Fluffy vegan brioche buns

Fluffy vegan brioche buns

brioche serving suggestion

A brioche is an enigmatic and diverse piece of French baking. I have seen brioches that look like giant Panettones, brioches with almond and nougat inside and brioche buns that are so sweet that they are like little cakes. Brioches can vary greatly in their size, form, composition and sweetness.

In this recipe, I will be taking the key elements that define a brioche:

  • an indulgent sweetness (but not too sweet)
  • a solid crust
  • lightness and “fluffiness”

I will be achieving these without using the traditional method of adding shedloads of butter and eggs. Also, I will be showing you not how to make a large brioche, but eight semi-sweet vegan brioche buns, which are perfect for enjoying with jam and coffee as a relaxed breakfast, but can also be used as buns for a delicious veggie burger and fries (watch this space!).

I will be achieving the thick crust with a bit of olive oil and almond milk, the sweetness with a little brown sugar and the fluffiness with a bit of extra time and care in the baking.

rolls on baking tray

baked rolls

making brioche buns step by step

makes
8
PREP
3 hours
COOKING
15 min
makes
8
PREPARATION
3 hours
COOKING
15 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 270 g of strong flour
  • 200 g of all-purpose flour
  • 7 g sachet fast-action dried yeast
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 300 ml of almond milk + 1 tbsp for glazing
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for glazing the bread and pan
  • handful of sesame seeds
METHOD
  1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Pour in the almond milk and stir everything together with a large wooden spoon.
  3. When the mixture has mostly stuck together turn the mixture out on to a work surface or bread board (see picture 1 above).
  4. Knead the mixture by holding one end of the dough in one hand and stretching it out with the other hand (see picture 2 above). You then reform the dough, turn it 90 degrees and start again. Repeat this for 10 minutes.
  5. When the dough is shiny and smooth (see picture 3 above), put it in a large mixing bowl, coat in a thin layer of olive oil and cover the bowl with a tea towel.
  6. Leave this in a warm place (but not too warm – ie not next to an open fire!) for between one and two hours (until it has doubled in size).
  7. Empty the dough out on to a work surface and push the air out with your fingertips (see picture 4 above).
  8. Cut the dough into 8 even pieces and shape each piece into a ball using your hand and the work surface (see pictures 5 and 6 above).
  9. Lay the dough balls out on an olive oil-greased baking tray (leaving at least a 3 cm gap between them), cover with cling film and leave for one more hour.
  10. Preheat the oven to 210° C / 410° F.
  11. Mix 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of almond milk and glaze each of the dough balls with it.
  12. Generously sprinkle seasame seeds over each ball.
  13. When the oven is hot, place the dough balls in the oven for 13-15 minutes (until they are lovely and golden brown in color).
SHARE
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
315
16%
sugars
5 g
6%
fats
9 g
13%
saturates
1 g
6%
proteins
9 g
17%
carbs
50 g
19%
*per bun
How would you rate this recipe?
This is a test string

