Here's a genius way to have your brioche and eat it too: an Avocado Brioche. Healthy avocados stand in for most of the fat in this recipe, and you get a bread that's flaky, tender and quite perfect. A vegan, soy-free and nut-free recipe. (Updated from a recipe first posted on November 12, 2008)
Brioche used to be my favorite bread once upon a non-vegan time and I've never quite gotten over it. There is something magical about a bread with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a crust that's perfectly flaky and brittle. So much so that you cannot but forgive and forget all those calories crammed inside of it.
Some years back I shared with you my Vegan Olive Oil Brioche with Aquafaba -- a bread so many of you have made over the years and loved. But before I came up with that one, I had shared with you, near the inception of this blog, a recipe for an avocado brioche that I love just as much.
I came up with this brioche while trying to find a way to use up some perfectly ripe avocados before they went bad on me, and because I just didn't feel like more guacamole. Avocados are really an excellent substitute for butter because they are high in fat (the good kind, unlike butter) and they have a creamy texture when mashed which is not unlike that of butter.
You will need two large or three small avocados for this recipe (about a cup, total), and just two tablespoons of vegan butter. This gives you the perfect texture: flaky and tender, and the bread has a lovely gold crust with an exquisite pale-green crumb.
How to make a beautiful avocado brioche:
- Use avocados that are perfectly ripe--green with a buttery texture and that mash easily. You can also blend them, but make sure they are smooth before you add them to the batter, with no lumps.
- As soon as you mash the avocado, squeeze some lemon juice on it so it doesn't discolor.
- The avocado kneads into the flour quite easily, but make sure you take the time to knead the butter into the dough thoroughly at the end for that great texture.
- You can shape this brioche anyway you want to--I like making four balls and laying them side by side in the loaf pan for a traditional shape. You can braid your brioche or just make a regular loaf.
- Every bread should be cooled thoroughly on a rack before slicing, and this brioche is no exception. I know you can't wait to eat it, but you don't want to eat it until it's perfect, do you?
Ingredients for avocado brioche:
- Avocados
- Yeast
- Bread flour (or all purpose flour)
- Nondairy milk (almond, soy or any milk will do)
- Sugar
- Vegan Butter
- Salt
Looking for more vegan bread recipes?
- Vegan Brioche Buns
- Quick Ciabatta
- The Perfect Sandwich Bread
- Rustic Tuscan Bread | Pane Toscano
- Easy French Bread
- Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
Avocado Brioche
Avocado Brioche
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp almond milk warm
- 3 ¼ cup bread flour (can use all purpose flour)
- 2 avocados (perfectly ripe, mashed until there are no lumps. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the avocado so it remains bright green.)
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter (softened, at room temperature)
Instructions
- Mix the yeast the milk in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand 5 minutes for the yeast to "bloom".
- Add to the bowl 1 cup of flour, mashed avocados, sugar and salt.
- Mix well until ingredients have blended together. Then add the remaining flour and knead by hand or on low-medium speed in a stand mixer for about 8-10 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic and although it will appear sticky, it won't stick to your fingers.
- Add the vegan butter and knead on medium-high speed or by hand until the butter is incorporated into the dough.
- Place the dough in an oil-coated bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours or until doubled.
- Punch the dough down, then cover again and let rise for another 2 hours.
- To shape the dough, divide it into four equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth, oval ball.
- Spray oil on the inside of a standard 9 X 5-inch loaf pan.
- Place the four balls of dough touching each other inside the loaf pan.
- Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap or with a shower cap and let rise another hour or until the loaf fills the pan and mushrooms over it.
- For a nice color, brush on some extra virgin olive oil mixed with salt.
- Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes.
- Place the loaf pan on a rack and let the bread cool about 20-30 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Unmold the bread from the pan by sliding a knife around the edges and turning upside town. It should release quite easily.
- Continue cooling, right side up, until thoroughly cooled.
Nutrition
Love this avocado brioche? Check out more vegan French recipes on Holy Cow!
Avocado
This is one of the most brilliant recipes I have ever read. Absolutely genius. The first time I made it I used it as the base for a babka, and it was incredible — also made a few brioche muffins with some of the dough. Crumbly, incredible. Then I used it for date cinnamon buns, swapping out one of the avocados for equal weight in pumpkin puree. Also amazing. Versatile recipe, genius concept. Getting ready to make again for the third time in two weeks!
Vaishali
🙂 So happy you've enjoyed the brioche, and have been experimenting with the recipe. Pumpkin sounds like a great idea.
Niwashikun
This recipe is so close to being Whole-Food-Plant-Based. What role is the vegan butter serving? Extra fat? What about extra avocado instead? What else would be a good sub for the vegan butter?
Thanks!
Vaishali
You could use vegetable oil. It helps add some more moisture to keep the bread soft.
Jesse-Gabriel
Ich wünschte mir so sehr das das Rezept auch in Gramm Angaben wäre!
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Vaishali
Added, click on the "metric" tab under ingredient list in recipe box.
Jesse-Gabriel
Super und vielen Dank, habe ich gerade gesehen, jetzt muss ich ganz schnell dein Avocado Brioche nach backen!
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Cassia
Can I make these into dinner rolls?
