Vegan Mini Brioche

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

1/2 cup Thai Kitchen unsweetened coconut milk 

3 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour (weighing ensures light fluffy bread) 

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter (half a stick), plus 1 tsp for brushing

Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water to it and stir to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Add the remaining water, and bring to a boil either in the microwave for 1 minute till slightly gelatinous and cloudy. Set aside and let cool completely before using, preferably in the fridge. It will become a bit thicker as it cools.

Thoroughly combine cooled cornstarch mixture, milk, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add flour and yeast on top. Mix on medium speed for 2 whole minutes, starting the countdown once the ingredients are starting to combine.

Add Earth Balance, 1 tablespoon at a time, as it mixes. Once all the butter has been slowly added and you’ve taken the time to place the tub of butter back into the fridge, let the mixer work the dough on medium-high speed for a total of 4 minutes, making sure to push the straying butter down with a spatula if it sticks to the higher sides of the bowl. Do not worry if the dough looks a greasy, wet mess when you add the butter, it will come together as it gets mixed.

Keep in mind the dough will look like batter, be sticky and not form a ball even when it is done mixing. Gather it in the center of the bowl with a rubber spatula, tightly cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let stand 45 minutes in a not-too-hot, not-too-cold and not-too-drafty room. Don’t worry about it having doubled or not after those 45 minutes, as they mostly serve to ensure the dough is moist and well.

Use a rubber spatula to gently deflate the dough, and gather it in the center of the bowl again.

Tightly cover with plastic wrap again and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 18 hours is best. The dough should be really cold and stiff.

Use a rubber spatula to gently deflate the stiff dough again.

Bring a large shallow pan of water to a boil and place on bottom rack of oven. Melt 1 tsp of Earth Balance and with a silicone brush grease tart shells and place on top of a baking pan. With a dough cutter, cut the dough into eight pieces like a pie. Cut off one third of a piece and shape it into a 1 inch round ball and place in tart shells. Loosely cover with plastic wrap, place on top rack of oven and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.

Remove pan of water and brioche from oven.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake the mini brioches for 10 minutes and lower the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), baking the brioches for another 6 minutes till their tops reach a deep golden brown color.

Let cool, remove from pans, transfer to a sealed container and store at room temperature if not consuming immediately.
Whole batch is 1618 calories making 24 mini brioches about 67 calories each.

Slightly altered from http://havecakewilltravel.com/2011/08/06/brioche-a-gogo/