Egg-Free Brioche Buns
The title of this post may seem a little contradictory–Egg-Free Brioche Buns? Brioche is a type of French bread containing milk, butter, and eggs. However, since I can’t eat eggs, I set out to make a version that retains the light, fluffiness of brioche minus the eggs and egg wash. The result are these soft, puffy rolls that are perfect for burgers, sloppy joes, sandwiches or just eating straight out of the oven!
Bread Flour
I use two types of flour to make my Egg-Free Brioche Buns: whole wheat bread flour and bolted bread flour. Bread flour has a slightly higher protein content than all-purpose or pastry flour which gives bread its slightly chewy. The whole wheat makes the buns more hearty and substantial with higher nutrient contents.
Bolted flour is one that many people are unfamiliar with and may be tricky to find in your average grocery store. It is sifted to remove 75% of the bran, but what remains adds flavor and nutrition. Basically, it is a variety of flour in between white and whole wheat. I get mine from Meadowlark Mill which is a small, local mill in southern Wisconsin. If you can’t find this type of flour, regular bread flour will work too.
How to Make Egg-Free Brioche Buns
Start by whisking the flours together with the salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, that’s okay too–just use a large bowl instead. In a separate, small bowl, whisk the cold water, aquafaba, and honey.
In a microwave safe dish, heat the milk and butter in the microwave until the butter melts. Add the water mixture to the milk and butter and whisk to combine. Pour all the wet ingredients into the mixer bowl and use the dough hook on low speed to combine all the ingredients. If you aren’t using a stand mixer, use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix the dough.
If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated. The dough should be fairly sticky, but if it is too wet, add more flour, and if it is too dry add a touch more water.
Lightly cover the bowl with a tea towel and refrigerate overnight for about 12-18 hours. If you are in a hurry, let the dough rest and rise in a warmer location for 2-3 hours. The dough is much easier to work with when chilled, but the buns will turn out just fine regardless of which way you let them rise.
When the rise time is up and the dough is about doubled in size, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and deflate the dough. Divide it into 10 portions and roll each one into a ball. Place them on the baking sheet with a few inches between each one (they will expand). If needed, use two baking sheets. You could also make eight larger buns or 12 little ones.
Cover the rolls with a tea towel and let rise for 1-2 hours if the dough was in the refrigerator. If you did the shorter, countertop rise, 30 minutes to an hour will be plenty of time.
When the rise time is almost up, preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Enjoy!
Variations for Egg-Free Brioche Buns
Most commonly, I make Egg-Free Brioche Buns in the classic circular shape. It makes them great for use with burgers, sloppy joes, pulled pork, sandwiches, or just plain with butter and honey. However, they can easily make brat buns too! To do this, when you divide the dough into portions, simply roll them into an oblong shape instead of a ball. The tricky part is getting the sizing right. I find that I need to make them smaller than I think because they puff up a lot during the last rise and in the oven, making them larger than necessary.
If whole wheat bread isn’t your thing, feel free to use four cups of regular or bolted bread flour. The buns will rise more and be lese dense.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments below. Share any photos on Instagram and tag @roots_and_rosemary so I can see your creations!
More Bread Recipes to Try
- Rustic Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
- Whole Wheat French Bread {Vegan}
- Savoury Herb Swirl Bread
- Crusty Artisan Bread
- Cheddar Herb Buttermilk Biscuits {Gluten Free}
Egg-Free Brioche Buns
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Dough hook
Ingredients
- 2 cups bolted bread flour
- 2 cups whole wheat bread flour
- 2 tsp Celtic sea salt
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1½ Tbsp raw honey
- ¾ cup cold water
- 3 Tbsp aquafaba
- ⅓ cup Organic Valley whole milk
- 4 Tbsp Irish butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, whisk the flours together with the salt and yeast. Set aside. (If you don't have a stand mixer, that's okay too–just use a large bowl instead.)
- In a separate, small bowl, whisk the cold water, aquafaba, and honey.
- In a heat-safe bowl, microwave the milk and butter until the butter melts.
- Add the water mixture to the milk and butter and whisk to combine.
- Pour all the wet ingredients into the mixer bowl and use the dough hook on low speed to combine all the ingredients. (If you aren't using a stand mixer, use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix the dough.)
- If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated. The dough should be fairly sticky, but if it is too wet, add more flour, and if it is too dry add a touch more water.
- Lightly cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and refrigerate overnight for about 12-18 hours. If you are in a hurry, let the dough rest and rise in a warmer location for 2-3 hours. The dough is much easier to work with when chilled, but the buns will turn out just fine regardless of which way you let them rise.
- When the rise time is up and the dough is about doubled in size, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and deflate the dough.
- Divide it into 10 portions and roll each one into a ball. Place them on the baking sheet with a few inches between each one (they will expand). If needed, use two baking sheets.
- Cover the rolls with a tea towel and let rise for 1-2 hours (30 minutes if you did not refrigerate the dough).
- When the rise time is almost up, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Enjoy!
1 thought on “Egg-Free Brioche Buns”