Brioche loaf
Baking your own brioche takes a little effort but it is so worth it. Light and buttery with a pillowy interior. The leftovers are perfect for French toast.
When I first started baking bread, brioche was the one thing I found completely daunting. I feel the same way about brioche as I do about croissants. I love eating them but I don’t want to make them myself. But let me tell you, homemade brioche is a thing of absolute beauty. Bubble-topped and begging to be sliced into. As you slice into the still-warm loaf, you’ll be met with a burst of steam with the aroma of butter and yeast. Drool-worthy stuff, I tell you. It’s also obvious at that moment that all the hard work is completely worth it. I’ve made this loaf over and over again and I can tell you, it’s delicious every single time.
All my tips and tricks to make the perfect brioche can be found below the recipe.
Ingredients
- 125 ml warm milk
- 3 tablespoons/70g sugar
- 10 g dried yeast
- 4 eggs
- 500 g flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 175 g butter cubed (remove the butter from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to start. Butter needs to be slightly soft.)
- 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Combine the milk, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a free-standing mixer and allow to stand for 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy and start to froth slightly.
- Add the eggs and beat well until the eggs are well incorporated and the mixture is light and creamy.
- Slowly add the flour and salt with the mixer running until the flour has been incorporated.
- Allow to knead at medium speed for a minute.
- Slowly add the cubes of butter and knead for another 5 minutes.
- The dough will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and will cling to the paddle.
- Remove the dough and place in a buttered bowl.
- Cover with clingwrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
- Place in the fridge and allow to stand overnight.
- The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
- Divide the dough in half and place in greased loaf tins.
- Allow to rise for another 2 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°c. Brush the loaves with the egg wash.
- Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Tips for making the best brioche bread
- Making brioche can seem overwhelming but my number one tip is to use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Letting the machine do the kneading for you makes this a breeze and gives you control to manipulate the dough. However, this recipe is 100% doable by hand.
- Combine warm milk(blood temperature – if you stick your finger into the milk it should feel almost like nothing. That means it is body temperature), sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to stand for 5 minutes until frothy. This step activates the yeast and gets it going.
- Once the eggs, flour and salt is added, knead the dough for a minute or two until everything is well incorporated.
- Slowly start adding the butter, bit by bit, until it too is incorporated into the dough. At this point the dough might seem very sticky but continue kneading until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn’t and it is still very wet, simply add 2-3 tablespoons of flour, one at a time, until the dough firms up a little. The flour will also continue hydrating as it rises.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap then allow to rise for 2 hours at room temperature. After that, place it in the fridge overnight. This step is crucial as this slow fermentation builds loads of flavor.
- Once ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to a clean, greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Allow to come up to room temperature.
- Break pieces of dough (approximately the size of tennis balls) off and form into rough balls. Place into 2 lined loaf pans then cover again with the damp tea towel and allow to rise while you allow the oven to preheat.
- Brush the loaves with beaten egg and place in the oven. Allow to bake until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and if you can resist temptation, allow to cool before slicing.
Bread recipes
- Rosemary Pecorino Potato bread
- Cheese and herb Irish soda bread
- Easy garlic butter dinner rolls
- Homemade ham and cheese crescent rolls
Hello any tips if doing by hand?
All the same directions, you’ll just be kneading by hand on a counter – the butter can be added slowly and kneaded in as directed. Using damp hands will prevent the dough from sticking but it will definitely be a little messier than using a mixer.
Can you use instant yeast instead
Yes, you can.
Hi, could you tell me what flour you used
Bread flour.
Hello Alida. Thank you for this recipe it is delicious! I’ve made it twice now and have a couple of questions. The first time I left the batter to rise on the counter and it overflowed so I had to change it to a larger bowl before I put it in the fridge, next day I followed instructions but they only got to the rim of the loaf pan and I figured the the over handling of the batter had been the culprit. The second time everything went well and I put it in the fridge but the batter sunk in the middle, I followed the rest of the instructions and again the didn’t rise over the rim of the pan. What do you think I did wrong? Thank you Annette
It might be that your pans are a little larger than mine. If the finished loaves are light, buttery and golden brown the height shouldn’t be too much of a concern. But yes, overhandling the dough can deflate it quite a lot.
ALIDA, My loaf is lovely and brown but not fully cooked in the middle. I am not sure where I went wrong
It could be that your oven is a little too hot so the outside browns very quickly before the inside has time to fully cook. Next time turn your oven down a little and if the loaf browns too quickly loosely cover with a piece of foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Hi, was wondering if I could use fresh yeast here? If so how much?
Thanks
I haven’t tested this myself but having read up about it, it seems that you need around 3x the amount fresh yeast as instant dry yeast.
Hello,
My dough is resting in the fridge but I am wondering, was it supposed to double in bulk during the first two hours on the counter before going in the fridge? My dough didn’t really rise as much as a usual yeasted bread but I’ve never made brioche so I’m worried!
It doesn’t matter to be honest, as long as it has a slow rise in the fridge.
Delicious- my yeast was a bit out of date so didn’t rise as well as it should but still light- just finer texture. Easy to make with my Kenwood. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing! May we put them in muffin tins and bake as individuals?
Absolutely.
Hi, do we have to punch down the dough before we place it in the fridge?
Nope, no need.
if i start making it in the morning then leaving it during the day and finishing it off at night instead of letting it rest over night, that would still work right? how many hours roughly should it be in the fridge for?
Excited to give this a try as my French friend said with Brioche is the traditional way to have french toast! Also i just love Brioche
That should be fine. The longer it is in the fridge the better!
I am a beginner in baking and I have just tried out this recipe. The bread turns out perfect and taste great. The steps are easy to follow too. Fully recommend anyone who likes Brioche!
Alida, what kind of milk do you suggest? I have read whole milk elsewhere.
Does the fat content make a difference?
Yes, wholemilk or full cream milk is best in a brioche dough. 🙂
Hi there, the recipe does not state what size bread tins to use.
I’m not sure what the exact measurements are but a 9 inch x 4/5 inch should be perfect.