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The Flavor Bender Recipes All Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast Pastries & Bread Brioche Bread Recipe

Brioche Bread Recipe

1 d 1 hr 45 mins
Intermediate
Breakfast Pastries & Bread
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
29.6K shares

Disclaimer: The Flavor Bender is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you) that will help support this website.

Author: Dini K.
Posted: 11/29/2019
Updated: 9/5/2020

This brioche bread is ultra soft, rich, and buttery! Not only delicious to eat, but easy to make too! Perfect for sandwiches, French toast and just to eat on its own. Now you can make Brioche Burger Buns or Brioche Cinnamon Rolls too!

Learn how to make authentic brioche bread with this step by step recipe!

A few weeks ago, I was able to live one of my life-long dreams! Granted, it’s only a small part of my dream, but it was still an amazing, fun experience! A short course in Viennoiseries at Le Cordon Bleu was everything I dreamed it would be, and more!

Overhead view of two brioche loaves
Contents
 [hide]
  • Living a dream
  • Why this is the best brioche bread recipe!
  • Professional recipe vs my brioche recipe
  • Understanding dough
  • Can I make brioche bread without a stand mixer?
  • So let’s make brioche!
  • What to do if your brioche was over-proofed?
  • Egg wash or not?
  • How to enjoy brioche bread
  • What to do with leftover brioche?
  • Brioche; Frequently Asked Questions
JUMP TO RECIPE

Living a dream

Going to Le Cordon Bleu had been a dream since I realized there was a profession called “pastry chef”. After I completed my bachelors, I was itching to enroll at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, Australia for a grand diploma, but had to change my plans because my parents didn’t approve of that career path. I should’ve stuck to my guns in hindsight, but hindsight is 20/20 as they say. So I chose my next love for grad school – science. I still have regrets about not living out that dream, but there still may be an opportunity on the horizon for me. Especially, if I get chances to do short courses like this at the Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa from time to time! 🙂 So if you’re reading this, and contemplating about your dreams, it’s never too late, and don’t compromise on a dream that you’re passionate about.

Learning the techniques, tips and tricks for making viennoiseries was a fantastic experience! And today, I’ll be sharing all of that with you, so you can make the best brioche bread at home too!

Le Cordon Bleu Croissants
The crumb of the croissants I made.

What is brioche?

Brioche bread is a French bread, and a cross between a pastry and bread.

This is because the bread is enriched with butter and eggs. It belongs to the family of viennoisseries (think croissants, Danish pastries, sweet rolls etc.). It’s a very buttery, soft and delicious bread and can be made into sweet brioche or savory brioche.

Close up of brioche bread crumb

Why this is the best brioche bread recipe!

  • This is a tried and true brioche dough recipe from Le Cordon Bleu, but adapted it for home bakers.
  • I’ll be sharing step by step instructions, so you know what to look for at each step.
  • Details on how to tell when the brioche is ready after kneading and proofing, so you won’t get gluey and under-baked brioche, or dry and crumbly brioche.
  • Three shaping techniques for your brioche loaf are also included here.
Nantaise & braided brioche loaves

Professional recipe vs my brioche recipe

Here, I’ll be sharing my recipe for making amazing brioche dough at home! I had to make some changes to the recipe I tried at Le Cordon Bleu, in order to make it more accessible and convenient for home bakers, but still maintain the authentic richness and taste of classic brioche dough.

The biggest challenge was that the orignal recipe didn’t use any water or milk, and used fresh yeast. Here’s the problem with that,

  • While fresh yeast doesn’t need liquid to dissolve, fresh yeast also isn’t very accessible to a home baker.
  • And to use any other kind of yeast, the dough will need liquid to dissolve the yeast, and that has a big impact on the recipe too.

So to fix this issue, we will be,

  • Using active dry yeast instead of fresh yeast – since active dry yeast is concentrated, you will only have to use about 1/2 the amount by weight. Active dry yeast will require liquid to be activated and dissolved in.
  • Substituting some of the egg with milk. Eggs play a big role in adding richness to brioche – especially egg yolks. So, instead of removing a whole egg, I’m removing ONE EGG WHITE, and substituting it with warm milk instead. This will allow the yeast to properly dissolve, while still keeping the richness of the dough.
Dissolving yeast in lukewarm milk
Yeast dissolved in milk
Activated yeast in mixing bowl
Yeast activated & frothy in the milk

Understanding dough

Gluten and yeast are what make bread. Gluten gives bread the structure it needs. The gluten in the flour develops in the presence of a liquid like water, and that gluten development is faster when the dough is kneaded. The yeast in the dough will emit CO2 as it multiplies, and the gluten matrix will in turn expand as it traps more and more CO2.

