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Aquafaba Files
Fluffy Vegan Brioche, Made by Hand
Can the magic of chickpea water make an eggless brioche that’s as rich and soft as the traditional variety?
The Aquafaba Files is a Tenderly recipe series by Laura Vincent, exploring the almost suspicious versatility of this ingredient that is little more than the leftover liquid from a drained can of chickpeas.
So far I’ve used aquafaba to make aioli and chocolate mousse, but I decided to level up and try something a lot more involved, in the form of vegan brioche. Brioche is a French bread, traditionally fortified with eggs and butter. This recipe instead uses aquafaba and olive oil to provide similar properties in a vegan way.
My recipe, while adapted a little, is sourced directly from this one at holycowvegan.net and I encourage you to read what they’ve said for further reference. I love baking bread and was keen to see how these two key ingredients would emulate the properties of a traditional brioche, turns out the protein in the aquafaba and the fat in the olive oil result in an amazing loaf of bread that’s rich and soft, with a fluffy, light, layered crumb and a gently crisp crust. I was so delighted with the brioche that I ended up eating it on its own — nothing spread on top, no sandwich fillings — because it’s just so delicious. Aquafaba wins again.
I don’t have a stand mixer and didn’t want to assume that you have one either, so have formulated this recipe to be made entirely by hand, incorporating the olive oil by rolling and folding the dough repeatedly, which I believe also aids the texture of the finished brioche. If you have a mixer with a dough hook the kneading will definitely be quicker! The kneading process is quite involved and there’s a lot of resting time for the dough, but I promise it’s worth it for the tender, luscious loaf of bread awaiting you.
