Brioche is a fabulously luxurious dough enriched with eggs and copious amounts of butter (often 25% or more of the total dough). Supermarket brioche buns, however, are a little different: the best products contain about 6-11% butter at most and some, surprisingly, contained none at all, using replacements such as palm fat and rapeseed oil instead.
But all is not lost: even the most processed products were passable, and the best were quite delicious. I tested these straight from the packet, analysing the egg wash, type of crumb and texture. I scored on flavour, value, processing, sustainability (though most products lack standards and certifications) and animal welfare.
The bar here is pretty low, though, with most buns sitting firmly in UPF territory. Squishy, carotene-coloured and stored in plastic, they’re fabricated from a cocktail of fats, emulsifiers and preservatives, creating remarkable shelf life but unremarkable buns with little authenticity.
