Gingerbread Brioche Buns
A cross between a mini babka and the less sweet cousin of a classic cinnamon roll, these Gingerbread Brioche Buns are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon coffee break.
Rich, tender buttery buns that are full of the warm spiciness of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg. Just imagine the delicious aroma that will be wafting through your house while these beauties bake!
For the dough, I start with a basic brioche/babka style dough to which I add molasses and spices to give it that nice warm gingerbread flavour.
The dough completes a second cold proofing in the refrigerator. For best results I like to leave it overnight in the refrigerator. I think the buns have better flavour and texture from the slow, cold proofing.
The same spices used in the dough also appear in the filling along with just enough brown sugar to add a hint of sweetness to the buns.
I’ve added some finely chopped walnuts to the filling, but they are completely optional. Leave them out or substitute a different chopped nut if you prefer.
While these Gingerbread Brioche Buns are best eaten freshly baked, once cooled to room temperature they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Simply microwave for 20-25 seconds before enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee!
Ingredients
For the dough
- 100 ml warm whole milk 43°C/ 110°F to 45°C/115°F
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 50 grams granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon for the yeast
- 300 grams all-purpose flour; more as needed
- ½ tsp. fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 60 ml dark molasses
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- 100 grams unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
The Filling
- 30 grams unsalted butter soft enough to spread easily
- 150 grams brown sugar
- 85 grams finely chopped walnuts
- 2½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 egg yolk, whisked for the egg wash
Instructions
- Place the warm milk in a small bowl. Stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt along with1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom.
- Add the milk/yeast mixture and the molasses and mix until just combined. Next add the egg and egg yolks and continue mixing until combined.
- Knead the dough by hand until it comes together, then tip it out onto a work surface and knead for about 6 minutes.
- Add the butter, a piece or two at a time. Knead until all the butter is fully incorporated and a smooth, soft dough that's slightly sticky is formed, about 5 minutes more.Tip you may want to use a dough scraper in one hand to help incorporate the butter.
- Form the dough into a ball and place into a clean, lightly buttered bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Gently punch down the dough, cover, and transfer to the fridge. Let the dough rise for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 12 equal pieces (I use a scale to weigh the pieces). Lightly oil the cups in a muffin tin.
- In a small bowl combine the ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and nutmeg for the filling.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough into a 11 cm x 17 cm rectangle. Brush lightly with some of the softened butter, then sprinkle a tablespoon of the brown sugar, and a ½ teaspoon of the spice mixture evenly over top along with some crushed walnuts, if using.
- Starting at the long end, roll the rectangle tightly into a log.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the log in half, lengthwise, so the striations of the dough and filling are visible.
- With the cut sides facing up, twist the two pieces around each other, or alternately crossing them over and under each other.
- Pinch the ends together and shape the dough into a circle, leaving a a little of the ends outside the circle. Overlap the two end pieces and tuck one end under and up the centre hole of the circle, the other end over and through the center hole.
- Place into the lightly oiled muffin tin. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. If you have any extra brown sugar or spice mixture sprinkle overtop of the buns. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 175°C / 350 degrees F. Gently whisk the egg yolk and brush over the top of the buns. Bake the buns for 25 to 30 minutes, until dark brown.
