These pillowy soft vegan apple cheesecake brioche buns are a twist on the classic cream cheese danish using a yeast risen enriched dough instead of puff pastry! The centers are filled with a gooey dairy free cheesecake filling, gooey cinnamon apples, and a vanilla crumble to finish! Made with Native Forest Organic Simple Coconut Milk by The Banana Diaries.
Ingredients:
Brioche Buns
- 3/4 cup (184 g) Native Forest Organic Simple Coconut Milk, heated to 110F
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar or coconut sugar, divided
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour or all purpose flour
- 2.5 tsp (.25 oz) dry activated yeast
- 12 tbsp (185 g) unsalted salted vegan butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (62.5 grams) unsweetened applesauce or dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake filling:
- 1 batch vegan cream cheese (or 12 ounces store bought vegan cream cheese)
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) Let's Do Organic Heavy Coconut Cream
- 1 tbsp Let's Do Organic Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or maple butter
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Apple pie topping:
- 2 large gala or fuji apples, diced
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp flour
Vanilla crumble topping:
- 1/2 cup (63 g) all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (80 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vegan egg wash:
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp soy milk
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning:
- Prep: Grease a medium bowl with olive or coconut oil, and set aside.
- Bloom the yeast: In a separate large bowl, combine the dairy free milk, 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, and activated yeast. Mix with a wooden spoon, and cover. Place in a warm area to activate for about 10 minutes. The yeast should begin to foam and smell yeast-like (similar to beer).
- Make the dough: Once the yeast is activated, you’ll start the dough. In a large bowl or using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the bread flour and remaining sugar to the bowl. Mix just until the sugar is mixed throughout the flour. Then add in the dairy free yogurt, vanilla, and bloomed yeast mixture. Mix on medium speed until a very shaggy dough forms, about 3-4 minutes. Then add in the tablespoons of vegan butter, and begin to mix again on medium speed. Stop every so often to reincorporate the butter. Once the vegan butter is incorporated, turn the speed of the stand mixer onto high, and allow the dough to be kneaded in the bowl for about 10-15 minutes, or until soft and pliable. The dough might still be slightly tacky, but should not leave globs of dough on your finger tip. The trick is to knead the dough until it passes the windowpane test.
- First proof: Place the dough ball into the medium sized greased bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and place in a warm area (ideally above 80F) to rest for about 60-120 minutes, or until doubled in size.
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While the dough is proofing: Follow the instructions for making the vegan cream cheese. Then in a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese with the remaining cheesecake filling ingredients. Set aside. Then make vanilla crumble ingredients by mixing all vanilla crumble ingredients together in a small bowl. Finally, make the apple filling:
- Heat: Add the vegan butter to a medium sauté pan and melt on medium heat. Add in the apples, light brown sugar, cinnamon, water, and flour, and toss to evenly coat. Then cover the pan and let the apples cook for 3-5 minutes, or until soft and tender. Set aside to cool.
- Shape the dough: Once the dough has doubled in size, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean surface, and place the dough onto the surface. Divide the dough into 8 even dough balls (or more for smaller brioche buns). Take one piece, and pinch the corners together to create a ball. Then gently roll the dough ball between your palms or on the lightly floured surface to smooth the seams until you get a smooth dough ball. Place the shaped dough onto the parchment paper, and repeat for the remaining dough.
- While the doughnuts are resting: Let the brioche buns rest for 15-20 minutes to puff up. Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Finish filling the doughnuts: Once the brioche buns have puffed up, take a small glass no larger than 2-3″ in diameter, and gently press the bottom of the glass into the middle of the bun to create a crevice where the cream cheese filling will sit. Spoon about 2-3 tbsp of cheesecake filling per bun, followed by the apple pie filling, and a sprinkle of vanilla crumble on top.
- Bake: Mix together the vegan egg wash and brush the edges of the brioche buns with the vegan egg wash. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown around the edges.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve the brioche buns freshly baked or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
