The Fluffiest Gluten Free Brioche Buns

How many times have you heard people say "You won't believe its gluten free". This time .. well you literally won't believe how good the recipe is.

My husband is a burger connoisseur and he said this was the best bun he's ever had. Not just gluten free.. ever. They are fluffy, soft, tender & hold together perfectly even with a big juicy burger.

You cant find gluten free bread like this in any store or at any restaurant. This recipe is wildly innovative and I cant wait for you to make them.

Important tips & tricks

Precision precision precision is the only way to go. For this reason I am only including grams for the recipe. I encourage you to go slow- and make sure to get each number exactly as I have called for. Don’t do the whole “Eh this is close enough” thing. Get the numbers exact. The payoff is so worth the effort.

YES, yes, yes you even need to weigh the eggs I know it seems like too much to worry about. But its important. 5-10 grams difference in any ingredient can completely change the recipe.

Give the dough time to really rise to its full height. This is a sweet bread so it could take time to rise fully if your oven isn’t nice and warm.

*IF you have a pizza stone I found a cool little trick is to warm that with the oven initially then place the bread on top of it (with potholders in between) This keeps the oven perfectly warm the whole proofing time. Then I remove the stone before baking. This step is completely optional.

Use the correct ingredients. PLEASE use what I have called for. This is not a flexible recipe… of course you can experiment but I don’t recommend it.

The hot box method for proofing the dough is essential especially in the winter if you live up north like I do. Otherwise the bread could take a full day to rise. This is a big loaf so it really needs the perfect warm & humid environment to rise to its full potential. The hot box method is simple- I preheat the oven while making the dough, then as soon as the dough is done I turn it off. I place the bread into the warm oven (the pan always covered with a towel) and leave the door a crack for 5-10 minutes so that its not TOO hot. Then I close it for an hour. Gluten free bread needs about 50% more moisture and dries out easily. A dry dough- even if just the outside layer is dry can stop rising completely. This is why I like to also add a bowl of steaming hot water to the oven right before I close the door for the hour of slow proofing. It really makes a BIG difference. When I use the steaming bowl of water added I easily got an extra half inch in height.

IF you want to take the time halfway through the hour of proofing to reheat that water in the microwave and stick it back in the oven to get another nice burst of steam you can. This may be a good idea if you cant resist peaking in and checking on your breads progress.

Using a stand mixer works best. If you don’t have one or cant get one a hand mixer will work in a pinch. Its important to get the dough really well mixed.

Making the dough in advance. You can totally do this. You can make the dough and place it in a TIGHTLY sealed container and stick it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Then just follow the directions to shape and proof the dough.

Ingredients (Some of these are affiliate links that earn me a few cents if you shop using them! :)

Better Batter Gluten Free Orginal Blend

This flour blend continues to amaze me. It can do so many things better than most other blends that I have tried. As a result its extremely popular. Around the holidays it tends to sell out everywhere and so they are in the process of restocking right now. Usually its available on Amazon and at Walmart. Lately I have been ordering it from the Better Batter website directly. When they sell out- they tend to restock pretty quickly. Check back within a day or two if they are sold out when you look. I buy it in bulk now (20 lbs at a time) as I cant risk running out. I use it in too many recipes that we love.

What if you cant get your hands on it? This may be the case if you live outside the US. My friend Nichole from Gluten Free on a Shoestring has figured out a mock recipe for better batter. Her version should work great in this recipe! The owner (Naomi) of better batter has confirmed that the mix is similar to the official version.

Better Batter so kindly offered me a 35% off promo code to share with all of you! This can be used as often as you would like for every single purchase made directly on BetterBatter.com Use the code: BakingAngell35

Expandex

This bread is truly only possible because of the magic of expandex. It is a modified form of tapioca starch that was formulated to improve gluten free baking. The word Modified tends to worry people- so let me explain further. Essentially they studied tapioca and removed portions of it leaving only the parts that would allow for it to cause amazing elasticity (aka its name) in gluten free recipes. This flour allows me to get an incredible rise with everything I use it in. It traps the air bubbles in the dough just like regular flour with gluten does! Its honestly incredible. If you eat any processed or store bought foods you have eaten many forms of modified starch. Its nothing new- its just semi new to the home baker. Its non gmo and I typically get it from the brand Judee’s on amazon. Under no conditions can you sub it out for another regular starch.

Outside of the US there is a product called Ultratex 3 I have not worked with it but from what I understand its comparable! I would use that in the exact same quantity as the expandex amount that I call for.