Gluten develops well in water, but fat hinders gluten development. With an enriched dough like brioche, all the fat from the yolks and butter works against its gluten development. However, it also keeps the dough super soft and rich in flavor giving it an almost cake-like texture!

That is why brioche dough needs to be kneaded for much longer for good gluten development. Since the dough will be quite slack and sticky, a stand mixer is highly recommended to knead the dough until smooth and velvety.

Take a look at that crumb!

Can I make brioche bread without a stand mixer?

The brioche dough is generally harder to work with due to the soft consistency, so a stand mixer is highly recommended. However, you can knead the dough by hand, but you will need a very clean working surface and patience to really work the sticky, wet dough until you get the right consistency. Do NOT use a hand mixer with the dough hook – it will be too much of a strain on the motor.

So let’s make brioche!

Prep the ingredients

First, have all the ingredients measured and ready to go.

Almost all of the ingredients should be at room temperature. The exception is milk, where we want it to be very slightly warm (like tepid water – about 100°F). You can use warm water instead if you want, but milk adds more richness.

Make sure to use softened butter. The consistency of the butter is really important, so that it incorporates into the dough quickly and well. On a winter day, you may need to keep it somewhere warm to give the butter a chance to really soften (to 73 – 75°F).

If you press the butter with your finger, you would easily be able to leave a mark, with no resistance. But the butter has NOT melted. This is the consistency you want with your butter.

Softened butter for brioche recipe
Softened butter
Roughly divide the butter into four portions

Activate the yeast

First, activate the yeast. Since we’re using active dry yeast, the yeast needs to be dissolved and activated. This will ensure the yeast incorporates evenly into the dough. Place the milk and honey in the mixer bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Gently whisk to mix the yeast, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. In that time the yeast should become frothy and bubbly.

Make the base dough

Add the vanilla, sugar, large eggs and egg yolk, and just break up the yolks.

Add the flour, and finally, add the salt over the flour (this is important! Do NOT add the salt directly to the yeast mix).

Using the hook of your mixer, or a dough whisk, mix all the ingredients in the mixing bowl to form a scraggly dough.

Place the bowl on your mixer with the dough hook attached. Start kneading the dough on speed 2 – 3 (low – medium low speed) for about 1 minute.

Adding other wet ingredients to yeast
Adding the wet ingredients into the yeast mixture
Mixing in the dry ingredients for brioche
Form a scraggly dough with the dry ingredients
Kneading the dough in stand mixer
Knead the dough for about 1 minute before adding butter

Adding the butter

Then add the butter in four additions, with about 2 minutes of mixing time between each addition. Each portion is added one tablespoon at a time, to make sure the butter is completely incorporated every time. Make sure to use a dough scraper (or bowl scraper) to scrape the sides as you go.

The dough will be very slack and sticky after the butter is added. However, as you knead the dough, it will turn into a smooth, shiny dough that’s a little tacky, but doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.

Adding butter to brioche
Adding the butter will make the dough very sticky and soft

Developing the gluten

Once the butter is added (a total of about 8 – 10 minutes), increase the speed to 5 – 6 (medium speed). Knead the dough for a further 10 minutes or so, until you get the right consistency.

This is where the gluten development occurs. As the gluten matrix forms in the dough, it will become satiny and smooth. It will stick less to the sides of the mixer bowl. And if you use the dough hook to lift the dough from the bowl, it should lift cleanly from the bowl, while still being really soft.

The time it takes for the dough to be properly kneaded will vary. It can take as little as 8 minutes or as much as 15 minutes. It depends on the speed of the mixer, the type of mixer and other environmental factors too. Look for the signs to make sure it’s done. The whole mixing time from start to finish can be between 20 – 30 minutes.

