These Orange Cranberry Cheesecake Brioche Buns are made featuring a Sweet Orange Brioche dough, filled in the center with a cheesecake & cranberry filling, and then topped with an orange drizzle! They're the perfect holiday or wintery bake!
Winter is that time of year when the cranberries are in season, and some people might have a little too many, especially after Thanksgiving. If you have any leftover cranberry sauce, then I have the perfect recipe for you.
It's no secret that I'm a little obsessed with Brioche dough, especially with my ever-growing brioche buns recipes flooding my blog. I'm not mad about it though! This particular recipe has been on my mind for months, and I couldn't wait to get to baking it, especially during the winter months. These Orange Cranberry Cheesecake Brioche Buns will be your new favorite of my brioche buns recipes, and for very good reason.
These buns feature an orange sweet brioche dough, filled with a delicious cheesecake and cranberry sauce, and then topped with an orange drizzle. They're soft, flavorful, and will make everyone think you bought them straight from a bakery!
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Sweet Brioche dough - This brioche dough isn't only buttery and sweet, it's also infused with orange zest, making it even better!
Soft and fluffy - I absolutely adore my brioche dough because it's simple, delicious, and incredibly soft. It has wonderful flavor, and lasts for days.
Fillings - Cheesecake? Yes please. Cranberries? Uh...duh! Both? Together? AMAZING. This combo is delicious, and a must try!
Bakery-worthy - If you make these or any of my brioche buns recipes, people will think you bought them from a bakery. You'll impress just about any crowd.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Brioche Dough
- Flour - This recipe can be used with either Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour. I prefer bread flour, but if you don’t have any, all-purpose will work.
- Yeast - My favorite yeast to use is Active Dry Yeast, which requires proofing before adding it to the flour mixture.
- Milk - It’s best to use whole milk since this is an enriched dough, the more fat, the better.
- Salt - ALWAYS important in any recipe. Without salt, the bread will taste flat.
- Granulated Sugar - This adds sweetness to the Brioche dough and creates a bit more of a softness.
- Egg - I use two egg yolks for this recipe, adding more fat, without the added liquid of the whites.
- Butter - A key ingredient in Brioche is butter. This recipe calls 6 tablespoons of during softened butter during the second kneading. Make sure the butter is very soft, otherwise it will take a while to incorporate into the dough.
- Vanilla extract - This ingredient is optional. I like adding it to flavor the dough when I’m making a sweet dough. You can leave it out if you'd like.
- Orange zest - Add zest from an entire orange. This will flavor the dough.
Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberries - I love using frozen fruit, but you could also use fresh.
- Sugar - A little sugar to sweeten the sauce.
- Orange - Both orange zest as well as as orange juice.
Cheesecake Filling
- Cream cheese - I use full-fat, block cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
- Sugar - A little granulated sugar to sweeten the filling.
- Vanilla - Either extract, paste, or vanilla beans.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale - It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Sheet Pan - Two large sheet pans to bake the buns.
Mixing bowls - I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
Mixer - I love using my stand mixer when making enriched doughs because it takes a while to knead.
Spatula - A spatula would help scrape down the bowl when making dough.
✨ Variations
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.
Apple - This is one of my favorite, and also a favorite of many readers, for many years. Switch it up and add apples, like my Apple Cheesecake 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.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
For a full step-by-step instruction + photos of making the dough, refer to How to Make Brioche Dough post.
Step 1
Combine the sugar and the orange zest, and using your fingers, rub them together. This helps bring out the oils in the zest, which yields more flavor.
Then, proceed with the full brioche dough recipe.
Step 2
Once dough has been fully kneaded, Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover and let rise for at least an hour.
🎩Trick: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
Step 3
While dough is rising, make the sauce.
In a medium sauce pan, add the cranberries, sugar, zest of one whole orange, and freshly squeezed orange juice, and place on medium heat. Stir all ingredients together and let come to a boil.
Step 4
Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the cranberries start to burst and the sauce thickens.
Place in a bowl and let cool.
Step 5
Make the cheesecake filling
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat using a hand mixer until completely smooth.
Step 6
Dough should be doubled in size. Divide into 10 equal-sized balls.
Step 7
Once all have been formed, transfer them to a baking sheet, cover lightly with saran wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Try to make sure there is enough space between them so that they aren't touching when rising.
Step 8
Once doubled in size, take a cup or a small bowl (make sure it's floured so it doesn't stick) and create an indent in the center. I like to use a ⅓ cup measuring cup.
Step 9
Brush egg wash around the rim of the brioche bun
💡Hint: You can use a piping bag for the fillings or whatever you have on hand like a spoon or a small measuring cup.
Step 10
Scoop cheesecake filling into half of the indent and then add cranberry sauce to the other half.
Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375°F.
Step 11
Combine powdered sugar and orange juice and mix until a pourable thick consistency forms. Once buns are cooled enough, drizzle with icing.
