My brioche au sucre (aka sugar brioche) recipe produces buns that are soft, pillowy, and deeply buttery. They're topped with Swedish pearl sugar for a satisfying crunch and a touch of sweetness. This recipe starts with my homemade brioche dough, which is made with plenty of eggs and butter for a tender crumb and rich, indulgent flavor.
Before You Begin
The brioche dough does require some time and attention (brioche isn't a quick weeknight project), but the process is very doable if you follow the steps carefully.
My detailed post on how to make brioche dough that walks through everything with tips and step-by-step photos. Once you have the dough ready, shaping and baking these buns is pretty straightforward, and the results are is absolutely worth the time. Serve these brioche buns with strawberry or apricot jam or just eat them plain.
Since you only need half the brioche dough for this recipe, you can use the other half to make my homemade brioche loaf or just double this recipe.
My Recipe Development Notes
This is a classic French brioche, but there are a few details I learned that will help you get beautiful, soft, fluffy buns at home:
- Butter Temperature Matter: I learned during the recipe testing that butter that is slightly cool (65-68°F) is easier to work into the dough. Soft or warm butter took longer and tended to sit on top of the dough.
- 15-Minute Rest Before Butter: Giving the dough a short rest before mixing in the butter allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to incorporate all that fat without breaking the dough. It’s a small step with big payoff.
Key Tips for Making Brioche with Pearl Sugar
- Don’t rush the chill: After the first rise, refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours (or overnight). This step isn’t just about timing, it’s key to easy shaping and better flavor. The dough is much softer right after rising and harder to handle. The chill firms it up and makes the shaping process smoother and less frustrating.
- Be patient with mixing: It takes time to develop the gluten and incorporate the butter fully, sometimes up to 30-35 minutes of total mixing. If the dough seems sticky or lumpy during butter incorporation, keep going. It will come together.
- Proof by feel, not just time: The second rise can take 1 to 2 hours depending on your kitchen. The dough is ready when it looks puffed and springs back slowly when gently pressed. If it deflates easily, it’s over-proofed; if it springs back immediately, it needs more time.
Brioche au Sucre Ingredients
If you don't have bread flour, you can make this brioche with all-purpose flour.
- Bread Flour & All-Purpose Flour: I use a 50/50 mix of bread flour and AP flour. Bread flour adds strength and chewiness, while AP flour keeps the crumb soft. You can use all AP flour, but the texture will be slightly different.
- Active Dry Yeast: Provides the rise and fermentation needed to develop structure and flavor. For this recipe, I prefer using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast for the fermentation process. Make sure you check the expiration date on your package of yeast. Do not use an expired package.
- Swedish Pearl Sugar (not pictured): This is the topping for the buns and is not to be confused with Belgian pearl sugar, which is larger and typically used in liège waffles. Swedish pearl sugar is smaller, stays intact through the bake, and gives the buns a light, satisfying crunch without being too sweet. You can find it at Kroger's or at Amazon.
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Homemade Brioche au Sucre
Step 1: Make the brioche dough and follow the steps in making brioche dough. The dough should be soft and pillowy before it goes in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape them into round balls.
Step 3: Place the dough balls on a prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic and let the dough rise.
Step 4: Brush the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with the Swedish pearl sugar.
Step 5: Bake the brioche buns until until they are risen and golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Brioche au Sucre (Sugar Brioche)
Equipment
- Bread Dough Scraper
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
- 1/2 recipe (460 grams) brioche dough
Egg Wash
- 1 large (50 grams) egg
- 1 teaspoon milk
Sugar Topping
- 1 tablespoon (12 grams) Swedish pearl sugar
Instructions
Make the Brioche Dough
- Follow my recipe for making brioche dough. This recipe calls for half a recipe of the dough. You can either double this recipe or make a brioche loaf with the other half of the dough.
Make the Buns
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Weigh the dough and divide it into 2 even pieces about 460 grams each. Place one half back in the refrigerator.
- Line a rimmed half baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Divide the dough into 8 even pieces, about 57 grams each. Weight each piece to ensure they all weigh the same.
- If a piece of dough weighs more, use a bench scraper to cut off small pieces until the desired weight each achieved. If the piece of dough doesn’t weigh enough, cut off small pieces of dough from the other pieces until the desired weight is achieved.
- Take piece of dough (press it together if you’ve add to add smaller pieces to it) and flatten it on the work surface. Center the palm of your hand over the dough. With your hand lightly pressing the dough go in a circular motion to form the dough into a ball. As the dough forms into a ball, form a cage with your hands so your hand is barely pressing against the dough. Once the ball is formed set it aside and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet evenly spaced a part. Light spray a large piece with cooking spray. Place the plastic wrap lightly over the balls of dough and let the dough rest in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- To test if the dough is ready, lightly press the side of the dough with the knuckle of one of your fingers. If the dough bounces back, it’s ready to make. If it doesn’t bounce back let it rise for another 10-15 minutes.
Bake the Brioche
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the bottom third of the oven. Whisk together the egg and the milk. Lightly brush the dough with the egg wash. Be careful not to deflate the dough as you brush it. Sprinkle the Swedish pearl sugar over the buns.
- Place the brioche in the oven and bake it for 15-18 minutes, until the bread has risen, baked to a dark golden brown, and has reached a temperature of 190°F in the center as measured by an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the brioche from the oven, place the pan on a wire cooling rack, and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan. The buns can be served warm.
How to Store the Bread
- Because of the butter and eggs in the brioche goes stale quickly. The buns are best eaten within the first 1-2 days. If the bread does go stale, use leftovers for bread pudding or breakfast sandwiches.
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