Vegan Braided Bread | Easter Brioche Recipe (2024)

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Learn how to make the best soft and fluffy Vegan Easter Braided Bread with this easy step-by-step recipe – It’s egg-free, dairy-free, requires just a few simple staple ingredients but it’s as delicious as traditional sweet brioche bread! Perfect as a dessert, snack, or sweet breakfast for kids and adults alike!

Vegan Easter Braided Bread

Besides vegan carrot cake, this fluffy braided yeast bread is one of our families’ favorite recipes to bake during the Easter holidays! The sweet Easter bread has been on the table for breakfast or brunch since my childhood and we still love it! However, we also like to enjoy a piece of brioche bread in the afternoon with a cup of dalgona whipped coffee or matcha green tea latte. Sometimes we also bake small braided buns as a handy snack to go or for a picnic. It’s delicious as it is or with jam or vegan Nutella on top. Leftovers can be used for making vegan french toast – It’s the perfect homemade sweet bread to enjoy all year round!

Since the basic vegan brioche yeast dough recipe is so versatile, I like to make it over and over again. You can really get creative with the shapes and fillings – that’s why I really love this recipe! Anyway, today I wanted to show you a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the classic vegan braided bread. So if you want to impress your friends and family during the upcoming Easter holidays, this recipe is what you need! 😉

Grandma’s Braided Brioche Bread Recipe

Even though this Easter braided bread is vegan, it’s just as soft and delicious as grandma’s traditional recipe! While classic brioche or Challah bread recipes are usually made with eggs and dairy butter, I used vegan butter and skipped the eggs. Instead of dairy milk, I used soy milk here. However, you can also opt for any other plant milk you like best or have on hand.

What many people don’t know is that you can make the perfect brioche bread without eggs. The yeast alone helps the dough to rise so it becomes wonderfully nice and fluffy, without any dairy ingredients at all. Believe me, no one will ever notice the difference

Sweet Yeast dough variations –Make a big bread or small buns

This basic sweet yeast dough recipe can be shaped and baked in a variety of ways. If you’re bored of the classic big Challah bread, you could also make smaller braided buns. The small sweet buns are easier to eat on the go so you can enjoy them at any time of the day whenever you feel like! You’re also welcome to try a different braiding method; for example by braiding only two strands together, or even four. Feel free to try new variations!

If you like dried fruit in your bread or buns, feel free to add some raisins, cranberries, or whatever dried fruit you like into the dough. For even more flavor, you could also fill your yeast plait with jam or incorporate other fillings to make a moist and juicy babka twist bread, vegan cinnamon rolls, or chocolate brioche buns. Instead of hail sugar, you can also top your braided Easter bread with almond flakes or chopped hazelnuts to add a nutty flavor to it. Of course, you could also try other nuts for the topping, or even fold them into the dough before baking.

As you can see, you can make many amazing treats with this versatile vegan brioche yeast dough! I can’t wait to see what you will bake! But now, let’s get started! 🙂

How to make Vegan Braided Bread

As always, I recommend watching the recipe video and checking out this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with the exact measurements in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Prepare the yeast dough.

Start by making the yeast dough. To do this, first, dissolve the yeast in some soy milk and sugar and set aside until foamy. In the meantime, slowly melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Next, whisk together flour, remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Now pour the remaining soy milk, melted butter, yeast mixture, and vanilla extract into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together.

Transfer to a work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until a smooth dough forms (or use a stand mixer with dough hooks attached). Then place in an oiled bowl and let the dough rise, covered, for about 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.

Tip: Make sure the butter and soy milk are not warmer than 104°F (40°C), otherwise the heat will kill the yeast. Cover the dough before rising and sprinkle with some water if needed to prevent it from drying out. You can also let the dough rise slowly by placing it in the refrigerator overnight if you want to make the bread the next day.

Step 2: Braid the yeast dough.

Once the yeast dough has doubled in size, briefly knead it again to remove any air bubbles, then divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long strand and then braid into a plait as shown in the step-by-step pictures, pressing the top and bottom ends together. After that, carefully place the braided yeast bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise, covered, for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.

Step 3: Bake the brioche Easter bread.

