Brioche Bun Recipe (Sicilian Style) (2024)

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This brioche bun recipe will be your go to recipe whenever you want to make any type of brioche. Use them for sweet or savory dishes, add the top or leave it off, but be sure to try them with a cream topped granita, Sicilian style!

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This brioche bun recipe is super easy to make, especially if you have a bread machine or stand mixer with a dough hook.

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I want to share this recipe with you because it is part of a typical Sicilian breakfast that I learned about first hand, many years ago when I first visited Sicily. My uncle took me to a bar in his village to have this special breakfast, even though I was reluctant to go. I didn’t eat breakfast when I was 19; it was just never my thing. However, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

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My upcoming strawberry granita recipe will have the whole story, but for now, I want you to be able to have the brioche recipe ready to go when you make the granita. Here’s a sneak peek at my strawberry granita!

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For those of you who can’t wait, I’ve already posted my lemon granita recipe, which can be served with brioche, too.

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The granita you see with this brioche is my rhubarb granita! I’ve been on a granita kick, and couldn’t resist when I had fresh rhubarb recently! Let me know if you’d like me to post the recipe.

As I noted above, you can make these brioche without the top, as these are simply called brioche Siciliani col tuppo (with a top) to use in any manner you like. These are great for brioche hamburger buns, or for chicken sandwiches. The only thing I’d leave out is the lemon and orange rind and reduce the sugar (if you like), but these are already not very sweet at all.

I was given permission to share this coffee granita with a brioche by Cielo di Taormina! Isn’t it fab? If you’re visiting, check out their website, but in the meantime, you can follow on Instagram.

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Eat them plain for breakfast or with butter or jam. They’re perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Also, in Italy brioche are often sliced and stuffed with ice cream. It makes a great summertime dessert! If you have any leftover a few days after you’ve made them, they are great to use for bread and butter puddings!

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Brioche Bun Recipe (Sicilian Style)

adapted from my cream bun recipe with inspiration from Pietro M. (Solo Cose Buone)
makes 9 large brioche with tops

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup (115 ml) lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup (115 ml) warm milk
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) butter, melted (weigh the butter first, then melt it)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • grated rind from an orange and a lemon, organic
  • 4 cups (570 g) all purpose or bread flour, or more if needed
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp of milk, for glaze

Special equipment: pastry brush

In abread machine (the link goes to the one I have, but there are many less expensive ones) or stand mixer, place the lukewarm water, yeast and honey. Mix the milk, melted butter, beaten egg together, then add to the yeast mixture along with the grated citrus rind.

Add the flour, 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar and salt, and turn on machine (dough setting on bread machine or use a dough hook if using a stand mixer.) Mix by hand if you aren’t using a machine.

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Dough will be slightly sticky. Allow cycle to finish on dough setting. With a stand mixer, or by hand, when the dough is ready, cover it and let rise on the counter until doubled in size. After it’s risen, punch down the dough, and let rest for 5 minutes.

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Cut pieces of the dough and shape into round balls, and place onto a greased cookie sheet (or silicone sheet.)

NOTE: I weighed mine so they would all be of equal size, but it’s not necessary. If you do want to weigh them evenly, the large part is 100 grams and the top is 20 grams. This made exactly 9 topped brioche. If you want to make plain brioche without a top, you’ll end up with about 11 large brioche buns.

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For the top, shape the 20 gram pieces of dough into a ball and then elongate them on one end. This is the end that will go into the main part of the brioche.

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Once the large and small balls are shaped, make a deep indentation in each brioche bun.

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Now, push the elongated part of the small ball into the dough, and repeat this for all of them. Don’t be shy when pushing them in as they will want to pop back up.

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Place the tray in the oven (do not turn it on) to rise for about half an hour or until doubled in size. (I put a jug of boiling water in the oven for steam, so the buns don’t get a crust).

