Italian Gelato Brioche Bun Recipe
One of our favorite ways to eat gelato is served on a light, fluffy brioche bun. It's the ultimate ice cream sandwich! This type of brioche is also served with Sicilian granita. Just tear off a chunk, scoop up some granita, and enjoy!
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:
For this recipe, you will need:
3 large eggs
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. grated orange zest
2 cups (250g) bread flour
1/3 cup (70g) of sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup (75ml) whole milk, plus some extra for glazing
4 tbsp. (60g) unsalted butter (room temperature), plus extra for greasing
A stand mixer with a hook attachment
Please note that we have since developed the recipe a little further from how we made it in the above video, so the steps won't appear to be quite the same.
Separate 1 of the eggs. Keep the yolk and set aside the white for use elsewhere. Combine the honey and orange zest in a small cup, mix well, and set aside for later.
Combine the egg yolk, one of the other eggs, flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Begin mixing with a hook attachment at medium/low speed. When the ingredients are well-mixed, begin adding the milk a little bit at a time.
Increase the mixer speed to medium/high and let it work until a consistent dough is formed. Lower the speed to medium and gradually add the butter, a little bit at a time. Add a small spoonful and wait until it is mixed in before adding the next.
Increase the speed again to medium/high and let it knead until the dough comes together into a single ball that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.
Liberally grease a large cutting board with butter. Transfer the dough onto the board. Gently fold in half and turn the dough a few times. Form into a ball and spin/drag it on the cutting board to smooth out its surface. Place the dough in a large mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in size (about 3 hours, depending on the temperature).
We recommend using a scale for the next step to ensure that the buns are all the same size. Each bun requires two balls of dough: one that is 90g and a smaller one that is 15g. Cut the dough into 6-8 of these pairs. Roll the larger balls smooth underhand and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet so they have plenty of room to expand.
Use a finger to press deep holes into each of the larger balls. Roll the smaller balls smooth and nest them in these holes. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let rise until the buns double in size again (usually about 1 hour).
Preheat an oven to 355 degrees F (180 C).
Crack the remaining egg into a cup and pour a splash of milk in. Whisk these together and brush the surface of the buns with the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are a deep, golden brown.
Let cool before serving with your favorite gelato, granita or ice cream. Buon appetito!