After the resting time, brush the bread with a little soy cream, then sprinkle with hail sugar and place in the preheated oven. Two small loaves of bread will take about 20-25 minutes and one large bread will take about 30-35 minutes. Once the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, it’s ready! Now turn off the oven and let the brioche bread rest in it for a short while with the oven door slightly open. Then remove and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

How can I store yeast bread properly?

It’s best to store your braided bread in a plastic bag, freezer bag, or airtight container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator when it’s very warm in your room. That way it keeps fresh for 2-3 days without drying out. If it has become hard, simply warm your bread briefly in the microwave before eating it. Then it becomes wonderfully soft and fluffy again!

If you want to store your delicious Easter bread for a longer period, you can freeze either the baked brioche for up to 6 months or the raw yeast dough for up to 3 months. Then simply thaw and bake in the oven until it tastes just like freshly baked again!

How can I serve my vegan braided bread?

There are countless ways you can enjoy your vegan Easter braided bread. Top it with vegan butter or margarine if the brioche bread is already sweet enough for your taste. Otherwise, you can serve it with different spreads, like vegan Nutella, cashew ricotta, nut butter, jam, or homemade fruit compote. However, I think it tastes absolutely delicious just as it is!

This Vegan Brioche Easter Bread recipe is:

Dairy-free (lactose-free)
Egg-free
Perfectly sweet
Soft and fluffy
Moist
Quick and easy to prepare
Versatile
Can also be stuffed with sweet fillings
A popular Easter treat
The perfect breakfast, dessert, or snack for kids and adults alike!

More easy Vegan recipes for the Easter holidays to try:

Best Vegan Carrot Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Vegan Blueberry Babka
German Bee Sting Cake
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Mandarin Cheesecake with Streusel
Yeast Roll Cake with poppy seeds
Vegan Madeleines
Blood Orange Bundt Cake
Carrot Cake Pancakes

If you try this easy vegan braided Easter bread recipe, please leave me a comment and a rating because I always love your feedback! And if you take a photo of your fluffy bread and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking! 🙂

Vegan Easter Braided Bread

Author: Bianca Zapatka

Learn how to make the best soft and fluffy Vegan Easter Braided Bread with this easy step-by-step recipe - It’s egg-free, dairy-free, requires just a few simple staple ingredients but it’s as delicious as traditional sweet brioche bread! Perfect as a dessert, snack, or sweet breakfast for kids and adults alike!

4.89 von 9 Bewertungen

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the yeast mixture

½ cube (21 g) fresh yeast 21 g, or 2 tsp dry yeast (7 g)
½ cup (120 ml) soy milk or other dairy-free milk to dissolve the yeast
½ cup (100 g) sugar divided

For the dough

2.8 oz (80 g) vegan butter or margarine
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose or spelt flour
⅔ cup (160 ml) soy milk or other dairy-free milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract or pulp of 1 vanilla bean or ground vanilla

For brushing

2 tbsp soy cream or dairy-free milk + pinch of turmeric optional
2 tbsp hail sugar or almond flakes

Instructions

*Note: Check out the recipe video + step-by-step instructions at the top of the post!

Make the yeast mixture

Crumble the yeast into a small bowl. Add ½ cup soy milk and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and dissolve the yeast in it. Set aside for about 5-10 minutes until it starts to foam.

Prepare the yeast dough

Meanwhile, melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Then let it cool to 104°F (40°C) (it should not be warmer or the yeast will die).
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar, and salt.
Add ⅔ cup soy milk, melted vegan butter, yeast mixture, and vanilla extract. Mix with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed by the flour. Then transfer to a work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes with your hands (or use a stand mixer with dough hooks attached).
Then place the yeast dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or cling film (so that the dough does not dry out*), and let rise for 45-60 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator) until doubled in size.

Braiding the bread

After the rising time, knead the yeast dough again briefly. (At this point, you can either use the whole dough to make one large bread or cut the dough in half to make 2 small pieces of bread. You can also freeze the dough for future use*).
Then divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into long strands and then braid into a plait as shown in the step-by-step pictures above, pressing the top and bottom ends together.
Place the braided bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for another 30 minutes at room temperature. (To prevent the yeast dough from drying out during this time, you can brush it with a little water or plant milk beforehand).

Bake it!