Once doubled in size, remove the buns from the oven, then preheat to 350º F (175ºC.) Gently brush the brioche with the egg glaze.

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When the oven is ready, bake the buns for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven. They will have a beautiful sheen.

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Place them on a cooling rack until ready to serve. I hope you’ll enjoy my brioche bun recipe. Enjoy as you wish, but I highly recommend eating at least one with a cream topped granita!

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You can take a piece of soft brioche and dip it directly into the cream.

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It’s incredibly delightful! Then you can dig in with a spoon, too.

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Brioche are wonderfully light and airy! Let me know if you try this recipe (rating/review in the printable recipe card.)

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Brioche Bun Recipe (Sicilian Style)

Yield: 9

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A Sicilian style brioche that can be used in any manner.

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup (115 ml) lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup (115 ml) warm milk
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) butter, melted (weigh the butter first, then melt it)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • grated rind from an orange and a lemon, organic
  • 4 cups (570 g) all purpose or bread flour, or more if needed
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp of milk, for glaze

Instructions

    1. In abread machine (the link goes to the one I have, but there are many less expensive ones) or stand mixer, place the lukewarm water, yeast and honey. Mix the milk, melted butter, beaten egg together, then add to the yeast mixture along with the grated citrus rind.
    2. Add the flour, 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar and salt, and turn on machine (dough setting on bread machine or use a dough hook if using a stand mixer.) Mix by hand if you aren’t using a machine.
    3. Dough will be slightly sticky. Allow cycle to finish on dough setting. With a stand mixer, or by hand, when the dough is ready, cover it and let rise on the counter until doubled in size.
    4. After it’s risen, punch down the dough, and let rest for 5 minutes.
    5. Cut small pieces of the dough and shape into round balls, and place onto a greased cookie sheet (orsilicone sheet.) I weighed mine so they would all be of equal size, but it's not necessary. If you do want to weigh them evenly, the large part is 100 grams and the top is 20 grams. This made exactly 9 topped brioche. If you want to make plain brioche without a top, you'll end up with about 11 large brioche buns.
    6. For the top, shape the 20 gram pieces of dough into a ball and then elongate one end. This is the end that will go into the main part of the brioche.
    7. Once the large and small balls are shaped, make a deep indentation in each brioche bun.
    8. Now, push the elongated part of the small ball into the dough, and repeat this for all of them.
    9. Place the tray in the oven (do not turn it on) to rise for about half an hour or until doubled in size. (I put a large cup of boiling water in the oven for steam, so the buns don’t get a crust).
    10. Once doubled, remove the buns from the oven then turn it on to preheat to 350º F (175ºC.) Gently brush the brioche with the egg glaze.
    11. Bake the buns for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven.
    12. Place them on a cooling rack until ready to serve. Enjoy as you wish, but I highly recommend a cream topped granita!

Notes

You can let these rise and bake in a traditional brioche mold, too.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 126Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 292mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 5g

Nutrition info is all estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

My friend Jill, from Mad About Macarons has a lovely French brioche loaf recipe if you get the “brioche bug!”

Christina’s Cucinais a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking toAmazon.com.

Brioche Bun Recipe (Sicilian Style) (2024)

FAQs

What makes a brioche bun so special? ›

Brioche is different to most breads because it's made with an enriched dough and tastes a little sweeter. . Because it's an enriched dough, you get that famous brioche texture of soft bread, the classic golden colour and quintessentially rich taste.

What is the difference between a brioche bun and a regular bun? ›

Brioche rolls and regular rolls are different in that brioche rolls require more eggs and butter in their recipe than regular rolls. Although both brioche rolls and regular rolls contain eggs and butter, the fact that brioche rolls contain more of these ingredients means that these rolls are higher in fat content.

Why is my brioche not fluffy? ›

If the kneading is not done correctly and the dough is not kneaded enough or is kneaded too much, this will affect the texture of the brioche. The dough should be left to rise in a warm place, away from any draughts.