All butter added to brioche, but not kneaded enough
The dough is still not smooth and satiny, and needs to be kneaded longer
A well kneaded shiny, smooth brioche dough
The dough is now smooth and satiny because the gluten has formed. The dough is ready at this point.

First proofing

This first proofing is very important. As the yeast multiplies and emits CO2, the dough will expand, further developing the gluten matrix.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape the dough into a smooth ball of dough. Since the dough will be really soft, make sure your hands are lightly floured too.

Shaping the dough 1
Turn the dough out on to a floured surface
Shaping the dough 2
Fold in all the edges towards the middle
Shaping the dough 3
Keep going
Shaping the dough 4
Three more to go
Shaping the dough 5
Two more
Shaping the dough 6
Last one!
Shaping the dough 7
Carefully flip the dough over, then use your hands to tighten the dough into a smooth dough ball
Shaping the dough 8
Like this…

Place the shaped dough back in the bowl or a different large bowl (you don’t have to butter it, since brioche is so rich it shouldn’t stick to the bowl). Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough at least double in size in a warm place.

If you’re living in a colder climate like me, it’d be hard to find a place that’s warm enough in the kitchen in winter. So what I do is, I turn the light on in my oven, and keep the bowl in the oven. The oven warms up when I cook on the stove too, so it helps the dough proof.

Depending on the temperature, the brioche dough will proof in 1 hour, but it can take up to 2 – 2.5 hours too.

The first proofing is complete when the dough has AT LEAST doubled in size, or even tripled!

First proof brioche before
Before first proof
First proof brioche after
After first proof

Retard proofing the dough

This is the name for letting the dough proof in the fridge. This low temperature proofing is a much longer process, and helps develop the flavor of the dough. In a more practical sense, it makes the dough far easier to handle when it’s time to shape the loaves, plus it allows the dough to rest.

After the first proof, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough again, and form a dough ball with a smooth, taut surface. Transfer the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge.

This dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours (maybe even 48 for a stronger flavor).

Second shaping of dough - 1
Deflate and reshape the proofed dough
Second shaping of dough - 2
Fold in the edges of dough, and carefully flip it over
Second shaping of dough - 3
Re-tighten the dough
Refrigerating dough before
Place the dough in a bowl and refrigerate, covered.
Refrigerating dough after
After 12 hours

Shaping the bread loaves

When the dough is nice and chilled, it can be divided and shaped. You can either bake them in a loaf pan, or even a cake pan. In the case of the braided loaf, you can bake that on a baking tray too.

Comparison of two pan sizes for bread
Brioche loaf baked in a 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan vs 9 x 5 loaf pan

With this recipe, you can make TWO bread loaves. You can shape them in one of three ways (there are more ways, but I’m only going to talk about 3 here).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten the dough into a circle. This will also help release any gas in the dough. Weigh and divide the dough into two portions.

Simple loaf – easiest way to shape the dough

This is the easiest way to shape the loaf. It’s a standard loaf shape with no patterns.

This is very similar to how I shaped my white bread loaf which you can find here.

Braided brioche loaf

This is a classic braided loaf that can be either baked in the loaf pan, OR baked as is on a baking tray.

This is made by dividing the dough into 3 equal portions, then shaping each portion into a long “rope”, then forming a braid with the 3 “ropes”.

Braided bread loaf - 1
Make 3 equal sized dough ropes.
Braided bread loaf - 2
Pinch the ends together at one end to seal.
Braided bread loaf with sealed ends
Braid the dough ropes, tightly, without stretching the dough.
Braided bread loaf - pressed edges
Press the two ends into the board, to flatten and seal the ends.
Braided bread loaf - folded over edges
Tuck in the flattened ends to get a rounded, beautiful loaf.
Braided bread loaf - in the pan
Place the loaf in the loaf pan.

Nantaise brioche loaf

This is also a very classic way of shaping brioche dough. I call it a faux-braided loaf, because it looks braided, but it’s not. The dough balls can also be cleanly pulled apart from the dough with this loaf.

The dough is divided into 8 equal pieces, and each portion is shaped into a small, smooth ball. The balls are then placed in a zig-zag pattern in the loaf pan as shown below.

