Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns

These Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns are filled in the center with a sweet cream cheese and apple pie filling, then topped with a crumble, making them a delicious treat.

Fall Baking is so warm and cozy and filled with comforting spices like cinnamon. These Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns gives all the fall vibes. It's a little bit of a process, but the results are so worth the effort. This recipe is inspired by my Sweet Brioche Buns with Cream Cheese and Lemon Curd. I've been experimenting with different fillings to use with the Brioche Buns and I've come up with some delicious recipes. First up is this cozy fall Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns!

What Are Brioche Buns?

Sweet Brioche Buns or Brioche Buns are made with an enriched dough and have an added sweetness factor to them than regular dough. Enriched doughs contain milk, eggs and butter. Basically, a lot more fat than a regular dough would have. Brioche dough typically contains more sugar than you would find in a normal dough, as well as a lot more butter.

Brioche Buns Dough Recipe

The dough is pretty simple, but can be a little time-consuming because of the kneading and the two proofs it needs.

Ingredients for Brioche Buns Dough Recipe

• Bread flour
• Milk
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Egg Yolk
• Vanilla extract
• Butter

How to Make Brioche Dough

First, add the yeast ingredients to a small bowl and set aside to activate and foam. Should take about 5 minutes.

Next, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add the dry ingredients, the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract, then add the yeast mixture and let it knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough forms a sort of ball and pulls away from the bowl.

Then, add in the softened butter until combined and let knead until the the butter is incorporated in the dough and it becomes smooth, silky, and satiny and pulls away from the bowl. Could take anywhere from 10-15 minutes, but don't skimp out on the time because this is very important. Transfer to an oiled bowl and let proof/rise for at least an hour.

Apple Filling

Ingredients for Apple Filling

• Apples
• Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon

How to Make Apple Filling

• In a pan over medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar.
• Once the butter and brown sugar are melted and combined, add the diced apples and cinnamon and let cook until tender.
• Set aside to cool

Sweet Cream Cheese

The sweet cream cheese filling is incredibly easy to put together. All you need is softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Add them to a bowl and mix until completely combined. Set it aside until you're ready to fill the buns.

How to Shape the Brioche Buns

Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and divide into 8 equal pieces using a kitchen scale. Roll each piece into a ball, then using your fingers press into the center of each Brioche bun ball, forming a center indent (see image), which creates a soft of disc that has a hole where we will fill them with the sweet cream cheese. Let them proof on a baking sheet for 30-45 minutes until puffy and doubled in size.

After the second proof

1. Once the Brioche Buns have doubled in size, take a cup or a small bowl (make sure it's floured so it doesn't stick) and create an even larger indent in the center (I used a ¼ cup initially, but found that a ⅓ cup was better).
2. Fill each indent with cream cheese
3. Then fill top with apple filling
4. Sprinkle crumble on top of each

Baking Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns

• Preheat oven to 375° and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden on the outside and the buns form a color on the bottom.
• Remove from oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes
• Top with powdered sugar if desired.

Tips to Make the Best Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns Recipe

• The best way to measure your ingredients is using a kitchen scale because it's the most accurate. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method of measuring your flour.
  • First, fluff the flour with a spoon, then spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off with a butter knife. This will prevent you from adding more flour than necessary.
• Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes before adding the softened butter. This will ensure the dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Then once you add the butter, knead for another 10-15 minutes until the butter is completely incorporated the dough has pulled away from the bowl again.
• This dough will be tacky, but shouldn't stick to your hands. It will also be very silky (this due to all the butter added). If while kneading, the dough doesn't come together after 15 minutes, you can add one tablespoon of flour at a time. But be patient before adding the flour. You don't want a dry dough.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is Brioche Buns Recipe different?

Brioche Buns recipe or Brioche bread recipes are different than regular dough recipes because of the amount of fat it contains. A regular bread recipe typically contains flour, yeast, water, salt. A brioche bread recipe is an enriched recipe that contains milk, eggs, and butter. My Brioche Buns recipe contain 1/24cup of sugar to give it an extra hint of sweetness, which is not typical in a regular bread recipe.

Can I use this Brioche Buns Recipe for Other Recipes?

Absolutely! This Brioche Buns Recipe can be a base for so many bread recipes. You can top it with whatever you desire, sweet or savory. You can even make them into Burger Buns! Stay turned because this will be a base for many great recipes to come.

What Sweet Brioche Fillings Can I use?

I have several different brioche buns variations that you could try.

Lemon Curd - switch out the cranberry sauce with lemon curd, like my Lemon Curd Buns recipe.

Pumpkin - A perfect fall recipe, or any other time you're craving pumpkin, use my Pumpkin Brioche Buns.

Berries - Use any type of berry, like my Raspberry Cheesecake Brioche Buns.

Pastry Cream - Make an easy pastry cream and turn these buns into Vanilla Custard Buns.

Cranberries - Use my Orange Cranberry Buns recipe for a holiday or winter twist.

Savory - Turn these buns into a breakfast delight with my Breakfast Brioche Buns recipe.

Are there Store-Bought Alternatives to Brioche Buns?

Unfortunately, you can't really substitute Brioche Buns with anything you'd fund at the store pre-made because the doughs you typically find are pizza doughs which are not enriched doughs. If you really don't want to make a dough but want to try these fillings, you can use puff pastry. It won't be the same texture or taste, but you'll still get a delicious treat.

How Can I Store These Brioche Buns?

Once completely cooled, store the Sweet Brioche Buns in an airtight container or a ziploc bag and keep it at room temperature. You can eat them at room temperature or warm them slightly in the microwave or oven.

Can I Freeze Brioche Buns?

Yes! Once they're completely cooled, store them in a freezer ziploc bag and they should keep for several months.O

More Recipes to Try

• Sweet Brioche Buns with Cream Cheese and Lemon Curd
• Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
• Homemade Bagels
• Apple Galette

Reader Feedback

Since developing my first brioche bun recipe in 2022, I've had many people remake them, with such great feedback. I have, however, had people mention that the dough can be a little too sticky/wet and they needed to add more flour. For this reason, I went back to the drawing board to test the recipe with ¼ cup less milk, so only ¾ cup total milk instead of 1 cup, and it turns out great! However, this is with my controlled environment, and with using a scale to weigh my flour.

If you're a long-time reader who has had success with a whole cup of milk, then keep making the recipe that way.

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