it comes together into a paste. When added to a bread mixture, it helps the flour absorb more liquids by pre-gelatinising the starches in the flour. It is also really good for holding onto liquids throughout the kneading, baking and cooling processes which in turn results in:
1) A dough that’s less sticky and easier to knead
2) A higher rise in the dough (due to the water creating more internal steam)
3) Bread that’ll stay more moist, soft and fresh for longer (from more water being retained during baking)
For the softest, fluffiest burger buns of your life
It really does not take much effort at all. These buns use a two stage proofing process but that said, just leave your dough to rise each time, go about your day, and come back to perfectly risen dough that just guarantees light and pillowy soft buns. The photos below show the dough before and after proofing:
Before first rise 
After first rise 
Before second rise 
After second rise
To shape the dough: With the dough in hand, flip it over and stretch/fold the sides in towards the centre and pinch together. Do this all around the edges until the sides are smooth. With your pinkie fingers in constant contact with the work surface and the dough in between both your hands (and touching the sides of your palm), move your hands in opposite directions to tuck the sides of the dough in and shape into a tight ball. Hopefully the GIF below does a better job at describing what needs to be done. Once shaped, place the dough balls seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and continue with the rest.
I will be be sharing my recipe for the most incredibly decadent breakfast sandwich shortly so keep an eye out for that! [Edit: Recipe for the ultimate Scrambled Eggs and Chives Sandwich is out!]
Light, pillowy soft and oh so rich, these burger buns are easily a thousand times better than what you get in store. They are a cross between Hokkaido milk bread and brioche buns and if you know how amazing those breads are respectively, just imagine how incredible these hybrid burger buns are!!! To make the tangzhong, add the bread flour into a small pot and gradually whisk in the water. Place the pot over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes a thick paste. Set it aside to cool completely while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the bread flour, salt, sugar and fast action yeast. With the dough hook attached, add in the milk, egg, egg yolk and cooled tangzhong, and mix on medium-low speed until it comes together into a dough. Gradually add in the butter and continue kneading for another 8 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Remove the dough and while you’re holding it, flip it over and stretch the sides of the dough into the middle and pinch together. Do this all around the edges. Flip the dough ball back over and place it seam-side down into a large bowl that’s been lightly greased, cover with cling wrap or a damp towel, and place it somewhere warm to rise until doubled in size. This should take about 1.5 to 2 hours. Alternatively, place the dough in the fridge overnight. Deflate the risen dough (I punched it), and divide it into 6 equal pieces that weigh about 100g each. To shape the dough (like in step 3), flip it over, and stretch and fold the sides in towards the centre and pinch together. Do this all around the edges until the sides are smooth. With your pinkie fingers in constant contact with the work surface and the dough in between both your hands (and touching the sides of your palm), move your hands in opposite directions to tuck the sides of the dough in and shape into a tight ball - see GIF above for demonstration. Place it seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then repeat with the rest of the dough balls. Ensure that the dough balls are well spaced out on the baking tray and lightly cover with cling firm or a damp towel. Leave to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the egg with a splash of water (this is the egg wash) and once the dough balls are risen and puffy, gently brush the entire top of the buns with it. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the tops are golden brown. 8. While the buns are still hot, brush the entire top of the buns with melted butter and set aside to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container. 1. If using active dry yeast, heat up the milk in the microwave for 30s and mix in the yeast in to ‘activate’ for 10 minutes before adding into the dough mixture. The Fluffiest Burger Buns Ever
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
Tangzhong
DoughInstructions
Notes