Vaishali
Yes!
Ellie Gibbs
This was fabulous. Thank you
Stephanie
Just made it , into buns with candied orange peel and sultanas. Thank you for such a wonderful idea !
Vaishali
Awesome, glad you liked it Stephanie!
Cassia
How many cups is 2 avocados mashed? I avocado I will be using is bigger than the haas.
Vaishali Honawar
Use about the quantity you'd get from a medium Haas avocado-- that's what I used.
Michaela
is there a way to figure out the nutritional info?
Vaishali Honawar
Added!
Shane Kidd
I am a new to yeasted breads, and not only were these a snap to make, they were SO GOOD. they ended up looking a bit greener and fluffier than in the photos, too!
As a new baker, I was worried around the butter stage that the dough was too wet but trust in the process and just let it all rise. It will all work out.
Really great vegan recipe and is my new favorite for sliced breads!
Thanks so much!
Johanna
I made it, and I'll make it again.
Vaishali
Anonymous, you can use all-purpose flour with pretty good results.
Anonymous
Dear Vaishali
What can we use instead of bread flour?
Thanks
Anonymous
You can try 1 cup flour (129 grams) add in 1 1/2 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten (4 grams)
Vidya
o wow I can't beleive this Vaishali. I've been looking for a recipe for avocado bread. Loooved the texture. It looks sooo yummy. Will be trying this one verrry soon.
Jude
Avocados sound like such a great idea for replacing eggs and butter in baking. It's so worth trying even if I'm not vegan (or even vegetarian).
MC
Truly inspired is the right way to put it! I have put it on my list of must-try recipes. The challenge will be to find ripe avocados. Where I live (US Northeast), you have to buy them 4 or 5 days ahead of the day you want to use them. That requires a lot of planning and I am not always up to it, I'll admit. But I love the idea so much that I will make an effort to be more organized, I will, I will.
Aparna
Brioche is really like the Amul ad - utterly, butterly delicious!
Your avocado brioche is truly an inspired idea. The bread in both the before and after pictures looks really good.
sarchan
That looks so delicious. I would have never thought to use avocado, but it makes so much sense--genius.
Gita's Kitchen
Please check my blog, I have something for you 🙂
TBC
How do ya you come up with such fab ideas, Vaishali? I would never have thought of substituting the butter with avocado.
The fruit lends such a lovely color to the bread. Fantastic!
tofufreak
that's amazing! i never would have thought of using avocados! this is definitely on my must-bake list!
Indranee
Bread looks perfect and yummy!!
Priya
I have something spl for u..pls check it out:
Vikram Hazra
Hi Vaishali
I worked briefly at the 5th floor of TOI, and I remember you and Desikan clearly. Stumbled upon your blog thru Suranga aunty's (kaimhanta/ugich konitari) and was pleasantly surprised. My wife is a fabulous cook and we are both strict vegetarians (in some countries I travel to, I'm vegan as well), so I am always looking out for recipes for her 🙂
Shall set up an email feed for her right away!
warm regards
Vikram Hazra
Gita's Kitchen
Great idea of using avovados instead of butter, very healthy alternative. This bread is new to me, looks very delicious...
pixiepine
Wow! That looks wonderful.
Maggie
This sounds like such a great idea! I'm always thinking how ripe avocados taste eggy.
Priya
Now that was innovative Vaishali! Brioche has always been on my to try list but the eggs put me off. Now I'm off to get some avocados.
Fresh from the Source
I will be making this; it looks and sounds mouth watering.
When I'm in Vietnam, I live where there is no refrigeration, so we use avocado as butter, which suits me as I a mostly vegan. Just mash the avocado, add a little lime juice (to keep the avocado from discolouring), and add a little salt if you wish. I use it as butter on banh mi (a sandwich made on baguette-type rolls).
Cham
Brioche with avocado? gorgeous one!
Purva Desai
First time to this wonderful blog....it was a healthy substitute to use Avocado instead of butter...It has turned out fluffy and soft...
Thanks for sharing..
Curry Leaf
Perfect brioche.I love the fact that you used avocado.Sure avocado is creamy has got good fats.Lovely and bookmarked along with challah and pompoms.
Sireesha
Breead looks perfect ,Soft and fluffy:)
Ramya Kiran
Hi Vaishali, i invite you to visit my blog. There is an award waiting for you..
Priya
Oh my god...i love brioche, looks fabulous n scrumptious Vaishali..am drooling over the brioche..with avocado i am for..thanks for sharing these wonderful bread..
Mahimaa's kitchen
This is very new to me. It is very challenging to cook vegan dishes.. hats off to you!
Pearlsofeast
Vaishali, this is awesome.avocado in a bread must be delectable.
Divya Vikram
That looks perfectly baked and browned Vaishali..Lovely texture.
Uma
wow, what an amazing bread! I bought brioche from store recently and it was so hard to bite, especially the top portion. Yours look so soft and fluffy!
anudivya
That is a pefect brioche, and clever use of avocado (the good fat) instead of butter.
Looks so flaky! Wonder how it would turn up with whole wheat flour.
swellvegan
This sounds and looks delicious! I'm going to have to try making this very very soon.