Whole Wheat Brioche Burger Buns
Soft and flavorful homemade burger buns made with 100% whole wheat and Red Star Yeast.
I’ve already confessed my love for burgers, but in my opinion a burger is only as good as its bun. The bun matters, folks! So don’t just pick the cheapest bag off the grocery store shelf. Look for something artisan, something made with good ingredients. They’ll taste so much better and so will your burgers.
Better yet, bake the buns yourself.
Making your own burger buns is no different from baking any other yeast bread, except for the extra step of dividing the dough and shaping the buns. It’s easy and totally doable, and definitely worth the effort.
For this round of buns I decided I wanted something a little more wholesome and heartier, and so I went with 100% whole wheat flour. The buns are a little bit more dense, but still soft and tender, and have a nice nutty flavor. They also pack a nutritional punch that makes me feel a little less guilty about indulging in a sky-high burger with all the fixings.
Looking for other homemade buns for summer grilling? Check out my traditional homemade burger buns and homemade hot dog buns.
baking tip:Why I bake with whole wheat pastry flour
These buns are made with whole wheat pastry flour, which is made from ground soft white wheat while traditional whole wheat flour is made from ground hard red wheat. It is softer and finer and I like that it doesn’t weigh down baked goods or overpower the flavor like traditional whole wheat flour can.
Using whole wheat pastry flour in yeast recipes can be problematic as the flour doesn’t have as much gluten power due to its low protein content, which can affect rise and texture. However, I have found that as long as the dough is kneaded for the proper amount of time and is given a little extra rising time, the results still turn out great.
Look for whole wheat pastry flour in the baking aisle of a well-stocked grocery store or buy it online.
Whole Wheat Brioche Burger Buns
Ingredients
- ¼ cup whole milk (60 ml)
- 1 cup water (250 ml)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (42 grams)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour (see Note) (350 grams)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Red Star Active-Dry Yeast (1 envelope, 7 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs , beaten
- 1 egg , beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash
- Sesame seeds and poppy seeds , for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the milk, water, butter and honey. Warm over medium heat until butter is melted. Cool for about 5 minutes, or until temperature is 120-130°.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large bowl if planning to mix by hand), combine 2 1/2 cups of the whole wheat pastry flour, the yeast and salt. Add the warm water mixture, followed by the beaten eggs, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
- Add the remaining bread flour 1/4 cup at a time while mixing on medium low speed until dough almost clears the bowl and is only a slightly sticky to the touch (It's okay if some dough sticks to your fingers). You may not need all of the remaining flour, or you may need more than is called for.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes more. Gather dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
- Punch down dough and let rest for a few minutes. Divide dough into eight equal pieces and shape into balls. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and place over the shaped buns. Return to a warm place and continue to rise for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Brush buns with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds, if desired. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Buns are best used within 1-2 days. They also freeze very well.
Notes
Disclosure: This recipe was developed in partnership with Red Star Yeast. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I love and believe in, which make Completely Delicious possible. All opinions are 100% my own, as always.
Keep in touch with Red Star Yeast on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+. Be sure to also visit their website where you can find recipes, excellent bread baking tips, and more!
These look like the most perfect hamburger buns ever!!
I love these healthy whole grain buns!!!
100% whole wheat! WOOHOO! I hate it when I see a recipe for whole wheat bread or oatmeal bread or something and then find out it’s, like, 1/2 cup. I’ve never tried to make yeast bread with whole wheat pastry flour before because of the reduced gluten, but clearly it works just fine if you’re careful. Thanks for trying it out for us! I LOVE wheaty, slightly sweet bread for sandwiches and hamburgers. I’ll have to give this a whirl.
Thanks, looks like a great recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
If I make this using bread flour I’ll be using 420 gm (3 1/2 cups x 120 gm) which is quite a bit more than the 350 gm called for using the pastry flour.
As someone who bakes only by weight I’m questioning your weight on the whole wheat pastry flour. 100 gm per cup? White pastry flour is generally considered to weigh 113 gm per cup which would make the 3 1/2 cups closer to 400 gm. I can’t find the weight of whole wheat pastry flour so I don’t know if there is really that much difference.
Wow, I have always avoided pastry flour for yeasted breads! I am going to have to give this a try!
I think your weights are off here. I had to use a significant amount more of the flour, probably closer to doubled and it was still extremely sticky and nearly impossible to knead by hand.
Far too much liquid in this recipe for amount of flour.
Thankfully I rescued the sloppy mixture by adding a lot more flour so they turned out ok in the end
Thank you for the feedback, I’ll look into this recipe asap
Tried And tested this today. They are definitely one of my favorite.
I used regular whole meal baking flour and it was perfect
You should correct the amount of flour to 650gr . Other than that it is excellent.
650 grams of whole wheat pastry flour is WAY too much flour. Each cup is only about 100 grams. Remember, pastry flour is lighter than all-purpose, whole wheat, or bread flours, which is why I used it for these whole wheat brioche buns. I also use the weight ingredient chart from King Arthur to back up all of my grams measurements. It’s a great resource!
My mistake that I didn’t mention I use simple whole wheat flour , I have done your recipe many times and it is great with this amount.