By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

THERE'S nothing like a bag of fresh brioche buns to split for juicy hamburgers or pulled pork, or to enjoy toasted as an addition to your breakfast menu.

I know what you're thinking! Surely brioche bread is a difficult recipe to make? No, not at all – these soft, silky bread rolls are really easy to make from scratch at home. And they come with a built-in bonus – no preservatives and no artificial ingredients, you have complete control of what you are serving your family.

It's true to say that many of us are trying to get back to basics food-wise, and making your own bread is a great way to do that.

If you have a little time and a few basic ingredients, you can easily whip up a batch of these amazing mahogany crusted, fluffy, soft, buttery brioche buns for the barbecue this weekend.

Working in retail I've noticed over the last few years that brioche buns have become extremely popular; maybe it's because of the rich, buttery flavour – like a cross between a soft white sandwich loaf and buttery croissants. But it takes more than just butter to make good brioche dough. You also need eggs, and a good kneading technique to develop plenty of gluten. The egg adds more richness and lightness to the dough, whilst the kneading helps give it a squishy texture. Don't be put off, you can also use a stand mixer for kneading, it's so effective at developing gluten.

Rich and buttery, yet amazingly light and elegant, brioche is one of the crowning glories of traditional French baking. Have I won you over yet? With all my enticing mouth-watering words of encouragement, you'll never have to settle again for the pricey and poor imitations from the shops. Bet I have now!

Putting the incomparable taste aside, when you bake your own brioche the smells wafting through the house are intoxicating and instantly transport you to a cosy bakery in a quaint village with cobblestone streets, somewhere in the French countryside. It's just magical!

So, are you ready to bake the most amazing bread of your life? Oui? Then let's do this!

RECIPE

BRIOCHE BUNS

Makes 4 large buns

Ingredients:

300g/10.5oz strong white bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fast-action yeast

1 tablespoon caster sugar

50g/2oz butter

1 medium egg, beaten

35ml/1.2fl oz tepid milk

100ml/3.5fl oz tepid water

Sesame seeds to sprinkle over

Method:

1. Add the flour, salt and yeast to a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until you have fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg and milk gradually, adding the water until you have a sticky and shaggy dough.

2. Work the dough on a lightly-floured work surface for 8-10 minutes until it feels smooth, bouncy and stretchy, return back to the bowl and cover with a tea towel for 2-3 hours.

3. Once doubled in size, divide the dough into 6 pieces, shape round and put them onto a lined baking tray.

4. Cover with a tea towel and leave them for an hour until roughly doubled in size again.

5. Gently glaze the buns with a little egg or milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

6. Place a shallow baking tin on the oven floor and preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6, pour some water into the baking tray in the oven to create steam and bake your buns for 20-25minutes until rich golden brown.