There’s no greater satisfaction than biting into a homemade burger and knowing that both the juicy patty and glossy brioche bun have been lovingly crafted by you. It takes a little time, but is easy enough for amateur bakers and cooks, and reaps huge rewards. 

Temperatures

Temperature plays several important roles in this recipe. The water for the dough should be warmed to 40°C, as this is warm enough to help the yeast to activate but not hot enough to kill it. Brioche is a rich dough bread as it contains butter and eggs, and this means that it needs to reach an internal temperature of 88-93°C to be properly cooked throughout. Finally, we made sure to cook our beef patties to 71°C, the temperature for well done beef, and this meant that our burgers were safely cooked but still nice and tender.

Ingredients

For the buns

Makes 8

• 250ml water, warmed to 40°C
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 450g plain flour
• 50g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• Olive oil
• 1 tbsp whole milk
• Sesame seeds (optional)

For the patties

Makes 4

• 1 x 500g pack British Beef Steak Mince 15% fat
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp mixed dried herbs
• ½ tsp paprika
• A generous pinch of smoked salt
• Olive oil, for frying

Directions

• Warm the water until it reaches 40°C, but make sure not to make it any warmer or it could kill the yeast. Combine the water, yeast and 70g of the flour to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Leave it in a warm place for around 10 minutes until the yeast has activated and the mixture appears frothy.
• Melt 50g butter and whisk it together with 1 egg, the sugar, salt and yeast mixture.
• Add the remaining flour, mix together and transfer to a floured surface. Knead the dough until soft and sticky. If the dough continues to stick to your hands after 5-10 minutes of kneading, add a little more flour, but be sparing as the final dough should be tacky to touch.
• Form it into a smooth, round shape and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Roll the dough around the bowl a few times so that its surface is oily.

• Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for around 2 hours or until it has doubled in size (we like to put ours in the oven with just the light switched on).
• Transfer the dough onto a floured surface, knock out the air and knead again for a few minutes. Divide it into 8 equal balls. Flatten the balls into disc shapes and lay them out onto lined baking trays, leaving plenty of space between them. Return to a warm place to prove for another hour, or until they have doubled in size. They may stick together a little but can be easily pulled apart after cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Beat the remaining egg and milk and very lightly brush the top of the buns with the mixture, making sure not to knock the air out of the dough. Add a sprinkling of sesame seeds if you like.
• Bake for around 15 minutes until lightly browned and the temperature on your Thermapen reads 88-93°C.

• Let the bread cool down to room temperature (22°C) before slicing – this allows the texture to firm up and prevents steam escaping which will keep the bread fresher for longer.

To make the patties

• Begin by adding a drizzle of olive oil to a pan and cooking the onion and garlic for 5-10 minutes until soft. Set aside until cool.
• Tip the onions and garlic into a bowl with the mince, egg, herbs and spices, smoked salt and some pepper and mix well using your hands. Once combined, divide the mixture into four equal portions and form into round patties.
• Cook the patties on the BBQ, grill or frying pan equally on both sides until the internal temperature reaches 71°C throughout. If you’re having cheese in your burger, add your slices to your patty as the temperature reaches around 55°C to give it plenty of time to melt.
• Meanwhile toast your buns and assemble your sauces and toppings, before adding your succulent and safely cooked patty and sandwiching it together!