We make these vegan brioche rolls with our fluffy brioche bread dough. We like to knead the dough by hand, it’s easy and it only takes 5 to 10 minutes, but you can of course use a kitchen aid. The dough will turn out super light, airy and aromatic. For the custard, we use our beloved vegan custard recipe. Without eggs, it is so easy and safe to make, and it only takes a few minutes. We use the custard to fill the dough, we add some raisins for texture and extra sweetness, then we roll it and cut it into cute little rolls. The trick to get neatly cut brioche rolls without having the custard go everywhere is to use dental floss to cut the dough, and not a knife. The knife will make a mess, crushing the rolls completely. The floss, will cut perfectly round and clean little custard rolls. No mess, guaranteed! Since we make this recipe without eggs and without dairy, these brioche rolls with custard are suitable for people with allergies to those ingredients, and also for people that follow a plant-based, vegan lifestyle. If you are interested in other vegan Italian recipes made with a similar brioche dough, check out our Italian croissant with custard filling (cornetti con la crema), Vegan brioche bread (pan brioche), Sweet cream buns (maritozzi con la panna), Italian donuts (ciambelle), Jam stuffed donuts (bomboloni), Italian breakfast brioche with jam (buondì).
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the dough
Flour: I use first-clear flour but, if you can’t find it, just go for bread flour or all-purpose flour. That is basically a flour that is less refined than all-purpose, but not as heavy as whole-grain flour.Sugar: plain sugar works best. No syrups.Instant dry yeast: I love instant dry yeast because you don’t have to mix it with water to activate it. You can replace it with fresh yeast, but if you do so you need 3 times more fresh yeast compared to our instant dry yeast dose. When you use yeast, always read the expiration date on the package, and also read the instructions on how to use it. Some yeasts need to be dissolved in lukewarm water and sugar before they can be used.Soy-milk and water: this is our go-to milk for cooking. You can replace it with any other plant milk of your choice. We mix it with water in this recipe to make the vegan brioche rolls with custard extra light and soft.Sunflower oil: this is our go-to fat because it has little flavour, it’s affordable and widely available. You can replace it with any other vegetable oil that has a mild flavour.Vanilla extract and orange zest: both necessary for the aroma. Better if the orange is organic.
For the custard filling
Plant-milk: we use unsweetened soy milk, but any plant-milk will work. If you want fatter, richer custard, use half soy-milk and half coconut milk. Cornstarch: to thicken the custard, cannot be replaced.Sugar: we use plain white sugar, but any other sugar will work.Vanilla extract and lemon peel: to add flavour and aroma to the custard. You can leave the lemon out if you don’t have it, but in this case double the amount of vanilla extract.Turmeric: this is optional. We use it to add the yellow color to the custard. You need the tip of a teaspoon and it’s enough. You can also use any other yellow food colouring agent.Raisins: they add texture and sweetness.
Equipment
For this recipe you’ll need a clean worktop, a rolling pin and some dental floss to cut the brioche rolls with custard without making a mess.
Tips
Don’t use a knife: I know it might seem strange to use dental floss in the kitchen, but for this recipe using floss is really necessary to cut the rolls neatly. If you use a knife, the the rolls will turn out squished, flat, and not really round. Also, the custard will go out of the rolls, and your worktop will be completely covered in it. Use lukewarm water and milk: lukewarm water and milk will kick-start the proofing much faster than cold water and cold milk out of the refrigerator. If you take the time to warm them up, slightly, the proofing will be a lot faster. Do NOT use hot water and hot milk, the yeast will die.
Proof the dough twice: you should allow a minimum of 2 hours for the first proofing, and another 1 hour for the second proofing. This way you will have light, airy, and beautiful brioche buns with custard.Proof in a warm place: the best way to proof the dough is to put it in a slightly warm oven. To do that, turn on the oven for 30 to 45 seconds, then turn it off and put the dough inside to proof. Warmth and protection from drafts will really help the yeast to do a good proofing.Cover with a damp cloth: I find that the dough proofs better if it’s covered with a damp cloth. I put the kitchen cloth under warm running water, then I squeeze the water out, and use the cloth to cover the bowl with the dough. This will add moisture that the yeasts love so much. Just leave enough space between the dough and the cloth, as the dough will grow.
Storage
How to store raw brioche rolls
The best way to store uncooked vegan brioche rolls with custard is to freeze them. If you do so, I recommend freezing them before the second proofing. To do that, first, arrange the brioche rolls on the baking tray (or on a plate if your freezer cannot fit your baking tray). You can leave very little space in between them as they will not grow. Then put them in the freezer for 30 minutes until they are hard. Now you can transfer them into a plastic bag suitable for freezing, and put back in the freezer for up to 3 months.To thaw them, take out of the freezer, arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and let thaw in a turned off oven. Once they are thawed, you should also give them some time to proof. To help the yeast, slightly warm up the oven by turning it on for 45 seconds, then off again. The warmth will help the yeast proof. They should proof for about 1 hour.After the second proofing, you can cook them as described in the recipe box. That is, in a preheated oven at 180C / 360F for 13 to 15 minute.
How to store cooked brioche rolls
Store these vegan brioche rolls with custard in a plastic bag as soon as they have cooled down. This will keep them soft for up to 3 – 4 days. If you store them longer than 24 hours, then put them in the refrigerator, then reheat them in the oven at 180C / 360F for 5 minutes before eating them.
Variations
In Italy, we make these vegan brioche rolls with custard almost exclusively like I showed you in this post. That is, with plain custard and raisins. However, there are many similar recipes that you can make with the exact same brioche dough. If you are interested, check out our:
Italian croissant with custard filling (cornetti con la crema)Vegan brioche bread (pan brioche)Sweet cream buns (maritozzi con la panna)Italian donuts (ciambelle)Jam stuffed donuts (bomboloni)Italian breakfast brioche with jam (buondì)
