Baking your own bread at home is an incredibly rewarding experience. And brioche buns are such a delicious, light, tasty style of bread, they’re just the thing to try at home. Instead of just settling for a plain old bun, the next time you try your hand at baking, give these fun & easy brioche bun designs a try. A cute little puppy, sweet songbird, simple spiral, and stuffed caterpillar – these 7 inspiring ideas will change the way you bake. Now bread & butter is anything but basic!
Yield: 1 per recipe
Prep Time: 90 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 12–14 hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You’ll Need:
- 2 cups milk, lukewarm
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- ¾ stick butter, melted
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 10 cups flour
Here’s How:
Stir together all of the ingredients for the dough, then knead it by hand for approximately 12 minutes. Once a smooth dough has formed, cover it, transfer it to the refrigerator, and let it rise overnight.
1. Chocolatey Fish Brioche Bun
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 3 oz dough
- 1 chocolate candy
- 1 chocolate chip
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
1.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough into a long log, wrap the dough around the chocolate candy, and transfer it to a baking tray. Press the dough together where it meets, cut the ends to make them look like tail fins, and press a fork into the fins to make a striated pattern in the dough.
1.2 Pinch the dough at the other end of the fish in order to mold the dough into then shape of a fish head. Use a spoon to press a scales into the dough and position a chocolate chip near the mouth to make an eye.
1.3 Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then whisk 1 egg and some milk for the egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the surface of the dough, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake the chocolate brioche fish at 350°F for 20 minutes.
2. Raspberry Brioche Cone
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 3 oz dough
- 1 tbsp raspberry jam
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
2.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough into a large circle, then transfer it to a baking tray. Make 1 large cut from the edge to the center of the dough, then on the ¼ of the circle above the cut, make several equally spaced perpendicular cuts in the dough. Spoon the raspberry jam onto the section of the circle below the cut. If the raspberry jam seems too thin, briefly cook it with small amount of flour to thicken it before placing it on the dough.
2.2 Roll up the dough into a cone shape, making sure to roll the raspberry jam first and the cut section last.
2.3 Let the raspberry cone rest for 30 minutes, then brush egg wash over it. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the raspberry cone at 350°F for 20 minutes.
3. Songbird Brioche Bun
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 3 oz dough
- 2 chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
3.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough into a long log and transfer it to a baking tray. Tie a knot in the middle of the log and pinch 1 end to make a beak.
3.2 Position 2 chocolate chips in the dough on either side of the beak for the eyes, then flatten the opposite end to make a tail and make 2 cuts in it.
3.3 Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then brush egg wash over it. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the songbird brioche bun at 350°F for 20 minutes.
4. Caramel Nut Caterpillar Brioche Bun
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 4 oz dough
- caramel sauce
- walnuts, chopped
- 1 almond
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
4.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, then transfer it to a baking tray. Use a dough scraper to make vertical grooves across both the top and bottom of the dough, making sure not to cut all the way through it.
4.2 Chop up some walnuts and stir them together with some caramel sauce in order to make a caramel nut filling, then spread the mixture evenly over the lower section of the dough.
4.3 Roll the dough up over the caramel nut filling, but stop rolling halfway up the dough. Bring together both ends of dough at the bottom to make the shape of the caterpillar.
4.4 Fold the remaining edges up, then pinch the top and the bottom of the dough so that it looks like a large leaf. Place an almond in the center of the caterpillar.
4.5 Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then brush egg wash over it. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the caramel nut caterpillar brioche bun at 350°F for 20 minutes.
5. Playful Puppy Brioche Bun
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 4 oz dough
- 3 chocolate chips
- 1 strawberry
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
5.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough into a circular shape, transfer the dough to a baking tray, and make 2 diagonal cuts that start from the bottom section of the circle and stop almost at the top.
5.2 Flip the 2 side sections of dough under and upwards, as shown in the photo.
5.3 Roll the dough up towards the tips of the 2 pieces you flipped up, leaving some of the dough unrolled for the ears.
5.4 Sweep the 2 sides downwards, bring them together at the bottom, and press them together gently.
5.5 Make the puppy’s face by positioning the 3 chocolate chips appropriately for both its eyes and nose. Use a wooden skewer to create accents around the puppy’s ears and nose, then slice a strawberry and use it for the tongue.
5.6 Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, brush egg wash over its surface, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake the playful puppy brioche bun at 350°F for 20 minutes.
6. Spiral Brioche Bun
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 4 oz dough
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
6.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle plenty of flour over your work surface, then roll the brioche dough into 2 logs of equal length.
6.2 Place the 2 pieces of dough side by side on a baking tray, then use a fork to pierce both logs through the center. Twist the 2 logs of dough into a tight spiral.
6.3 Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then brush egg wash over its surface. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the spiral brioche bun at 350°F for 20 minutes.
7. Rosemary Brioche Tree
You’ll Need (for 1):
- 4 oz dough
- sea salt
- ½ tsp chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp milk + 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Here’s How:
7.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough into a long, ovular shape and transfer it to a baking tray. Brush olive oil over its surface and sprinkle rosemary and sea salt on top.
7.2 Fold the dough in half lengthwise and make several evenly spaced diagonal cuts in it, starting from the center and stopping before the edge.
7.3 Unfold the loops of dough, alternating the side the loop gets unfolded onto.
7.4 Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then brush egg wash over its surface. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the rosemary brioche tree at 350°F for 20 minutes.
These 7 beautiful brioche bun designs look and taste great, plus they work well served with any meal. Sweet or savory, these cute ways to shape the dough will impress all of your guests and elevate your baking game!