These easy frangipane brioche buns are light and fluffy with a sweet nutty filling. They are perfect for enjoying as an afternoon tea-time treat.
If you have been here for a while, you know that I love a good baked dessert, especially in bun form! Over the years, I have shared multiple sweet bun recipes and continue to create new ones every couple of months. After the viral success of almond croissants, I decided to craft something similar in a bun form. These delicious, fluffy, rich, and sweet buns are perfect for a quick grab-and-go snack.
What is Frangipane?
Frangipane is a rich, almond-based pastry filling that is both creamy and flavourful, commonly used in tarts, pies, and pastries. It is made from ground almonds, butter, sugar, eggs, and sometimes a touch of flour. With its soft, smooth texture, frangipane bakes into a lightly fluffy, golden layer.
This filling is popular in French desserts, such as the viral almond croissants and the iconic Galette des Rois. Frangipane pairs beautifully with fruits like pears, apples, or cherries, making it a beloved tart combination. Perfectly balancing sweetness and nuttiness, frangipane adds elegance and depth to any treat.
How to make the brioche buns?
The recipe for these brioche buns is quite straightforward, however you need patience in order for the dough to produce enough gluten in it, which will then become a light and fluffy bun. Ideally, the dough is worked in a stand mixer with a dough hook and is left to knead for a while so that this gluten develops. So as to check whether the dough is ready to be let to rest, I recommend to use the windowpane test.
What is the windowpane test?
To carry out the windowpane test, take a small amount of dough and hold it with both hands (using the thumbs and first two fingers). Gently, spread open your hands so to stretch the dough. Keep stretching gently until the centre part of the dough is translucent. If the dough doesn’t break that means that the gluten has developed and you can prepare your dough for the rising part. However, if the dough breaks easily when you open your fingers, the gluten hasn’t yet fully developed. Therefore, transfer the dough ball back to the main dough and let it knead for more minutes. Try again until the dough passes the windowpane test.
FAQs
How to store these frangipane brioche buns?
Whenever I make these buns, I always double the batch and freeze most of them; they freeze beautifully! When a craving strikes, simply warm one up for a few minutes, and it’s just as delicious as fresh. If you prefer, you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, but let’s be honest, resisting them every time you open the fridge is the real challenge!
Easy Frangipane Brioche Buns
Ingredients
Brioche Buns
- 300 g strong bread flour
- 125 ml milk lukewarm
- 45 g castor sugar
- 7 g active dry yeast 1 sachet
- 1 egg
- 30 g butter room temperature and cubed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Egg wash – 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water
Frangipane Filling
- 100 g ground almonds
- 100 g castor sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp flour
- 100 g butter softened
- slivered almonds
- icing sugar
Instructions
Preparation of the frangipane
- In a large bowl add all the ingredients together and mix well to get a paste. Wrap the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
Preparing the Buns
- In a mixer bowl activate the yeast by adding the yeast, milk and sugar. Let the mixture foam for about 15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl add together the flour, salt and vanilla extract. Set aside
- Once the yeast is activated add the dry ingredients together with the egg to the mixer bowl. With a hook attachment knead the dough for about 3 minutes, until a soft dough starts to take shape.
- Then gently add the diced butter one piece at a time until all the butter is incorporated. Let the dough knead for about 10 minutes. Make sure it passes the windowpane test*.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour in the warmest place in your kitchen until it doubles in size.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and dust it with flour. Set aside
- Once the dough is doubled in size, transfer it to a well floured surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and form into balls. Punch the centre slightly down with your fingers of each ball. Place the buns on the prepared tray keeping a good amount of space between each one. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F while the buns are rising.
- Once the buns have rested, flatten again the centre of the buns. With an ice cream scoop, add the frangipane to the hole in the centre of the bun. Divide the frangipane between all the buns. Brush with the egg wash.
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the buns have a nice golden brown colour. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Notes
If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create! Don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list down below so to receive the recipe updates straight to your mailbox!
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