Rhubarb frangipane buns - these delightful individually sized buns consist of a soft, fluffy, brioche-like bread base topped with almond frangipane and roasted rhubarb.
They are richly flavoured but not too sweet and would make a great fancy breakfast, brunch or snack; and they happen to be vegan too!

These vegan rhubarb frangipane buns have to be one of the prettiest things I have ever made and they taste delicious too!
I used my tangzhong dough for the base, which makes a wonderfully soft, fluffy, brioche-like bread using far less fat than a classic brioche.
The buns (or tarts, not sure what to call them) are topped with an eggless almond frangipane and orange roasted rhubarb before baking. The combination of soft, fluffy bread, rich, creamy frangipane and sharp, tangy rhubarb is so, so good!
A scattering of chopped pistachios is optional, but it really makes the buns look like something you would find in a fancy bakery and also adds a bit of textural contrast to the soft filling.
The look of these is inspired by Edd Kimber's rhubarb and custard brioche tarts, though the recipe itself is completely different.
Ingredient Details:
Bread flour: White bread flour helps to give these rhubarb frangipane buns their soft, fluffy, chewy texture. Plain (all-purpose) flour will also work though the texture isn’t quite the same. I don’t recommend using wholemeal flour as that will make the buns too dense.
Instant yeast: I always prefer to use instsant yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn’t need to be activated first.
Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don’t omit it.
Non-dairy milk: Soy milk is always my favourite for baking as it has the highest protein content so most closely resembles dairy milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk will work however, but go for an unsweetened one if you can, and definitely soy milk if you have it.
Vegan butter: While in most cases I only recommend using a block butter for baking, in this case a tub variety is fine as well (but not one of the low-fat ones!). I used Flora Original.
Sugar: Use caster or granulated sugar. Do not swap it for liquid sugars or sweeteners.
Ground almonds: This is what forms the base of the frangipane. I believe that in the US it would be called almond flour rather than ground almonds.
Cornstarch: I use part plain flour, part cornflour (cornstarch) in the frangipane to help it set.
Rhubarb: Use forced rhubarb for a beautiful pink colour and sweetness.
Orange: Roasting the rhubarb with some orange zest and juice gives it a great flavour; blood orange would work really well.
Demarera sugar: This is optional but I like to sprinkle the buns with some demarera (turbinado) sugar before they are baked.
I also decorated my buns with some chopped roasted pistachios as the pink and green look so pretty together. That is totally optional though.
How To Make Rhubarb Frangipane Buns:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: To make the tangzhong, place the flour in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk.
Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency.
Step 2: Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the cold milk on top.
Add sugar, vanilla, salt, flour and yeast. Stir until it forms a rough dough then set the stand mixer to a medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
Add the softened vegan butter and knead for about another 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy.
Step 3: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm spot to rise for 1-2 hours.
Step 4: While the dough is rising, roast the rhubarb with orange juice and sugar for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Punch down the risen dough, divide it into 10 even pieces and roll them into balls.
Use your hands to flatten each ball into a disc then use your fingers or the base of a glass to flatten the middle section of the disc even further, leaving an approx 2 cm rim around the edge.
Step 6: Place the discs spaced apart on a couple of lined baking sheets, cover and set aside to rise until puffy.
Step 7: To make the frangipane, stir together the ground almonds, flour, cornflour, baking powder and sugar. Add the melted butter, milk and almond extract and stir with a balloon whisk until combined.
Step 8: Divide the frangipane between the buns, spooning it into the hollows and spreading it level.
Step 9: Top the frangipane with the rhubarb, reserving the juices for later. Brush the exposed dough with a mixture of milk and maple syrup then sprinkle with demarera sugar.
Step 10: Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Make sure that your yeast isn't out of date! Old yeast can lead to dough that doesn’t rise.
The rising time of the dough will vary depending on how warm it is; on hot days it will rise much faster than on cold ones.
Be careful not to overcook the rhubarb otherwise it may fall apart and be difficult to decorate the buns with.
If you want, you can give the dough it’s first rise overnight in the fridge rather than at room temperature. This breaks up the workload and gives the bread an even better flavour.
These vegan rhubarb frangipane buns are best eaten on the day they are baked but will still be good for a couple more days, especially if you warm them up a bit before serving.
FAQ's:
Store the buns in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 days. If it is warm out keep them in the fridge instead.
This is a soft, sticky dough so it is easiest made in a stand mixer. You absolutely can knead it by hand if you don't have one, just be prepared to get a bit messy.
When kneading, you shouldn't flour the surface as you will end up incorporating too much flour and making the dough too dry. Instead, if the dough is sticking too much, you can lightly oil the worksurface and your hands to help, or just be prepared to get a bit sticky!