Nantaise brioche loaf
Portion the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Shape each portion by folding in the edges towards the middle, and pressing them in.
Carefully flip it over, and lightly flour the smooth surface of the dough portion.
With floured side up, cup your palm around the dough portion, and gently roll the dough on your work surface to form a round ball.
The dough ball should look smooth like this.
The underside should be nice and sealed like this as well.
Repeat with all the dough portions.
Place 4 dough portions on one side of the pan.
Nantaise Brioche recipe in loaf pan
Then the other 4 portions on the other side of the pan, like this (kind of a zig-zag pattern).

Final proofing and baking

Cover the shaped dough in loaf pans with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size before baking. This will be the final proof. This proofing can also take 2 hours at cooler room temperature, so make sure to keep it in the oven with the light on, or the warmest place in your house.

When the dough doubles in size and reaches the top of the loaf pan, it should be properly proofed. Do the finger test to find out if the dough is properly proofed. To do this, gently press the side of the loaf with your lightly floured finger. This leaves an indentation. If this indentation remains, OR if it bounces back halfway, then the loaf is ready to be baked.

If the indentation bounces back completely, then it’s under-proofed and needs more time to proof.

Proofed bread in pan
Proofed nantaise loaf
roofed bread in pan
Proofed braided loaf

What to do if your brioche was over-proofed?

If the indentation causes the loaf to deflate, that means it was over-proofed!

If your loaf deflates after proofing, then you have to reshape the dough and start again. Otherwise, baking an over-proofed dough can cause the loaf to overflow, or deflate once baked. So make sure to check on the dough periodically, especially when it has nearly doubled in size.

Egg wash or not?

I prefer an egg wash on my plain brioche bread loaves. It gives it a beautiful, shiny crust!

You can alternatively brush the loaf with simple syrup once out of the oven too. But I prefer this option for sweeter brioche bread recipes (like cinnamon rolls or babka).

Brush the surface well with an egg wash. You can sprinkle the top with small pearl sugar (Swedish pearl sugar, not the Belgian kind) if you like, for that extra crunch!

Preheat the oven while you prep the loaves for baking. Bake the loaves in the preheated oven until the loaf is a beautiful deep golden brown in color, and the internal temperature is about 180° – 190°F when checked with an instant read thermometer. Because this dough is enriched, it doesn’t need to reach 205°F like other types of lean dough.

Once baked, turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Brioche Nantaise loaf

How to enjoy brioche bread

Brioche toast is an incredibly delicious way to enjoy brioche bread. It doesn’t even need any butter because of how rich it is (but it won’t hurt of course!).

Slather some jam on your brioche bread, or any kind of spread – like my fig jam, strawberry jam, grape jelly, or spiced plum jam).

Make cinnamon toast with the brioche bread. The caramelized crunchy cinnamon on top is a great textural contrast with the soft bread.

You can slice the brioche loaf while it’s still a little warm. A freshly baked, warm piece of brioche dough is one of life’s simple pleasures, indeed! 🙂

You can use the brioche dough to make brioche burger buns, or large cinnamon rolls too!

Overhead image of sliced brioche

What to do with leftover brioche?

  • French toast
  • Bread pudding
  • Croutons
  • Bread crumbs
  • Bostock
  • Stuffing

Brioche; Frequently Asked Questions

I don’t have AP flour. Can I make brioche with bread flour instead?

AP flour has protein content of about 10%, while bread flour has 12%. So bread flour will develop more gluten due to the extra protein, which will result in a chewier bread.

So you can use bread flour, but just keep in mind that the texture might be different. It’ll still be soft, buttery and delicious though.

Can I use salted butter?

I wouldn’t recommend it. Salted butter has more water than unsalted butter, and of course, it has salt too. Even if you remove the extra salt in the recipe, you might end up with a salty bread loaf because of the large amount of butter you’re adding in this recipe.
The extra salt may inhibit yeast growth too.

Can I make this brioche bread sweeter?

Yes, you can. However, the more sugar you add, the more slack the dough will be. For every 50 g of sugar added, remove an equal amount of egg whites. I wouldn’t recommend adding more than 120 – 150 g sugar.

I don’t have a mixer, can I make it by hand?

Ooh boy. It is do-able, especially if you like a good arm workout.

Hand kneading generally takes about twice as long. However with brioche, it might take even longer because you have to incorporate the butter in small additions.
I recommend only making ONE loaf (half the recipe), and expect a really good upper body workout. You’re welcome!