💬 FAQ
You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you’re ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won’t need to let the dough come to room temperature because you’ll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
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. I have a series of brioche buns recipes you can try.
My milk temperature is a guide so that you don’t use too hot of milk (could kill the yeast) or too cold of milk (won’t activate the yeast). Milk temperature between 105-115 degrees F. will do the trick and yield best results.
To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Don't Skip Kneading: 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 and the dough has pulled away from the bowl again.
Don’t add too much flour: 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.
Make Ahead: You can absolutely make these Orange Cranberry Buns ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you're ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won't need to let the dough come to room temperature because you'll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
❄ Storage
Once completely cooled, store the Orange Cranberry 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. They will keep for up to 3 days.
✍🏻 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.
📖 Recipe Card
Orange Cranberry Cheesecake Brioche Buns
Equipment
- 2 Large baking sheet
- 1 Stand mixer with hook attachment
Ingredients
Sweet Brioche Dough
- ¾ cup +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉ (202g) (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (7g)
- ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
- zest of 1 whole orange
- 3 cups (360g) bread flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
Cranberry Sauce
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
- Zest of one whole orange
- ¼ cup freshly juiced orange
Cheesecake Filling
- 6 oz cream cheese, full fat softened to room temperature
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Egg wash
- 1 egg + a little water (whisk together egg and a splash of water)
Icing
- ⅔ cup Powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon freshly juiced orange
Instructions
Sweet Brioche Dough
- Yeast: In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, packet of yeast and a teaspoon of sugar and let sit and foam for about 5 minutes.Sugar zest: In the stand mixer bowl, combine the sugar and the orange zest, and using your fingers, rub them together. This helps bring out the oils in the zest, which yields more flavor.¾ cup +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉ (202g), 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 package active dry yeast (7g), zest of 1 whole orange
- First knead: to the sugar, add flour, salt, 2 egg yolks, vanilla extract, and the activated yeast mixture and let knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough comes away from the bowl and forms a sort of ball.3 cups (360g) bread flour, ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Second Knead: Start adding the softened butter slowly until all is incorporated and knead for an additional 12-15 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. When touching with your finger, the dough should not stick at all. The dough will be tacky and a lot smoother/silkier than a regular dough.6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Important: Don't add more flour. Let the dough knead and come together. It will be tempting to add more flour, but trust the process. If you weighed your ingredients using a scale, the dough should all come together.
- Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
- First proof: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover and let rise for at least an hour.
Cranberry Sauce
- While the dough rises, prep the cranberry sauce.In a medium sauce pan, add the cranberries, sugar, zest of one whole orange, and freshly squeezed orange juice, and place on medium heat. Stir all ingredients together and let come to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the cranberries start to burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, and let cool completely.¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar, Zest of one whole orange, ¼ cup freshly juiced orange
Cheesecake Filling
- In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat using a hand mixer until completely smooth.6 oz cream cheese, full fat, 3 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Shaping & Filling
- Prepare two large baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
- Shape: Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and divide into 10 equal pieces using a kitchen scale. Roll each piece into a ball and place them on the baking sheet, making sure to leave room between them.
- Second Proof: Once all have been formed, transfer them to a baking sheet, cover lightly with saran wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Try to make sure there is enough space between them so that they aren't touching when rising.
- Once dough balls have risen, Preheat oven to 375℉
- Create indent: Once doubled in size, take a cup or a small bowl (make sure it's floured so it doesn't stick) and create an indent in the center. I like to use a ⅓ cup measuring cup.Brush egg wash on the sides of each bun.1 egg + a little water
- Fill: Fill half with cheesecake and half with cranberry sauce.
- Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes until the buns become golden brown.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Glaze
- Make glaze: Combine powdered sugar and orange juice and mix until a pourable thick consistency forms. Once buns are cooled enough, drizzle with icing.⅔ cup Powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoon freshly juiced orange
- These Sweet Brioche Buns are delicious warm, but taste great at room temperature as well.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
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. Tips for the best results:- Measure Flour Correctly: As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
- Don’t Skip Kneading: 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 10-20 minutes until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough has pulled away from the bowl again.
- Don’t add too much flour: 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.
- Make Ahead: You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you’re ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won’t need to let the dough come to room temperature because you’ll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
- Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
- Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
- Humidity: Due to reader feedback, I've updated the recipe to reduce the amount of milk to ¾ of a cup instead of a whole cup. See Reader feedback for more info.
Ashley S. says
The brioche dough recipe is easy to follow and straight forward. I really appreciate all the tips you laid out. It made it easy to know when my dough was ready. I made the orange cranberry flavor and they were delicious. I ate two buns in less than 5 minutes. They were so soft, even the next day. I'm definitely going to be making more!
Hakima says
So happy you liked the recipe, Ashley! Thank you so much for trying it out and leaving a review!