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Beet Brioche Burger Buns

Beet Brioche Burger Buns // take a megabite

These buns are a burger clue. And for those of you who are anti-beet you’ll be all, “Thank god you can’t taste those earthy fuschia jerks.” Mostly (2nd clue alert) I needed a bright bun for a khaki burger to come. I know I’m not selling this future burger, but beware… it’s been called the Lady Gaga of burgers. It’s a punch in the face with flavor. It’s good. So… get ready for it later this month.

Beet Brioche Burger Buns // take a megabite

But mostly, tell me about your weekend, ok? Tell me the best part of it. These buns were a major highlight for me. I might start making ONLY pink food. It might be happening. These buns, making cold-brew coffee, sitting at my picnic table in the sun, getting a beer alone to take minute to sort my head out, talking on the phone with my BFF, and then just remembering to have faith in the universe kinda sum up my weekend. Tell me about your weekend!

Beet Brioche Burger Buns // take a megabite

Beet Brioche Burger Buns (16 slider buns)
Recipe adapted from these inspired by Club Narwhal

Ingredients:

  • 1 small beet + olive oil
  • 5 T unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup milk, warm but not hot
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 package (2 t) active dry yeast
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 1/4 cups bread flour
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 t salt
  • egg wash: 1 egg + 1 T water
  • poppy seeds

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Rub olive oil over the beet and wrap in foil. Roast for 45-60 minutes or until soft. Puree with butter in a  food processor.
  2. Warm milk in microwave for 10 seconds spurts until warm, about 30 seconds total. Whisk in the honey and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add beet butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Pour in the yeast mixture and beaten egg and stir until a soft dough forms. Scrape dough onto a clean, well-floured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on the counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be somewhat sticky, but keep in mind that the more flour you knead in, the tougher the buns will get. Try to leave them stickier than your average bread dough. (You can totally use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this too.)
  4. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a medium bowl sprayed with cooking spray, turning once to coat. Top with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
  5. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper. Divide dough into 8 equal parts (4-ish oz. a piece) or into slider buns (1/5-2 oz). Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated in nonstick spray and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
  6. Set a large shallow pan of water on the oven floor. Preheat oven to 400° with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 T water and brush some on top of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if ya’ feel like it. Bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes or 8-10 minutes for smaller buns. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yay! Click HERE for a printable pdf of the recipe above.

insta-living // take a megabite

THIS BEER // My fave salad // this dough is magic // cold-brew?! 

29 thoughts on “Beet Brioche Burger Buns”

  1. I would eat a Gaga burger for sure. These pink buns are a major selling point, I won’t lie. They’re so punk. So Gwen Stefani circa late 90s No Doubt. I love it!

    Also, I ate donuts in the park with my manfriend on the weekend, and it was the best.

  2. Sign me up!! These are fabulous! I always want everything to be pink; everything I wear, everything I eat, plus all my friends, PINK! Love it, girl!

    I think the best part of my weekend was having my husband stay home from work on Sunday because he wasn’t feeling well = unexpected movie-day with my favorite 🙂

  3. You know I love this! And I’m glad someone is finally making a Lady Gaga burger and I’m glad it’s you. Your weekend sounds great and my favorite part of the weekend was an early morning bike ride in the sunshine with Marc 🙂

  4. These buns are oh, so gorgeous! This weekend was perfect bliss here in Michigan and I’m so glad you get to have some BFF phone time. That is the best! We built a patio table, which was pretty much the most fun ever 🙂

  5. These buns are so pretty! I can’t wait to see this Gaga burger you speak of. Also, your weekend sounds great! I made your chocolate chip cookies (I shared them, and they are already gone…in one day!), and I drank a couple of American Vintage Hard Iced Teas, which might be my new favorite drink for summer. They don’t even taste like they have alcohol in them, which could be a major problem. Happy Monday to you, sweet lady!

  6. No one makes cuter food than you, Megs. Also, GAGA BURGER. I want you to do some rad cookbook with all your cutest food by color. Really, I do.

    My favorite part of the weekend was celebrating 5 years with my dude by stuffing our faces with really good Thai food and surprising him with the equipment to brew beer. I just love a good surprise. Good weekends everywheres yay!

  7. seriously?! pink! love it! i would eat pretty anything on a bun as pretty as those!! can’t wait to try 🙂 as for my weekend, i just got back Greece late last night! so my weekend was…well wait, what day is it?!

  8. I’m about to start making these today. Annoying question- what makes these brioche? There’s not a whole lot of butter in them. Is it a texture thing?

    >DL

  9. These look great! I buy loads of beets because I love eating the greens so I’m always looking for more recipes for the veg itself! Just wondering, if one decided not to include the beets would the recipe still work? I ask because I really want to try making brioche buns but every single recipe I find requires a stand mixer which I don’t have and can’t afford. So wondering if the beet in this recipe is required for texture/consistency/whatever or if it’s pure flavour. I would love to have a recipe I can use for both pink and plain! Thanks!

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