Light Brioche Buns

After a cooking friend supplied a link to Lucie Madeleine's blog, I found a recipe for these homemade brioche buns and tried them for our turkey burgers this past weekend. They were deliciously light with just enough sweet to complement the burgers. I will be making more of these for a family get-together this coming weekend!

The recipe includes instructions to rub the butter into the flour by hand, a method also used to make pâte brisée, and it made for a light, almost croissant-like crust. The ingredients list two eggs, one for batter and one for egg wash. I mistakenly added both eggs to the dough; however it turned out fine. Visit Lucie Madeleine's blog for the original recipe which includes the technique of slapping the dough instead of kneading it.
Light Brioche Hamburger Buns - My Version
(Recipe yielded 8 buns)

1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons warm milk
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed

In small bowl, combine water, milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about five minutes. Beat eggs. In large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between fingers, making crumbs. Dump flour mixture onto well-floured counter and make a well in center. Add eggs to center. Using dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten eggs until dough forms, scooping dough up and kneading it with a very light hand, and adding small amounts of flour as needed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball and place in greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently form each piece into ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet. Press each ball down lightly. Cover loosely with piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.