For Better Bakes, Perfect This Versatile Dough

At home in sweet and savory buns alike, enriched dough is a baking utility player. Let Claire Saffitz lead you to flawless results every time.

How many doughs can serve as a base for pillowy cinnamon buns in one moment, and not-too-sweet hamburger buns the next? A relative of Hokkaido milk bread and French brioche, this enriched bread has unparalleled versatility. It also defies categorization: Its silky, delicate, lightly sweet crumb has as much in common with pastry as it does with bread, allowing it to move fluidly from sweet to savory. As with most yeasted doughs, nailing this one requires special attention to time and temperature, as well as an understanding of gluten development. But once you learn how to conjure up this shape-shifting bread, you might very well find yourself eating it, in some form or another, all day long.