Brioche burger buns

Start with mixing your dough

1. Put the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix together to combine.
2. Put the milk and butter in a measuring jug and heat for 20-30 seconds in the microwave, until the butter starts to melt (make sure the mixture is not too hot otherwise it might kill your yeast).
3. Crack the eggs into the measuring jug and stir to combine.
4. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and beat together on low speed using the dough hook for 2-3 minutes, until the ingredients are just coming together.
5. Increase the speed slightly and beat for another 2-3 minutes until a soft dough forms.
6. Check the dough passes the windowpane test – stretch a small piece of dough between your fingers. It is ready when it stretches to form a see-through membrane without tearing.

Let your dough rise

1. Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and leave at a warm spot in your kitchen for an hour. The oven with the light turned on (but no heat) is a great way to prove your dough. Remember to rely on visual cues to check whether the dough has risen sufficiently – temperature can play a big role.

Form the buns

1. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and press gently to deflate.
2. Use a bench scraper to divide into 9 equal pieces (for smallish burger buns) or 8 if you want bigger buns.
3. Flatten each piece and then fold the edges in towards the center to make a small ball.
4. Flip over, seam side down, and place the palms of your hands around the dough, gently twisting the roll to form a perfect sphere (take a look at the recipe video for a demonstration of this).

Second Rise (nearly there!)

1. Space the rolls slightly apart on a lined baking sheet and cover with a plastic bag. Leave them to rise again for around 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Gently brush the buns with egg wash then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake Your Burger Buns

1. Bake for 15-20 minutes (I find 17 minutes is just right, usually) until the burger buns are a deep golden color.
2. Transfer the buns to a wire rack and allow them to cool down before slicing and serving with your favorite burgers. I like to lightly toast or heat them on a griddle pan before assembling the burgers.