Light Brioche Sandwich Buns

By Bread Festival Bakers

From Suzanne McGann, Bread Festival 2017 Showcase BakerThis recipe was adopted from various blog recipes, King Arthur's basic brioche recipe and 'Ultimate Bread' by Eric Treulle and Ursula Ferrigno. Photo from King Arthur Flour. This has become our family classic for lunch sandwiches, sloppy joes and hamburgers. This recipe makes enough for 24 medium-sized buns. Buns freeze well!

Ingredients

6 1/2 cups flour, plus more
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup warm milk
4 teaspoons yeast (I use SAF Red Instant)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
5 Tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 egg, beaten
Sesame or poppy seeds, optional

Instructions

Place flour in a work bowl. Dissolve yeast in water and milk, 5 minutes. Add yeast slurry into flour, and then mix in all remaining ingredients. Add additional flour if needed until you get a smooth dough. Knead by hand to reach a smooth final dough before placing into a large greased bowl for the first rise. Let bread rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Divide dough into 24 pieces and shape into buns. (Tip: Shape with key and twist methodology.) Place buns on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Rest 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash buns with egg wash (1 beaten egg, 1 teaspoon water and pinch of salt) and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until dark brown. Cool buns directly on wire racks.