Is brioche Italian or French? ›

Brioche (/ˈbriːoʊʃ/, also UK: /ˈbriːɒʃ, briːˈɒʃ/, US: /briːˈoʊʃ, ˈbriːɔːʃ, briːˈɔːʃ/, French: [bʁijɔʃ]) is a pastry of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb.

What is a fun fact about brioche? ›

The most authentic and classic brioche comes from Normandy, a region of northern France famous for the quality of its butter. Interestingly, in very authentic brioche recipes, 400g of butter per kilo of flour is required. The name "brioche" comes from the old French word "brier," which means "to crush the dough".

Why does brioche need to sit overnight? ›

Overnight Proof: By letting the dough rise slowly in a cold environment, it not only develops more depth of flavor, but also gives you more flexibility with the timing of baking the loaf. Cold brioche dough is also much easier to work with!

Do Five Guys use brioche buns? ›

The foundation of any good burger is the bun. Five Guys goes with a freshly baked sesame-topped brioche bun. It's the same recipe they've been using since day dot. Actually, it's the recipe from the bakery next to their first shop – they just liked it so much, they hired the baker.

Are brioche buns healthier than regular buns? ›

However, due to the higher butter content in brioche, brioche contains more fat and more calories than other kinds of bread.

Why do brioche buns last so long? ›

This is due to the high fat content in the dough and the eggs, which pro- vide a combination of proteins (albumin), fat, and emulsifiers (leci- thin) that all delay staling. Although it's wrong to assume that brioche will never stale in the refrigerator, it does take longer for it to stale.

What happens if you put too much butter in brioche? ›

It is possible to add too much butter to bread dough. Too much butter will result in a very soft, sticky dough that's difficult to shape, and bakes up greasy and dense.

How do you know when brioche is kneaded enough? ›

You know that the brioche dough has been kneaded for long enough when: the dough does not stick to the bottom of your stand mixer bowl or bread machine anymore, the dough can be held on to your hand without sticking to them, and you can extend the dough to the point it becomes see-through (it's called the windowpane ...

Why does my brioche taste yeasty? ›

If the area is too warm, bread will rise too fast and begin cooking before the yeast has finished acting. This will impart a "yeasty" taste to the dough that will be transferred to the finished baked loaf. Using old ingredients (rancid nuts, "old" shortening) will cause yeast breads to taste old or have an "off" taste.

What is a brioche in Italy? ›

Brioches are sweet pastry treats which in Italy are as widely spread as the croissants in France. They are made of sweet dough, which is also used to make Easter bread in eastern Europe and Greece.

What is the Italian name for brioche? ›

A cornetto with an espresso or cappuccino at a coffee bar is considered to be the most common breakfast in Italy. The name cornetto is common in southern and central Italy, while it is called "brioche" in the north.

Do Italians eat brioche for breakfast? ›

The brioche is eaten almost exclusively at breakfast, while the cornetto is found everywhere, even at night. In northern Italy it's quite rare to come across bakeries or cafés that churn out hot cornettos after sunset.

Do brioche buns taste better? ›

Brioche buns are better than regular buns but they are extra soft and tender from the added enrichment. Their buttery flavor enhances any burger or sandwich. They are also absorbent but don't get soggy too easily, which makes them perfect for soaking up those burger juices!

Why do restaurants use brioche buns? ›

“A real brioche bun is wonderful, for the right sandwich,” says Todd Ginsberg, Chef-Partner of Rye Restaurants and leading Atlanta wholesale bakery TGM Bread, a spin-off from The General Muir. “They tend to be a little more delicate and squishy, as well as a little bit sweeter than a regular bun.”

Are brioche buns healthy? ›

How healthy is brioche? Brioche contains a higher protein content than plain white bread due to the inclusion of eggs, which is beneficial for health. However, due to the higher butter content in brioche, brioche contains more fat and more calories than other kinds of bread.

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