Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread

Name: Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 175 min
Ingredients: 4 1/2-5 cups Artisan bread flour, organic ((See Notes for my fave flour blend!)); 1 packet Instant rise yeast ((That's 2 1/4 tsps!)); 1/4 cup organic cane sugar ((You can also use coconut sugar)); 3/4 cup Almond milk, at room temp. ((You can use your fave plant-based milk!)); 3/4 cup aquafaba ((This is the liquid from a can of chickpea; See Notes!)); 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted + cooled to WARM ((See Notes for other options)); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp dried parsley; 1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted; 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

April 3, 2021

•

Shanika | Orchids + Sweet Tea

Make the most Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread with a few simple steps as a fun family baking activity without the dairy, using a handful of staple ingredients!

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Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread

Brioche is such a special bread and at its best----it's light, fluffy, airy, buttery, rich and so delicious smeared with a generous sliver of softened, salted butter or jam. This is what you'll get with this Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread and now, despite being known for its buttery flavor, you can make homemade brioche that's just as delectable as the real thing without any dairy, eggs, or real butter. If you love brioche but need to skip the milk products, this vegan version is made for you!

Bread slightly ripped on a brown wood table with a jar of milk and bread pan in the background.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links via Amazon for products that I wholeheartedly love and receive commission from.

If you've gotten into sourdough bread baking, or just love baking your own bread these days more than usual, then this Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread is also is a fun project for the entire family---minus the difficulty of actually making certain types of breads.

There's no sourdough starter, so it's a super easy recipe for non-bread bakers too. In fact, this easy vegan brioche bread recipe only requires 20 minutes or so of hands-on work. The rest of the time is for the yeast to activate and help your loaf rise to its airiest, fluffiest potential----two times the charm! Of course, I highly recommend trying my Homemade Honey Oat Bread for a nice sweet twist or my Hubby's Hot Honey Garlic Dinner Rolls as your next side dish! I promise that it's work making!

Overall, this brioche bread recipe is one for the books and can be tweaked in flavor based on your preference. For a sweeter note, you can add additional sweetener or even turn it into a sweet potato brioche bread for a bold, comforting flavor. Just add 1 cup of mashed sweet potato and adjust the flour to another additional 1 cup or so and you're good to go! If you need a bit more guidance, just follow my Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls, which has a very similar dough process.

What is Brioche Bread?

Much like regular bread, brioche uses similar ingredients like yeast, flour, egg, and butter. However, the difference with brioche is that you actually need a lot of eggs and butter to create the flavor we all love and cherish. In addition, brioche needs to proof twice so that the yeast activates fully and does it's thing to create the fluffy, buttery, airy results we hope for.

What is Brioche Bread used for?

If you've ever wondered what you could actually use brioche bread for, especially since this recipe makes 2 loafs, no worries! In general, you can use brioche bread as:

Bread for sandwiches
French toast
Rolls as a side for soups + pastas
Toast
Casseroles and stratas
Burgers, etc.

Jump to:

What is Brioche Bread?
What is Brioche Bread used for?
What is Brioche Bread made of?
How to Make Vegan Brioche Bread
Why You'll Love this Brioche Bread
Shaping and Baking Brioche Dough
What is Aquafaba?
What Can I use instead of Aquafaba in Brioche Bread?
What to Eat with Brioche Bread
Common Q + A's for Brioche Bread Recipe
More Easy Vegan Baking Recipes to Try!
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread

What is Brioche Bread made of?

This brioche bread recipe is perfectly crafted with bread flour, yeast, cane sugar, vegan butter, aquafaba (the liquid from chickpeas), plant-based milk, and few pinches of seasoning. Therefore, these ingredients create a nice buttery and mildly sweet bread that is sure to be your new family staple.

Ingredients on a brown wood table including flour, yeast, seasonings and herbs, milk, melted butter, and sugar.

How to Make Vegan Brioche Bread

Ready to get baking? The first thing to do is assemble your ingredients! Like many rising dough recipes, you always start with adding your ingredients together in a stand mixer (or bowl if kneading by hand) and mixing until combined. Then you knead the dough vigorously for about 15-20 minutes to ensure that it becomes elastic-like in texture with a shine.

Then you add the dough to a greased bowl, cover and let it rise for the first hour. Once risen, remove it unto a lightly floured surface and cut into pieces. Assemble dough pieces in prepped loaf pans, cover and let it rise for a second time. Once risen again, brush with syrup, bake, slice, and serve!

