This slightly spiced, eggless brioche bread is made using pumpkin puree, which gives it a gorgeous color and flavor. It is soft, fluffy, and absolutely delicious! 

Recipe for Vegan French toast included!

Is there anything better than warm, fluffy brioche bread on a cold fall morning? The richness, texture, and softness - brioche bread is always a good reason to have a slow breakfast. With pumpkin season in full swing, I have been making a lot of pumpkin puree. It has become my go-to ingredient for both sweet and savory recipes, and this time I wanted to make a fall version of regular brioche bread. With notes of cinnamon, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup, this brioche bread is sweet, soft, and delicious.

Did I mention it's completely vegan?

Whereas regular brioche recipes call for eggs and butter, this version is egg and butter-free, completely vegan, and has a light, airy texture. It can be prepared in a few hours (including the rising time) and savored for many days after the baking. After 2-3 days, it becomes perfect for making french toast, and today I will reveal to you how to make the perfect, most delicious French toast without using any eggs.

how to prepare vegan brioche bread

You will need a few essential ingredients - flour, yeast, salt, a dash of cinnamon, plant-based milk, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup for this recipe.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, cinnamon, and salt. Add in the dairy-free milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree. Using a spatula, fold until mostly combined. Sprinkle a little more flour if needed and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until elastic and smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft-free place until doubled. Once the dough has doubled, divide it into three parts and make balls from each part. Gently knead every dough ball until elastic and smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Prepare a rectangular loaf baking pan by greasing the loaf or covering it with parchment paper. Place the three dough pieces in a row and cover them with a kitchen towel. Keep them in a warm place until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes. Brush with maple syrup and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden.

how to make homemade pumpkin puree

I prefer making my own pumpkin puree instead of buying canned one, as it is a much healthier and tastier option to add to your sweet and savory dishes. Making a homemade version is very simple and straightforward, and all you have to do is:

• Wash the pumpkin and cut it in half. If your pumpkin is too big, try cutting them into four or six pieces.

• Preheat your oven at 200 C or 395 F. Place the halves cut-side-down onto a baking sheet and roast until the flesh is soft and coming away from the skin (About 40 to 50 minutes). Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then take a spoon and gently transfer the pumpkin flesh to a food processor.

• Blend for 30 seconds or until completely smooth. Pour the mixture into the glass jars and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

how to eat pumpkin brioche bread?

Right out of the oven, toasted, alone, or with some hazelnut spread, this pumpkin brioche is a perfect way to start your morning. If you forgot to put it away correctly or had it for a few days and it dried out, don't throw it away but instead prepare French toast, the vegan way.

French toast is one of my favorite breakfast options as it reminds me of a lot of Saturdays at home, my childhood, and the beautiful aroma filling up the house. Any bread can be used for french toast, but regular white bread or brioche bread brings the best results. And where you would need eggs and milk for a regular recipe, today we will be making a vegan kind, superb in taste that you can not even tell it is completely made without eggs.

For this recipe, you will need some plant milk of your choice, maple syrup, flour, nutritional yeast (it will give that egg flavor to your toast), ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and some coconut oil for the pan. Gently whisk the ingredients and soak every piece of bread on both sides. Transfer to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Drizzle with maple syrup, add cinnamon, whipped cream, and enjoy. You can omit the spices if you don't have them, but I like the cozy, cinnamon aroma this french toast has. This vegan french toast recipe is so easy to make and perfect for the cozy weekend breakfast at home.

CAN i FREEZE BRIOCHE BREAD?

If you have leftover brioche bread, let it cool completely, then slice it and place the slices into freezer ziplock bags and freeze. They can last up to 3 months in the freezer; make sure to take them a few hours before consuming and heat in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 180 C (350 F) until warm and tender. I don't recommend freezing the french toast. Instead, freeze only brioche bread and make french toast the same day.

TIPS FOR MAKING A PERFECTLY SOFT BRIOCHE BREAD

1. Do I have to use bread flour? 

No, you don't have to. I mix it with all-purpose flour for better rising, but you will have a perfect result if you use only all-purpose flour as well.

2. Can I use a store-bought pumpkin puree? 

Of course, just make sure it's 100% pumpkin and not a pumpkin pie mixture.

3. Can I use fresh yeast instead of dry yeast? 

Yes, use 7g of dry yeast or 25g of fresh yeast. However, make sure to use it properly. Dry, instant yeast is added directly to the rest of the ingredients without leaving it to bloom. Fresh yeast should be melted in some warm milk before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. Also, it is very important to have your milk mild, not hot ( 37 C or 100 F), so you don't kill the yeast.

4. Can I omit the maple syrup?

Yes, but the bread won't be sweet. In case you don't have it, add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar to the dry ingredients.

VEGAN PUMPKIN BRIOCHE BREAD
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6 

300g all-purpose flour

200g bread flour

320ml dairy-free milk

50ml maple syrup + more for brushing

7g yeast

Pinch of salt

130g pumpkin puree

1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, cinnamon, and salt. Add in the dairy-free milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree. Using a spatula, fold until mostly combined. Sprinkle a little more flour if needed and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until elastic and smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft-free place until doubled. Once the dough has doubled, divide it into three parts and make balls from each part. Gently knead every dough ball until elastic and smooth.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Prepare a rectangular loaf baking pan by greasing the loaf or covering it with parchment paper. Place the three dough pieces in a row and cover with a kitchen towel. Keep them in a warm place until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes. Brush with maple syrup and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden. Serve warm. The dough can remain fresh for 2-3 days if stored in an airtight container. 

VEGAN PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST

INGREDIENTS

Yields 6 slices

1 cup (240ml) plant-based milk
1 tbsp maple syrup plus some more for serving
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (gives that egg-flavor)
1 tsp cinnamon
 ¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground flax seeds
Pinch of salt
Coconut oil for pan

METHOD

In a deep bowl, whisk together milk, maple syrup, flour, nutritional yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, flaxseed meal, and salt.

Heat the pan with some coconut oil on medium heat. Dip each slice of bread in the batter for a couple of seconds on each side (If your batter is too thick, thin with a bit of dairy-free milk). If your bread is dry, leave it in a little longer.  Transfer to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Drizzle with maple syrup, add cinnamon, and some whipped cream. Enjoy!