Maple-Glazed Brioche Buns Recipe (with Video)

Shape and proof the buns
1. Turn the dough top side down onto a lightly floured countertop and press lightly to de-gas
2. Divide the dough into 12 pieces of roughly 92 g each; cover them with plastic while you work
3. Lightly re-flour one portion of your countertop and leave another portion of the counter clean
4. Pre-shape the buns into a ball by placing one piece top side down on the floured portion of the counter; press lightly to flatten it out, then fold each of the edges of the dough into the center, pressing down to seal them in place
5. Turn the piece of dough over onto the clean portion of the counter and cup the dough from underneath with the heels of your palms; press the heels together beneath the dough and move them in opposite directions so that you pinch the seam underneath and rotate the piece of dough; it will become more and more of a ball shape
6. Finally, cup your hand over the ball of dough and rotate it against the counter so that the seam underneath catches on the counter and the surface of the dough becomes even tauter
7. Turn the ball over and give the seam a final pinch to seal
8. Repeat steps 4-7 with all the pieces of dough, then cover them with plastic and let them rest for 20 mins
9. Meanwhile, lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch rectangular baking dish with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper
10. Once the dough balls have rested, repeat steps 4-7 with each ball, then place the balls top side up in the prepared pan
11. Cover the pan loosely with plastic and proof at 82 F for 2.5 hours, until the balls have roughly doubled in size and they are snugly touching
Bake and finish the buns
1. While the buns proof, preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the center
2. Combine the egg substitute and soy milk for the Egg Wash and brush each bun lightly with this mixture
3. Sprinkle the buns with flaky sea salt and bake them until they are deep golden brown and the center bun registers 195 F in the middle, 30-35 mins
4. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them with maple syrup; this will add a brilliant shine to the top
5. Buns keep for up to 4 days on the counter wrapped tightly in plastic wrap; for the best eating experience, if consuming more than 12 hours after baking, reheat the buns in a 300 F oven for about 10 mins, until just warmed through