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make this dairy-free and vegan brioche bread recipe:

Organic artisan bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein (gluten) content than regular flour. This helps to give your brioche more of a structure and chewy, but soft texture. If you don't have bread flour, however, you can still make the recipe with regular all-purpose flour. Either way, I recommend using Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur organic flour. Personally, I love mixing half and half of bread flour with all-purpose for the perfect texture.
Instant yeast. You'll need just one packet of yeast for this recipe. If you have a larger bag of instant yeast, measure out 2 ¼ teaspoons. Make sure you're not using active dry yeast, though, which requires activation before you can start using it.
Cane sugar. This feeds the yeast so they activate and produce the gasses that will help your brioche rise. It also adds just a *hint* of sweetness to the bread. Use organic sugar if possible.
Sea salt. It's important to add salt both for flavor and texture. Salt helps tenderize the gluten strands in your bread for a softer, chewier texture.
Herbs + Seasonings (optional). I like to add a bit of additional flavor to fuse with the buttery flavors of this bread. You'll need garlic powder and parsley.
Vegan butter. You can also use an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil if you prefer that flavor in your brioche.
Aquafaba. This is the secret must-have ingredient to make the fluffiest and highest brioche without dairy. All it is is the liquid you drain out of a can of chickpeas! So next time you're making a simple chickpea salad for lunch, save the liquid and put it to good use! You'll be amazed by what this unique ingredient can do, especially in vegan baking recipes. Of course, you can always use warm water if you don't have this handy.
Almond milk. Choose unsweetened. Feel free to use a different plant-based milk if you like. I recommend making easy homemade almond milk (my recipe doesn’t require soaking!)

Dough in a large silver bowl on a brown wood table.

Why You'll Love this Brioche Bread

It's super easy to make.
Bake time is under 1 hour.
Is completely dairy-free and vegan. Entirely kid-friendly!
Super fluffy, soft, + buttery---the epitome of brioche!
Makes for the perfect breakfast, brunch, or dessert situation, depending on how you dress it up.
Makes for a great meal prep situation----this recipe makes 2 loafs.
Did I mention, it's just TOO good to pass up?

Risen dough in a large silver bowl on a brown wood table.

Shaping and Baking Brioche Dough

Shape dough. After the first rise, you can shape the dough and prepare it for baking. Cut the dough into 12 even pieces and roll each one into a smooth ball. I like to use a bench scraper to cut the dough, but a very sharp knife will do!

Assemble. Place the balls inside a well-greased loaf pan (I like to line the sides with parchment for an easy lift, but it's optional). They should be touching each other. Now let the dough rise for a second and final time in the pan for another hour or two at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 375°F.

Bake. After rising, brush the tops with your simple syrup (this helps it bake to a beautiful golden brown finish) and pop the loaf pans into the hot oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The brioche is done when the top is golden brown and the center is firm and fully cooked. You can test with the toothpick or butter knife, if you're unsure.

At last, you can remove them from the oven, let them cool slightly, slice, and enjoy!

Dough cut into pieces using a pastry blender on a wood plate on a wood table.

What is Aquafaba?

Believe it or not, aquafaba is a great vegan egg replacement that is made from chickpea water. This makes it a great replacer for baking recipes that require a binder like egg and it's also considered a healthy alternative to egg. In general baking, if you can substitute aquafaba with chia eggs, flax eggs, egg replacement powder, or applesauce.

What Can I use instead of Aquafaba in Brioche Bread?

If you don't have any canned chickpea handy or you don't want to use it when making your brioche bread, no worries! You can always substitute the aquafaba liquid in this recipe with cooked mashed potatoes (Yukon are great), sweet potato puree, or warm water.

Dough in a bread pan line with parchment paper on a brown wood table.

What to Eat with Brioche Bread

Serve your buttery vegan brioche bread with any of your favorite toppings or any different variations. A smear of vegan butter or jam or dunk in extra virgin olive oil is always a great idea. However, you can enjoy this brioche bread as a side, apart of your next breakfast dish, or wrapped as a sandwich with any of the following recipes:

Front view of baked bread on a silver tray on a brown wood table with a brown napkin and jar of milk in the background.

Common Q + A's for Brioche Bread Recipe

Do I Need a Stand Mixer to Make Bread Dough?

While you don't absolutely need a stand mixer to make this brioche dough, it certainly comes in handy. If you don't have one, simply mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. then transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough by hand until it's smooth and shiny. A little arm strength gets the job done too!

How to Store Brioche Bread?

If you somehow resist devouring this fluffy brioche hot out of the oven, you can store fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.

For longer storage, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap followed by a freezer-safe ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let the loaf thaw at room temperature before slicing and serving. You can also gently reheat it in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil.

What is so special about Brioche Bread?

Basically, brioche is different to most breads because it's made with an enriched dough and tastes a little sweeter. In addition, it's most known for it's super soft texture, which is often loved.

Are Hawaiian rolls the same as Brioche?

While they are made similar with enriched dough, the main difference is that Hawaiian rolls are usually sweeter and include a bit of pineapple juice.

What do you spread on Brioche?

When it comes to finding the best spreads for brioche bread, honestly the possibilities are endless! I enjoy adding softened butter, jam, honey or maple syrup, cream cheese, etc. on mine. Of course, always use dairy-free versions of these if you're restricted to a vegan diet.