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C).
After the resting time, brush the bread again with some soy cream (mixed with a pinch of turmeric for a golden color) and sprinkle with hail sugar (or almond flakes). Bake small pieces of braided bread for about 20-25 minutes or one large bread for about 30-35, until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Turn off the oven and leave the bread in it for a short while with the oven door slightly open. Then remove and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Serving ideas: Vegan Nutella, Cashew Ricotta, Chia Jam (Recipe in my cookbook "Vegan Foodp*rn").
Storage: Leftover bread keeps 2-3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze the leftover dough for up to 3 months, or freeze the baked bread for up to 6 months.
For more helpful information and tips, as well as serving suggestions and yeast dough baking ideas, read the blog post above!

Nutritions

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

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Vegan Braided Bread | Easter Brioche Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour to use for brioche? ›

Use good-quality flour with a high gluten content, ideally a fine pastry flour (T45 in France). Classic French brioche recipes use half as much egg and butter as flour. For 250g flour, for example, you will need 125g eggs and 125g butter.

Read The Full Story ›

How do you know when braided bread is done? ›

After 35 minutes of baking, check the internal temperature of the loaf with your Thermapen ONE. If the lowest temp you see is 195–200°F (91–93°C), the bread is done. Let the bread cool before slicing, then serve and enjoy!

Explore More ›

What is vegan brioche made of? ›

Vegan brioche – this vegan version of the classic French bread is made with aquafaba instead of eggs. It is wonderfully soft, fluffy, rich and full of flavour. Includes options to make it with either vegan butter or olive oil.

Get More Info ›

What can I use instead of yeast for brioche? ›

You can substitute yeast with equal parts lemon juice and baking soda. So if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of yeast, you can use half a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Keep in mind that the bread will not need the typical proofing time and the dough will begin rising right away.

Is melted or softened butter better for brioche? ›

With cold butter only being used when making brioche where temperature control is critical. Softened butter is my go-to for most other bread dough types. Melted butter is something I have always avoided because it would need to be added at the beginning of mixing unlike the softened or cold butter.

Can you bake bread too long? ›

Bake too long and the bread is burnt tasting, but if you go under, you've got an underbaked, sticky mess inside. The best way to avoid the over- or underbaked bread: internal temperature checks.

Tell Me More ›

What does Overproofed bread look like when baked? ›

underproof dough will spring back completely correctly, proof will spring back slowly and only halfway, and overproof dough won't spring back at all. after baking, the underproof dough will be dense and deformed. while the dough that was ready will be fluffy and light. and the overproof dough will be flat and deflated.

View Details ›

How do you know when bread is kneaded enough? ›

The first way to check is to simply poke the dough with your finger. If the dough bounces back without sticking to your finger, it's been kneaded enough.

Keep Reading ›

What is a substitute for butter in brioche? ›

Replace vegan butter with extra virgin olive oil for a denser cakey bread. Use coconut sugar or maple syrup to make this brioche refined sugar-free. Use a sourdough starter instead of yeast.

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Why is brioche so expensive? ›

Brioche bread is expensive because of the upped ingredients in the bread. Butter and eggs, milk, and sugar are not normally in bread so that is where the extra expense comes from.

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What is unique about brioche? ›

What makes brioche different to most breads? Brioche is different to most breads because it's made with an enriched dough and tastes a little sweeter. . Because it's an enriched dough, you get that famous brioche texture of soft bread, the classic golden colour and quintessentially rich taste.

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What is braided bread called? ›

Challah is a loaf of braided bread that is made with eggs, flour, yeast, and salt. It is typically pale yellow due to the number of eggs used in its creation.

Read On ›

What is brioche dough made of? ›

Brioche is a yeasted dough that falls firmly into the enriched dough camp. Unlike simple lean doughs (think French bread or pita bread) that only need flour, yeast, water, and salt, enriched dough also has sugar, butter or oil, eggs, and milk or cream.

What is the best flour for stretchy dough? ›

Wheat flour (Bread flour is preferable, but any wheat flour is fine.)

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Which flour would be most suitable when making bread? ›

While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.

What is the best flour for crispy dough? ›

For Crispy and Chewy Pizza Crust, Use 00 Flour

00 flour is finely ground Italian flour that contains about 12% protein, or 12% gluten. It's the traditional flour used to make Neapolitan-style pizza. Since its gluten content is similar to bread flour, it also produces a pizza crust with chew.