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

4.8
10 reviews, 30 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Fay Fernandes:
Hi Ania,
I tried this last night but my dough didn't rise. Maybe it is the dry yeast? Perhaps it needs to activated first.. or...The strong flour? I just used all purpose flour and no strong flour. Can you please tell me what you meant by strong flour, is it a specific flour I need?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Fay,
    I suspect it's the yeast. There are different types of dried yeast and some need activation prior to adding to the dough and others don't. I used fast-action dried yeast in this recipe, which means that they get added straight to the flour, but if you have active dry yeast, for example, that's different - they will require activation. It's best to double-check the instructions on the packet to be sure which type of yeast you have as I found the naming a little confusing at times. And strong flour is another word for bread flour. Hope this helps! Ania
Jacky Forte:
WOW these are just devine and so easy to make. Don't think they will last long as they're so delicious. Thanks for the recipe
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Jacky! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed them. x Ania
Fran Smith:
Made these. Loved these. I added a tiny bit of turmeric to the glaze to add “egg” colour. Great with vegan mushroom burgers. Next morning - fab for brekkie. Thank you.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Fran! So glad you enjoyed these and adding a touch of turmeric sounds like a great idea! Ania
Johnny pap-aha:
Loved them they came out so good, perfect for Veganuary!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much, I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed them! Happy Veganuary and congratulations on taking the plunge (hope you'll love how you feel and never want to go back ;) ) Ania
Donal Francis Farrell:
Tried these and they came out beautifully. Great recipe. Thank you
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, I am delighted to hear that! Ania
Joanna Acevedo:
I think they need some salt. mine came out slightly inspid, lovely gtexture though.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Joanna,
    Glad you enjoyed them. Yes, I think you are right, some salt would have been good to add, I will add it to the ingredients list. Ania
Brian Watson:
Would you recommend using a stand mixer to knead it?
    Ania
    Ania:
    I have never owned one so it's hard for me to say. Kneading by hand is fine. Ania
Charlotte:
How would this be adapted to dried active yeast? (The Stuff that needs activating for 10 minutes before you use it)?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi,
    Sure, activate the yeast as per the instructions on the packet using a portion of the ingredients in the recipe (plant milk/sugar). Then add activated yeast to the dry ingredients together with the leftover wet ingredients. Hope that helps! Ania
Priti:
Hi Ania
I made these today and they came out really lovely. I used plain flour only and the inside has come out a little bit doughy maybe slightly undercooked inside. Thank you for inspiring me. Wanted to post a photo but can’t seem to.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Glad to hear that you enjoyed them, Priti. Sounds like maybe they needed a bit longer in the oven though. Stay safe! Ania
Helen:
Have you experimented with making this gluten-free? My sister-in-law and I are on the hunt for a decent vegan and gluten-free brioche (and knowing how great your recipes normally are, I thought I'd check here!)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Helen,
    No, gluten-free bread baking is a tall ask and I didn't have the courage to try yet. Some day maybe...I know that there are blogs that specialise in gluten-free baking though so I am sure you will find an expert online easily. Good luck! Ania
Daniela:
I love your recipes.
The ravioli made with aqua faba and this brioche are absolutely amazing.
Thanks for sharing.
Daniela
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Daniela! That's lovely to hear :) Ania
Shaela--US:
Can ALL of the flour be bread flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Shaela,
    You can do that, of course, but the buns will be quite bready (less soft) so I wouldn't recommend it. Hope that helps! Ania
    Shaela--US:
    I meant to say, can all the flour be all purpose flour.
      Ania
      Ania:
      Yes, but the buns will be a bit less bready and more cakey. Hope that helps! Ania
Laura:
Is strong flour the flour type 812? I live in Switzerland and we don't seem to have a flour that's called strong flour. Also, would there be a good substitute for strong flour if I can't find it? :) I just really wanna try this recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Laura, strong flavour is simply bread flour so whatever white flour you would typically use to make bread should do well! Good luck! :) Ania
Jessika:
Would "strong flour" be the same as "bread flour" in the U.S.?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yes, that's exactly what it is :)
Elodie:
Hello Ania,
I am French, I am a chef, and I am trying to go vegan.
Vegan brioche? Waw, the way you wrote all the recipe, with the pictures etc... Impressive, keep up the work. Will try as soon as possible to make them and give a feed back!
A bientôt,
Elodie
    Ania
    Ania:
    Bonjour Elodie!
    Nice to meet you (or should I say enchanté ;) ) Thank you for your kind words and hope you'll like it!
    A bientôt,
    Ania
Melanie:
I attempted to make these buns, but the dough was so sticky that I couldn't work with it. It more than doubled in size but kind of sunk into a sticky mess when I tried to get it out the bowl to cut into individual buns. The whole lot went in the garbage! Any suggestions?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Melanie,
    Hmm, it sounds to like moisture to flour ratio might have been too high (did you weigh your flour or used cups?) or possibly it was overproofed - how long did you let it rest for?
    Ania
sylvie:
I'll eat the 8 pieces in one day for sure, with 8 different spreads!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Ha ha, thank you + I like your style!:)
Thalia @ butter and brioche:
I'm amazed you've been able to turn brioche vegan! Definitely curious to know what these buns taste like in comparison.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Thalia:) I would say they are obviously less buttery:) but just as tasty, in my opinion. Let us know what you think:) Love your blog, btw! x
Michaela:
As soon I saw the recipe, I had to try it! I just can say, easy to make and soooooooooooooo yummy! the 8 pieces disapeared in seconds! Thank you guys for this one.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for your feedback, Michaela, we are very glad they turned out well.
DON'T MISS A SINGLE RECIPE
Join our mailing list and we we will let you know when we publish a new recipe. You'll receive our DELIGHTFUL DESSERTS E-BOOK as a thank you for supporting us.