It's recipe time!!!

I promised a few of you the recipe for those brioche buns I made a few weeks ago, so here it is! There's nothing more to say except: make these... you will not be disappointed. Oh, and making bread takes patience and planning, so make sure you have plenty of that.

Brioche Hamburger Buns

(Recipe from The Clever Carrot)
makes 8 buns
1 cup warm water (warmer than your body temperature, but not scalding!)
3 tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
2½ tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, beaten + 1 egg for egg wash
3 cups bread flour
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the water, milk, yeast and sugar. Whisk, then let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. (My yeast mixture rarely bubbles, but don't worry if it doesn't, your dough will still rise!)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add both of the flours, salt and butter. Using the paddle attachment, mix the ingredients until the butter is the size of crumbs. Stir in yeast mixture and 1 beaten egg. Run the mixer on medium-low speed until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides; be patient, this will take about ten minutes.

Shape the dough into a rough ball and return it to the bowl. (I also swipe a lightly oiled paper towel around the bowl before putting the dough back in.) Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled is size. This could take anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Check the dough every half hour or so.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the dough has doubled in size, use a dough scraper or a knife to divide the dough into 8 equal parts. To shape the dough into balls, pull the sides of your dough up towards its center and pinch everything together, flip the ball over and roll it with both hands until it is smooth. (This process is hard to describe in words... here is a great video to show you what I mean.) Transfer the buns to a parchment lined baking sheet, placing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until puffy, approximately 1-2 hours. They should be a bit smaller than the size you ultimately want them... they will get even bigger in the oven. I actually let mine sit a touch too long and they over-proofed slightly!

To make the egg wash, beat the remaining egg with a splash of water. When the buns are finished rising, gently brush them with egg wash. Preheat your oven to 400 F. and place a shallow baking pan on the oven floor. Before the dough goes in, fill the pan with a little bit of water. This will help create steam in the oven, which will help keep the bread moist. Bake until golden brown all around, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

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* Even though warm, fresh baked bread is one of the most delicious things in the world, it is important to let the buns cool to room temperature before cutting them because bread keeps cooking even after it is out of the oven. If you cut into it too early, you'll ruin the best part of it- the soft doughy insides! So make these buns ahead of time. If you won't eat all 8 buns in one sitting, they freeze very well. Just pull them out in the morning and warm them back up in the oven for a few minutes once thawed.*