Pumpkin Cheesecake Brioche Buns
These Sweet Brioche Buns are filled in the center with a pumpkin cheesecake filling, then topped with a powdered sugar icing! A perfect treat for fall.
Equipment
- 1 Large baking sheet
- 1 Stand mixer with hook attachment
Ingredients
Sweet Brioche Dough
- ¾ cup (202 g) +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉ (see notes)
- 1 package (7 g) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups (360 g) bread flour
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter softened
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 8 oz Package cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Pumpkin Filling
- ½ cup (115 g) pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar, packed dark or light
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice use more or less to your liking
- 1 egg
Icing
- ⅔ cup (80 g) Powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
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.¾ cup (202 g) +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉, 1 package (7 g) active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- First knead: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add flour, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, 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 (360 g) bread flour, ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 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 (84 g) 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.Humidity: If you live in an area with high humidity, you may need to add extra flour or reduce the amount of milk added to the dough. I've had readers have success with either adding more flour or reducing the milk. I've had to add more flour during the summer months when humidity is high.
- 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.
Shaping the Sweet Brioche Buns
- Prep: Prepare 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. I like to add 4 to a baking sheet to avoid overcrowding.
- Shape: Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and divide into 8-10 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. Try to make sure there is enough space between them so that they aren't touching when rising.
Prep the Filling
- Cheesecake filling: In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat using a hand mixer until completely smooth.1 8 oz Package cream cheese, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin Filling: Combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and an egg in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth.½ cup (115 g) pumpkin puree, ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar, packed, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 egg
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Create indent: After 30-45 minutes, the buns should now be 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 or a 1 cup measuring cup.
- Fill: Add the cheesecake filling to each bun, followed by pumpkin filling.
- Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes until the buns become golden brown. Start checking at 12 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs.
- 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 milk and mix until a pourable thick consistency forms. Once buns are cooled enough, drizzle with icing.⅔ cup (80 g) Powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoon milk
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 244mgPotassium: 157mgFiber: 2gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 2783IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg
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