A bench scraper is incredibly handy when kneading dough by hand to unstick the dough from the surface.
Yes, the baked rhubarb buns can be frozen once they have cooled completely. Freeze them on the day they are baked to preserve freshness.
They should be frozen in an airtight container or individually wrapped to protect from freezer burn. Allow them to defrost at room temperature then refresh in a low oven for 5-10 minutes or in the microwave for 10-20 seconds before serving. I do not recommend freezing unbaked buns.
No, I’m afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you. It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.
Yes! These buns would work really well with fresh blueberries, peaches or strawberries instead of rhubarb. There is no need to pre-cook other types of fruit like you do with the rhubarb, just arrange the fresh fruit on top of the frangipane before you bake the buns.
More Sweet Bun Recipes:
- Vegan Belgian buns
- Vegan cinnamon rolls
- Vegan hot cross buns
- Banana bread cinnamon rolls
- Vegan lemon blueberry rolls
- Chocolate orange hot cross buns
- Vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls
- Wholemeal maple cinnamon rolls
- Mocha cinnamon rolls
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Rhubarb Frangipane Buns (Vegan)
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 25 g (3 Tablespoons) white bread flour
- 140 ml (½ cup + 4 teaspoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
Dough:
- all of the tangzhong
- 140 ml (½ cup + 4 teaspoons) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy) cold
- 40 g (3 rounded Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 360 g (3 cups) white bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7 g (1 sachet) fast action (instant) yeast
- 50 g (¼ cup) vegan butter softened
Rhubarb:
- 250 g (9 oz) forced rhubarb
- 25 g (2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- juice of 1 small orange
Frangipane:
- 100 g (1 cup) ground almonds (almond flour)
- 30 g (¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 10 g (1 Tablespoon) cornflour (cornstarch)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 70 g (⅓ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 50 g (3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) vegan block butter melted
- 50 ml (3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
To Finish:
- 1 Tablespoon non dairy milk
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- demarera sugar for sprinkling
- chopped roasted pistachios optional
Instructions
- To make the tangzhong, place the flour in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk to avoid lumps.
- Place the pan over a medium/low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a paste/pudding-like consistency.
- Scrape the tangzhong into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour the rest of the cold milk on top. This will cool the tangzhong down so that the heat doesn’t kill the yeast.
- Add the vanilla, sugar, salt and flour and finally the yeast. Stir until it forms a rough dough then set the stand mixer to a medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and stretchy, this can take about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegan butter and knead for about another 5 minutes until it is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer feels greasy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
- The dough should still be soft and sticky, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. If it seems too wet then you can knead in a little extra flour, a tablespoon at a time. Be careful though, this is meant to be a soft dough and adding too much extra flour will make the bread dry.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the fridge to rise overnight, or in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Whilee the dough is rising, heat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉/gas mark 4. Cut the rhubarb into approximately 7cm long pieces and arrange them in a single layer in a roasting tin. Sprinkle with the sugar and pour over the orange juice. Roast for 10 minutes until softened but still holding their shape. Set aside to cool.
- Punch down the risen dough and give it a brief knead to knock out any air bubbles. Divide it into 10 even pieces (use a scale for accuracy) and roll them into balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to flatten each ball into a disc about 10cm wide, then use your fingers or the base of a glass to flatten the middle section of the disc even further, leaving an approx 2 cm rim around the edge.
- Place the discs well spaced apart on two lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and leave to rise until puffy, about 30-45 minutes. If you gently press the dough with your finger it should spring back slowly, and maybe leave a slight indentation. If it springs back quickly then it needs a little longer, and if the dough deflates then it is over-prooved so keep an eye on it!
- While the buns are rising make the frangipane. Stir together the ground almonds, flour, cornflour, baking powder and sugar. Add the melted butter, milk and almond extract and stir with a balloon whisk until combined.
- Once the buns are done rising, divide the frangipane between them, spooning it into the hollows and spreading it level.
- Top the frangipane with the rhubarb, reserving the juices for later. Mix together the milk and maple syrup then gently brush this mixture on the exposed rim of dough. Sprinkle with demarera sugar.
- Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.
- While the buns are baking, pour the reserved rhubarb juice into a small pan and bring up to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until it has reduced slightly then remove from the heat.
- Gently slide the baked buns onto a wire cooling rack and brush the rhubarb with the syrup. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios if you like and serve asap.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos. If you have a question about the recipe I may have already answered it above!
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- Be careful not to overcook the rhubarb otherwise it may fall apart and be difficult to decorate the buns with.
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