Super Soft Brioche Slider Rolls

 Prep Time : 45 Minutes plus rising time | Cook Time : 15 Minutes | Total Time : 4 hours | Difficulty : Moderate

I have a few of my favourite gals over for dinner and a movie whenever we can coordinate our schedules. Last time we got together I made them venison sliders using these rolls and they were a total hit! I’ve been working on this recipe for a little while and it was a sign it was finally ready. These rolls are soft and pillowy inside and golden outside and the absolute best vehicle for any burger you can imagine. Because tiny burgers are awesome. This post seems long but it’s mostly pictures…

The prep is divided into two parts – preparing the dough and shaping to rolls. The first bit should take about half an hour. Measure out the milk into a heat-proof bowl and microwave in 15 second bursts until it is just warm to the touch. Just put your finger in it, I won’t tell. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and leave to soften and bubble a bit. This step is necessary if you’re using active dried yeast because it will get the yeast going and break down the little balls so they can be mixed into the dough.

While the yeast is doing its thing weigh out the flour and salt and mix together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Separate the eggs. You will need the yolks now and the whites later. Dice up the butter and set aside. If it’s not super soft leave it on a sunny windowsill until you need it, or microwave for a few seconds.

When the yeast is looking a bit bubbly and foamy, whisk the egg yolks into it. Pour the liquid into the flour and mix to a shaggy dough. Leave it to sit for a couple of minutes while you tidy things up and make room to knead.

Knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes by hand or 4 minutes on low speed in a stand mixer. It should be pretty smooth and getting to be elastic.

Let it sit to relax for another couple of minutes. If you are using a stand mixer add half the soft butter and set it going on low speed. When the butter is mostly incorporated add the rest of the butter and let it go until the dough is smooth and uniform and elastic. It should only take about 5 minutes. If you’re working by hand press the dough out flat and spread the soft butter onto the dough with your hand.

Roll the dough up left to right, then roll that up front to back. We are roughly distributing the butter throughout. Now we start kneading. It will be very squidgy and break into pieces. That’s totally normal.

Keep going. It will get VERY sticky. It will stick to you and the bench. Just scrape it up and keep going.

It will start to come together after about 5 minutes. Before you know it the dough will be smooth and supple. Resist the urge to add flour.

Grease a large bowl with a little butter or vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bottom and put the bowl in a plastic bag. The bag will help keep the air around the dough warm and humid. Tuck the edges under loosely and put the bowl in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. How long this takes will depend on how warm it is. It will probably take around 90 minutes. It can help to warm your bowl first by filling it with hot water while you knead – just make sure its nice and dry before popping the dough in.

When the dough has risen, gently tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead for about 10 seconds to remove the excess gas. Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the baking sheet. Grease the sheet with vegetable oil or dust with fine semolina. Semolina is more coarse than flour and does a great job of keeping dough from sticking.

Divide the dough into 20 pieces. I use a scale because I’m that guy.

Shape each piece into a ball and place onto the prepared sheet.

Cover the rolls with a tea-towel and put them back in a warm place. Put the oven on to 200C (400F) now. It may be on for a bit longer than it needs to be but it will be ready to go whenever the rolls are risen. Retrieve your egg whites from earlier. When the rolls have doubled in size brush them with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until dark golden and they sound hollow when you tap them on the top with your knuckle. The tops will be crisp when the rolls first come out of the oven but they will soften as they cool.

Cool the rolls completely on a wire rack before stuffing with delicious burger fixin’s. Don’t forget the pickles. It’s not a burger without pickles. Just sayin’.