Yeast: I recently learned about a special yeast made for sweet breads. Breads with sugar that are higher in fat have a harder time rising and typically take much longer to do so. Which means that this yeast has some extra oomph to it. Which gives me confidence that it could really benefit gluten free bread recipes. This is a sweet bread recipe- so it will benefit this bread in particular. https://amzn.to/3AQPMsZ

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of getting that specific bag- any brand will do. Just make sure that its fast acting or listed as instant.

Xanthan gum: I recently read somewhere that all brands of xanthan don’t work the same. I didn’t know this as I have always just purchased bobs. So- I would stick with bobs for this recipe and all of my recipes.

Milk - While I think that most dairy free unsweetened milks will work just fine, the only thing I tested was oat milk so far. I used both full fat and original from oatly and had the same results. If you are not dairy free i’m guessing regular milk would work just fine as well.

Sugar- REAL Sugar is important. Its what feeds the yeast and makes this bread possible. I do not recommend swapping in a liquid sweetener as that could throw off the recipe. Please don’t use any keto sugars or even coconut palm sugar. It may not work as well.

Gluten & Dairy Free Brioche Buns

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Yield: 4 Large Brioche Buns

Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 22 MinInactive time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 22 M

How many times have you heard people say "You won't believe its gluten free". This time .. well you literally won't believe how good the recipe is. My husband is a burger connoisseur and he said this was the best bun he's ever had. Not just gluten free.. ever. They are fluffy, soft, tender & hold together perfectly even with a big juicy burger.

Ingredients

• 203 grams Better Batter Original Blend
• 50 grams Expandex
• 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 64 grams Organic Cane Sugar
• 1 1/4 Tsp Quick Rise/ Fast Acting Yeast
• 1 1/2 Tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 3 Large Eggs (146 grams)
• 6 Tbsp Softened Butter (Regular or Dairy Free)
• 72 grams Milk or Nondairy Milk (I used oat milk)
• 2 Tbsp Melted Butter used to brush on the buns before & after they bake.

Instructions

1. Line a 9x11 pan with parchment paper. I opted for this size pan so that it can be covered with a towel while the buns proof! Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Bonus tip: If you have a pizza stone I find they work wonders for creating a warm environment to allow bread to rise slow and steady. When using my pizza stone I warm it up in the oven at only 300 degrees. Then when its time to proof the dough I turn off the oven. Place a pot holder on the stone & put the bread pan on top of it. Then when it comes time to bake the bread I remove the stone before preheating the oven again. This is optional! See my directions below if you don't have a stone.)
2. Add to the mixing bowl all of the bun ingredients carefully measuring each one.(With all gluten free bread recipes precision is important!)
3. Using the paddle attachment mix the dough on high for 2 minutes scraping down the sides once or twice.
4. Spray oil on your kitchen counter and hands. Evenly Divide the dough into 4 pieces (each should be about 154 grams) Using oiled hands slap the dough between your hands to smooth out the surface. Tuck the edges under and roll on the counter to create a smooth circular bun. Keeping in mind when you shape the dough that it will spread wide as much as it gains in height.
5. Place the 4 dough balls in the pan evenly spaced apart. Brush them with water. Cover with a towel. Turn the oven off & open the door a crack. While the oven cools down with the door open slightly place a glass bowl into the microwave and bring the water to a boil (This takes 5-6 minutes.) Place the boiling hot water into the oven, place the prepared pan and its towel next to the steaming water .Then close the oven door and set the timer for 45 minutes. Keeping the oven door shut the entire duration.
6. After the 40 minutes the dough should have doubled in size. If it did not- allow for more time. Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees & preheat. Brush the buns evenly with half of the melted butter and sprinkle on any toppings like sesame seeds.
7. When the oven is preheated - make sure your baking rack is in the center. Remove the towel and place the buns into the oven to bake for 20-23 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool and serve right away or for up to 5 days. If you wish to freeze them after they have cooled you can. Otherwise I recommend storing them at room temperature in a sealed bag. I find if I don't eat them the same day I make them- warming them up briefly before serving will get them right back to their perfect texture.

Notes

If you have not used your yeast recently (or its not new) and you would like to make sure its active then I would recommend warming your milk to a Luke warm temperature (no hotter) and mixing in the yeast and a portion of the sugar into it. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. As long as it starts to bubble and froth you know its good to go.

I use my yeast often and know its alive and well so I skip this step and throw everything in the mixing bowl all at the same time.

It is important to measure the eggs too. This recipe needs absolute precision. I recommend whisking egg whites from 3 large eggs in a bowl to break them up. Then measuring them into a small bowl to get the amount right.

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