Halloween Brioche Mummies

Halloween Brioche Mummies

I take every opportunity to bake novelty goods because each holiday or festival always seems fleeting, that we should go all in because when else can you make bunny-shaped rolls except at Easter? When else can you make Hot Dog Mummies than at Halloween? Could you make food-inspired mummies at other times of the year? Sure, why not? ???? But Halloween is such a silly season (or is that meant to be Christmas?), that I think we should embrace it fully. So enter my Halloween Brioche Mummies!

These Brioche Mummies are a spin on sweet buns which I make at other times of the year, but suitably dressed up for Halloween. They are a sweet yeasted bun decorated with royal icing to create the mummy effect. My kids and their friends absolutely love them, and they are perfect as a snack alongside other Halloween treats.

Brioche Recipe

Brioche typically contain eggs which give the buns a nice richness and their lovely yellow colour, but I have omitted them from this recipe because I find eggless dough to keep their shape better, especially for recipes like this one where you are forming the buns into novelty shapes.

This recipe for Halloween Brioche Mummies is the same recipe which I use to make other seasonal buns, including Zopfhasen at Easter and Grittibänz at Christmas. It is my foolproof recipe for a sweet yeasted dough which is perfect for moulding into any shape you like, resulting in soft and fluffy buns with a light buttery taste.

The idea for these Brioche Mummies, however, comes from a very cute French cookbook called Mes petits desserts à croquer! by Bérengère Abraham. We regularly visit friends and family in France and, as I love to visit bookstores wherever I travel, I always come home with an armful of books despite my better intentions to travel lightly. But this was an adorable little cookbook that I couldn’t resist buying, and even my kids wholeheartedly approved of this purchase ????

How to Make Brioche Mummies

Step 1

Measure the flour, sugar, yeast and salt into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Lightly mix the ingredients together.

Step 2

Slowly add the warm milk (you may not need all of it), and lightly beat everything with the dough hook until it comes together into a large ball of dough. Only add as much milk as you need to bring the ingredients together into a dough.

Step 3

Slowly incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter has been used.

Then increase the speed to medium and continue kneading with the dough hook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Step 4

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, and place the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 5

Once the dough has doubled in size, carefully remove the dough from the mixing bowl and transfer it to your work surface.

The next step is to portion the dough. Ideally, you should use a digital kitchen scale so that each Brioche Mummy is about the same size. You will need to portion the dough for:

• 24 Arms
• 12 Heads
• 12 Body/Legs

Remove 100 g of the dough which you will use for the arms.

Weigh the rest of the dough, and divide this number by 12 to calculate the weight of each Brioche Mummy.

The heads should be slightly larger than the body, so apportion the weight of the heads vs bodies accordingly. For example, if the total weight of each Brioche Mummy is 80 g, the head should be 45 g and the body should be 35 g (these are the weights I use for this recipe).

Roll the dough for the heads into a smooth ball.

Roll the dough for the bodies into a smooth ball, and then elongate it slightly into an oval shape.

Place the dough pieces onto a large baking tray lined with baking paper, making sure the heads and bodies touch each other.

Step 6

Use the reserved dough to form the arms of the Brioche Mummies. Simply pinch off small pieces and roll them into small balls, and attach them between the heads and bodies.

Use a sharp knife to cut an incision in the bodies to form the legs.

Step 7

Leave the baking trays somewhere warm for about 20 minutes for the dough to puff up slightly.

Step 8

Just before baking, brush the dough with some milk.

Bake the Brioche Mummies for 15-20 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. If they are browning too quickly (check around the 10 minute mark), cover them loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.

Once the Brioche Mummies have cooked, place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 9

Make the royal icing by whisking the egg white until it is thick and foamy. Add the icing sugar and continue whisking on medium speed for about 5 minutes until you have a thick icing mixture. Transfer the royal icing to a disposable piping bag, and use a pair of scissors to cut off a small opening.

Attach the eyes to each Brioche Mummy with some icing. Then pipe the icing across each Brioche Mummy in a zig-zag pattern.

Allow the icing to set before serving.

Tips for Making Bread Dough Ahead of Time

I love baking bread, but I don’t love getting up extra early to get started on the dough. So I typically make the dough the night before and allow it to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. The longer proofing time has the added benefit of allowing the dough to develop more flavour and a better texture. Come the morning, the dough will have at least doubled in size, and it will be ready for shaping as per the recipe.

To make the dough the night before:

1. Make the dough as per the recipe.
2. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover.
4. Place the bowl into the fridge.
5. Let the dough rise overnight, or for at least 8-10 hours.
6. The next morning, the dough should have at least doubled in size.
7. Gently remove the dough from the bowl.
8. The dough is ready for shaping and the second proof as per the recipe.
9. As the dough will be cold from the fridge, the second proof may take slightly longer.