Brioche rolls are an iconic bread. Soft, sweet and incredibly moreish, it’s a favourite amongst many. Brioche however, by it’s nature is not vegan. Laden with butter and eggs, this sweet bread is not immediately one that vegans would turn to. With a few tricks however, I have managed to create a roll which is both fluffy, and subtly sweet. A fantastic bread for burgers (watch this space!) and breakfast.
What makes this recipe work?
This recipe uses a technique called tangzhong, or water roux. Tangzhong is an Asian technique of making a paste of some of the flour and water that will be used in the recipe. In this case, we melt butter into the milk and add some of the flour. This paste helps create the fluffy bread we all try and achieve. It really works! it gelatinizes the starches in the flour which makes it absorb more water. Don’t worry if your tangzhong isn’t smooth, once it is added to the dough it won’t be an issue. My tangzhong resembled scrambled eggs!
These brioche rolls are incredible. The vanilla adds a subtle sweetness which is paired with just enough sugar that you get that brioche taste without it being a dessert roll. I used these as a burger bun for some incredible seitan burgers I have created and they were perfect. The burger recipe will be coming in the next few days!
I have also had these rolls for breakfast! I had them slightly warmed with some butter and jam. The rolls are also perfect to have as a bap for a bacon bap or maybe even a sausage sandwich. With BBQ season quickly coming up, these rolls will be perfect.
I don’t have a stand mixer so don’t worry if you don’t either! You will still be able to achieve light, fluffy brioche rolls. it just needs some patience and love. Let me know what you think of these in the comments and what you put them in!
Brioche Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong / Water Roux
- 50 g Bread Flour
- 300 ml Oat Milk
- 30 g Plant Butter
Dough
- 550 g Bread Flour
- 40 g Caster Sugar
- 7 g Yeast
- 2 tbsp Aquafaba (chickpea water)
- 100 ml Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Glaze
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
Instructions
Creating the Tangzhong / Water Roux
- In a sauce pan add the milk and the butter
- Heat gently until the butter has completely melted
- Using a whisk, add the flour and stir it into the butter and milk
- Whisk until thickened and leave to cool for 15 minutes
- Stir occasionally so that it doesn't develop a skin
Dough
- In a bowl warm up the milk so that it is lukewarm
- Add 1 tsp of sugar to the milk and stir
- Add the yeast to the milk and stir
- Leave to develop for 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, add the flour and sugar to a bowl
- Once the time has passed for the Tangzhong and the yeast add these in
- Add in the aquafaba and vanilla extract
- Mix everything together until a dough forms. Either use a stand mixer with a dough hook or your hands
- I used my hands to create the dough which took a few minutes
- Once the dough has been formed, knead it for up to 5 minutes until it's smooth and less sticky
- Leave the dough to rest in a bowl covered over in a warm place for 1 and a half hours
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch out the air and turn out on a worktop
- Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces
- One at a time, shape the piece into a ball, pinching the edges into the bottom
- Place the roll onto a baking try lined with baking paper and work on the next one
- Once all the rolls have been shaped leave them to rest for an hour
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, Gas mark 5
- Mix the glaze by mixing the olive oil and maple syrup
- Using a pasty brush, lightly brush the tops of the rolls with the glaze
- Cook the rolls for 15 to 18 minutes. Be careful with the tops as they can burn easily
- Leave the rolls to rest between 30 minutes to 1 hour before you cut them
- Enjoy!
These were amazing! Perfect for a BBQ. ♥️