Vegan Braided Bread | Easter Brioche Recipe (2024)

Learn how to make the best soft and fluffy Vegan Easter Braided Bread with this easy step-by-step recipe – It’s egg-free, dairy-free, requires just a few simple staple ingredients but it’s as delicious as traditional sweet brioche bread! Perfect as a dessert, snack, or sweet breakfast for kids and adults alike!

Vegan Easter Braided Bread

Besides vegan carrot cake, this fluffy braided yeast bread is one of our families’ favorite recipes to bake during the Easter holidays! The sweet Easter bread has been on the table for breakfast or brunch since my childhood and we still love it! However, we also like to enjoy a piece of brioche bread in the afternoon with a cup of dalgona whipped coffee or matcha green tea latte. Sometimes we also bake small braided buns as a handy snack to go or for a picnic. It’s delicious as it is or with jam or vegan Nutella on top. Leftovers can be used for making vegan french toast – It’s the perfect homemade sweet bread to enjoy all year round!

Since the basic vegan brioche yeast dough recipe is so versatile, I like to make it over and over again. You can really get creative with the shapes and fillings – that’s why I really love this recipe! Anyway, today I wanted to show you a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the classic vegan braided bread. So if you want to impress your friends and family during the upcoming Easter holidays, this recipe is what you need! 😉

Grandma’s Braided Brioche Bread Recipe

Even though this Easter braided bread is vegan, it’s just as soft and delicious as grandma’s traditional recipe! While classic brioche or Challah bread recipes are usually made with eggs and dairy butter, I used vegan butter and skipped the eggs. Instead of dairy milk, I used soy milk here. However, you can also opt for any other plant milk you like best or have on hand.

What many people don’t know is that you can make the perfect brioche bread without eggs. The yeast alone helps the dough to rise so it becomes wonderfully nice and fluffy, without any dairy ingredients at all. Believe me, no one will ever notice the difference

Sweet Yeast dough variations –Make a big bread or small buns

This basic sweet yeast dough recipe can be shaped and baked in a variety of ways. If you’re bored of the classic big Challah bread, you could also make smaller braided buns. The small sweet buns are easier to eat on the go so you can enjoy them at any time of the day whenever you feel like! You’re also welcome to try a different braiding method; for example by braiding only two strands together, or even four. Feel free to try new variations!

If you like dried fruit in your bread or buns, feel free to add some raisins, cranberries, or whatever dried fruit you like into the dough. For even more flavor, you could also fill your yeast plait with jam or incorporate other fillings to make a moist and juicy babka twist bread, vegan cinnamon rolls, or chocolate brioche buns. Instead of hail sugar, you can also top your braided Easter bread with almond flakes or chopped hazelnuts to add a nutty flavor to it. Of course, you could also try other nuts for the topping, or even fold them into the dough before baking.

As you can see, you can make many amazing treats with this versatile vegan brioche yeast dough! I can’t wait to see what you will bake! But now, let’s get started! 🙂

How to make Vegan Braided Bread

As always, I recommend watching the recipe video and checking out this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with the exact measurements in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Prepare the yeast dough.

Start by making the yeast dough. To do this, first, dissolve the yeast in some soy milk and sugar and set aside until foamy. In the meantime, slowly melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Next, whisk together flour, remaining sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Now pour the remaining soy milk, melted butter, yeast mixture, and vanilla extract into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together.

Transfer to a work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until a smooth dough forms (or use a stand mixer with dough hooks attached). Then place in an oiled bowl and let the dough rise, covered, for about 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.

Tip: Make sure the butter and soy milk are not warmer than 104°F (40°C), otherwise the heat will kill the yeast. Cover the dough before rising and sprinkle with some water if needed to prevent it from drying out. You can also let the dough rise slowly by placing it in the refrigerator overnight if you want to make the bread the next day.

Step 2: Braid the yeast dough.

Once the yeast dough has doubled in size, briefly knead it again to remove any air bubbles, then divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long strand and then braid into a plait as shown in the step-by-step pictures, pressing the top and bottom ends together. After that, carefully place the braided yeast bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise, covered, for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.

Step 3: Bake the brioche Easter bread.

After the resting time, brush the bread with a little soy cream, then sprinkle with hail sugar and place in the preheated oven. Two small loaves of bread will take about 20-25 minutes and one large bread will take about 30-35 minutes. Once the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, it’s ready! Now turn off the oven and let the brioche bread rest in it for a short while with the oven door slightly open. Then remove and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

Tip: Stir a pinch of turmeric into the soy cream before brushing the bread for a beautiful shiny golden color!

How can I store yeast bread properly?

It’s best to store your braided bread in a plastic bag, freezer bag, or airtight container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator when it’s very warm in your room. That way it keeps fresh for 2-3 days without drying out. If it has become hard, simply warm your bread briefly in the microwave before eating it. Then it becomes wonderfully soft and fluffy again!

If you want to store your delicious Easter bread for a longer period, you can freeze either the baked brioche for up to 6 months or the raw yeast dough for up to 3 months. Then simply thaw and bake in the oven until it tastes just like freshly baked again!

How can I serve my vegan braided bread?

There are countless ways you can enjoy your vegan Easter braided bread. Top it with vegan butter or margarine if the brioche bread is already sweet enough for your taste. Otherwise, you can serve it with different spreads, like vegan Nutella, cashew ricotta, nut butter, jam, or homemade fruit compote. However, I think it tastes absolutely delicious just as it is!

This Vegan Brioche Easter Bread recipe is:

• Dairy-free (lactose-free)
• Egg-free
• Perfectly sweet
• Soft and fluffy
• Moist
• Quick and easy to prepare
• Versatile
• Can also be stuffed with sweet fillings
• A popular Easter treat
• The perfect breakfast, dessert, or snack for kids and adults alike!

More easy Vegan recipes for the Easter holidays to try:

• Best Vegan Carrot Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
• Vegan Blueberry Babka
• German Bee Sting Cake
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Mandarin Cheesecake with Streusel
• Yeast Roll Cake with poppy seeds
• Vegan Madeleines
• Blood Orange Bundt Cake
• Carrot Cake Pancakes

If you try this easy vegan braided Easter bread recipe, please leave me a comment and a rating because I always love your feedback! And if you take a photo of your fluffy bread and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking! 🙂

IF YOU HAVE PINTEREST, YOU CAN FIND ME HERE AND PIN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE, IF YOU LIKE! 🙂