Is Brioche better with bread flour or all-purpose flour?

Overall, all-purpose flour is the most perfect for making loaves of brioche bread as it'll give you a soft and fluffy crumb. However, you can use bread flour, but it'll result in a slightly chewier loaf of brioche. This is why I love mixing both together for that perfect balance in texture and feel.

Why is my homemade bread so dense and heavy?

The main reason for dense or heavy bread can be the result of not kneading the dough effectively. Always knead the dough for several minutes until it becomes "shiny" and elastic-like in texture once slightly pressed or pulled.

Some of the other potential reasons could be mixing the yeast + salt together (which kills the yeast) or not allowing your bread to bake well enough (i.e. removing it early without testing the centers or having it at the wrong temperature, etc.).

Can I Make this into Vegan Brioche buns?

Absolutely! Instead of shaping your dough and adding them to a load pan, you'll simply place them on a baking sheet after rolling them. NOTE: That you'll cut the pieces into 8 instead of 12.

Baked bread with a slice removed on a silver tray on a brown wood table with a jar of milk in the background and brown napkin.

More Easy Vegan Baking Recipes to Try!

Now that you're on a dairy-free baking kick with this brioche bread recipe, give these recipes that your entire family will love a try next:

Up close shot of baked bread with a slice removed on a brown table with a cup of milk in the background.

MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?

If you tried this Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.

Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread

April 3, 2021 •

By Shanika

5 from 2 votes

Make the most Soft Buttery Vegan Brioche Bread with a few simple steps as a fun family baking activity without the dairy, using a handful of staple ingredients!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 2 55

Serves: servings

Units:

US Customary|Metric

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Ingredients

BREAD:

4 ½-5 cups Artisan bread flour, organic (See Notes for my fave flour blend!)
1 packet Instant rise yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
¼ cup organic cane sugar (You can also use coconut sugar)
¾ cup Almond milk, at room temp. (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
¾ cup aquafaba (This is the liquid from a can of chickpea; See Notes!)
½ cup vegan butter, melted + cooled to WARM (See Notes for other options)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley

VEGAN 'BRUSHING SYRUP':

1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Instructions

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:

In the bowl, add together the flour, sugar, and yeast, whisking together and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add in the milk, WARM melted butter, vanilla, and aquafaba, whisking them together on medium-speed until combined.
Reduce the speed to low and add in the dry ingredients in three parts (divided portions) followed by the salt, garlic powder, and parsley, mixing them together until just combined before switching the mixer attachment to the dough hook and mixing on high speed, kneading the dough completely. The dough should begin to look shiny and "elastic-like" in texture----about 10-15minutes or so into the mixing process. NOTE: If the dough is still too sticky and sticks easily to the bowl, add in additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time; if too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until it's the right texture and consistency.

LET THE DOUGH RISE:

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and once the dough is fully kneaded, remove it from the mixer and add it to the prepared bowl, lightly moving it around so that it is coated with the oil. Cover the bowl (with a towel or plastic wrap) and let the bread rise at room temperature for 1 hour. It should be doubled in size after the 1-hour mark.

ASSEMBLY:

Prep TWO standard loaf pans by greasing them lightly with oil or butter and lining it with parchment so that the parchment hangs over the sides for easy pickup.
Punch down the risen dough and remove it from the bowl and unto a floured surface. Cut dough into 12 even pieces and for each piece, fold the ends under to shape it into a ball. Then roll into a ball with the ends at the bottom. Make 2 uneven rows of 3 balls in each prepared load pan.

SECOND RISE:

Let the dough balls rise again for another 1 hour until doubled in size or significantly larger in size. NOTE: You'll know that the dough is ready once it doesn't spring back once touched or barely does.

MAKE THE VEGAN 'BRUSHING SYRUP':

To make the vegan brushing syrup, mix together the melted butter and maple syrup until combined.

BAKE THE BREAD:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit once you're about 10 minutes away from the rising time being complete. NOTE: It’s important for the bread to be placed into a well heated oven to ensure that it bakes well and rises correctly.
Brush the tops of the breads with the brushing syrup and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the centers are baked through, coming out clean once tested with a toothpick or butter knife.
Remove both breads from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes before gently lifting it out of the pan by holding the parchment on the sides. Serve immediately.
Bon Appetit!

Tips & Tricks

STORAGE: Once baked and fully cooled, leftover bread can be stored in an air-tight container, foil, or plastic wrap for 3-5 days. To freeze, store leftovers wrapped in foil paper and then added in a freezer-friendly ziplock bag for up to 2 months.
FLOUR: If you don't have Artisan bread flour, feel free to use All-purpose flour as a substitute. Personally, I like to mix half and half for a nice texture!
BUTTER: Instead of vegan butter, you can substitute with the exact measurement of extra virgin olive oil.
AQUAFABA: You'll only need 1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas for this recipe. Simply open the can and drain the liquid into a bowl or measuring cup. It should be about ¾ cup.