Brioche bread

Name: Brioche bread
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Manitoba flour cold 2.4 cups; Butter soft but still pliable 1 cup; Whole milk cold ¼ cup; Sugar cold 0.3 cup; Honey 3 tsp; Eggs cold 2; Fresh brewer's yeast cold 0.3 oz; Fine salt ½ tsp; Vanilla extract 1 tsp; Egg yolks 2; Whole milk 2 spoonfuls

it es de fr br

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Serving: 8
Cost: Low
Note + rising time (at least 12-13 h total)

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Cooker Girl

Brioche bread is a classic French favorite that just adds a touch of elegance to any meal. Really. Whether it's a cozy breakfast or an afternoon snack, this brioche bread recipe turns ordinary moments into something special. And, you know, what makes brioche bread unique is its soft, moist texture and slightly sweet flavor, thanks to its rich, enriched dough. In France, it's often shaped into a loaf, known as bauletto, resulting in beautiful slices perfect for various uses. Some love it for making tender French toast or pain perdu, while others enjoy it simply with jam or Nutella.

The bread's delicate aroma fills the kitchen, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere even before it is out of the oven. Across Europe, pan brioche inspires a variety of sweet rolls, like wool roll bread with its swirled design or soft, golden buns that turn breakfast into a treat. Really, really delightful. The homemade brioche bread journey is rewarding and surprisingly straightforward, offering fantastic results right from your kitchen. With a few simple tips, even beginners can achieve a light, fluffy loaf that everyone will love. Which is great.

This easy brioche recipe is incredibly versatile—pair it with coffee in the morning, craft delicious sandwiches, or transform leftovers into something entirely new. To be honest, many say that French brioche bread is a step up from regular white bread, with its buttery taste and soft crumb. Whether you’re sticking with the loaf or experimenting with brioche buns, this bread brings a bit of French baking magic into your home. Each slice is a reminder of the easy joys of life, making every moment feel a little more special. So, go ahead and give this recipe a try, and watch how it becomes a favorite at your table, offering both warmth and nostalgia with every bite. Really, can't go wrong.

INGREDIENTS

for two molds of 7x3.5 inches: Manitoba flour 2.4 cups (300 g) - cold; Butter 1 cup (110 g) - soft but still pliable; Whole milk ¼ cup (70 g) - cold; Sugar 0.3 cup (60 g) - cold; Honey 3 tsp (20 g); Eggs 2 - cold; Fresh brewer's yeast 0.3 oz (9 g) - cold; Fine salt ½ tsp (3 g); Vanilla extract 1 tsp

for brushing: Egg yolks 2; Whole milk 2 spoonfuls

Preparation

How to prepare Brioche bread

To prepare the brioche bread, first place all the ingredients in the freezer for 15 minutes, except for the butter, then start with the dough. Pour the bread flour and the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with a hook attachment 1, then crumble the yeast with your hands 2. In a separate bowl, place the eggs, honey 3, and vanilla extract.

Beat the eggs 4 and pour the mixture into the mixer 5, turn it on at low speed and add the milk gradually 6. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, which will take about 5-10 minutes. Occasionally detach the dough from the hook and flip it, so it will become elastic more easily.

Add the salt 7. Once it is well absorbed, add the butter one piece at a time, waiting for the first to be well incorporated before adding the next 8. Do not rush; this is a delicate and crucial step. Once you have obtained a homogeneous dough, which will require about 15 minutes of work, transfer the dough to a lightly buttered surface. Give it a few slap & fold reinforcements, then form a ball 9.

Transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl 10 and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature to double in volume 11, then place the dough in the refrigerator overnight (8-10 hours). After this time, flip the dough onto a surface, form a cylinder, and cut it into portions of 3.5 oz each 12.

You should get 6 pieces 13. Work one piece at a time on the surface, adding very little flour, otherwise, it will not create friction. First, you need to stretch them out to obtain a rectangle and then roll them on themselves; turn the small cylinder 90° and repeat the same operation 14. Do the same for all 6 pieces, trying to achieve a slightly oval, elongated shape 15.

Butter and flour two large molds of 6.5x3.5 inches, 3 inches high and place inside each one 3 portions of brioche bread, placing them side by side and spacing them about 0.4 inches apart 16. Cover with plastic wrap 17 and let rise for 2-3 hours until they have tripled in volume 18.

When there is about half an hour left until the end of the rising, beat together egg yolks and milk 19 and use them to brush the brioche bread 20. After 30 minutes, the egg will be completely dry; you can do a second brushing 21.

Bake in a preheated convection oven at 340°F for 15-18 minutes. When they are golden brown, remove them from the oven 22 and let them cool on a wire rack 23. Your brioche bread is ready to serve 34!

Storage

Brioche bread tends to dry out very quickly, so always keep it stored under a glass dome or in a food bag, and consume it within 1-2 days.

You can freeze the brioche bread once it is fully cooked and cooled, perhaps in slices so you can defrost it as needed.

Advice

The refrigerator step is a maturation step, which allows the flavors to intensify and the dough to firm up, making handling easier.

You can flavor the brioche bread with aromas like lemon zest or orange. You can also enrich it by adding chocolate chips.

You can personalize the shapes to give to the dough, for example, by forming a braid or small rolls to bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

If you prefer, you can also use just one mold, obviously larger, but the cooking times may change.

To prepare brioche bread, it is very important that all the ingredients are cold since the stand mixer tends to heat the dough.

Also try the Chocolate Babka, similar to a braided brioche bread: both in the chocolate version and the Lemon and Blueberry Babka!

Curiosity

The word brioche refers to a very soft leavened dough that lends itself well to both sweet and savory preparations, thanks to its very neutral flavor due to the low sugar content, which allows for a lightly colored dough. Unlike puff pastry, which needs to be worked in a cool environment, brioche bread needs a warm environment to rise naturally and gently. The origin of the name seems quite controversial. Alexandre Dumas attributed the name to the famous brie cheese because originally it seemed that the dough was made precisely with brie. Meanwhile, the most credited source seems to approve of even two terms such as brier in the sense of kneading or broyer in the sense of working, obviously the dough.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.