Can I make this dough in a bread machine?

Since I don’t own a bread machine, I can’t be sure how well it would work. This dough is very soft (starts of like a cake batter), and needs to be kneaded for at least 20 minutes (at medium and medium high speed). I am not sure a bread machine will be able to handle such a soft dough. One of my readers did try this, and confirmed that the dough was too soft and it was harder to knead especially when adding the butter.

If you do decide to try it, please remember to halve this recipe, as this is for TWO loaves, and usually bread machines can only knead enough for 1 loaf.
There are recipes that can be made in a bread machine, but these bread machine brioche recipes have less butter and eggs and therefore is less rich and buttery than classic brioche recipes like this.

Can I make one loaf?

Personally, I don’t like making just one loaf in my KitchenAid artisan mixer. This dough is wet, and the kneading hook will have trouble grabbing the dough as well as it should. This can lead to a much longer kneading time.

But you can manually make one brioche loaf with hand kneading if you prefer (see FAQ above).

Can I freeze brioche? How do I store this long term?

Yes, you can freeze brioche. With two loaves, you can easily freeze one for later. I have frozen whole loaves and sliced loaves with equal success.
Store in an air-tight container, OR wrap it well with plastic wrap and foil to avoid freezer burn.
Then let it thaw out at room temperature, or toast while frozen.

Why is my dough so sticky and wet? My other bread doughs aren’t so sticky. 

It’s meant to be. This is an ENRICHED dough. It has A LOT of butter and eggs that make the dough VERY soft. The consistency of this dough after you add the butter will be similar to CAKE BATTER. You have to keep kneading it to help the gluten develop. This can take as little as 15 minutes, but with temperature / humidity changes, it can take as long as 30 minutes as well.

How can I tell that the dough is done?
What should the kneaded dough feel like?

When you try to lift the dough from the bowl with the dough hook, the entire dough should come off the bowl WITHOUT breaking. It will be VERY wet and droop down, but it should come off cleanly from the bottom of the bowl.
The dough should also be shiny and smooth. And when you try to form it into a ball, it will feel more like a water balloon (think high hydration dough), than a taught, firm dough.

My dough is very soft, can I add more flour?

Have you been kneading the dough for at least 30 minutes, and the dough doesn’t look shiny and smooth?
I don’t personally like to add more flour, because the more flour you add the less soft the dough is going to be. But if you absolutely must, add just a little bit of flour. But MAKE SURE YOU KNEAD until the gluten has developed; or you will end up with a crumbly brioche dough.

If the kitchen is very hot, or you live in a hot climate, you may have to chill the dough halfway through the kneading process. This is because the butter is too oily and isn’t mixing in the with the dough properly.

What kind of mixer do you use?

I use a KitchenAid artisan mixer. I use speed 5 – 6. It might seem like this would strain your mixer, but I make this dough very regularly. I also like to keep my hand on top of my KitchenAid head during the kneading process.

Can I skip the overnight proof?

The overnight proof develops more flavor, and also chills the dough so that it’s easier to handle and shape it the next day.
IF you have done the room temperature proof, then you can skip the overnight proof in theory. However you still need to chill the dough so that you can shape it.

Flatten and place the dough on a baking sheet pan (lined with silpat or parchment paper), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Place the pan in the freezer for a few hours to chill the dough quicker. Then you can shape and bake the bread according to the recipe.

Can I skip the first proof at room temperature?

I like doing the first proof at room temperature because it helps with gluten development as well as flavor. However, if you forget and put it in the fridge instead, you may need to proof it longer before baking.
I also prefer to let the dough proof in the fridge longer. If I knew I wanted to keep the dough in the fridge for 48 hours, then I would skip the room temperature proof.

Why is my brioche dough so oily, even after kneading it for so long?

If you live in a high humidity, high temperature area, this can happen. Brioche is like a croissant dough because of the large amount of butter in it. When the dough reaches a temperature of 30°C / 86°F the butter will be too soft and will separate into oils. This will make your brioche oily as the butterfat seeps out of the dough (just like with croissants).
So if you live in a hot tropical climate or your kitchen is very warm, then you may need to chill the dough between kneading to make sure the dough is at least below 30°C / 86°F.

Why does my brioche taste so yeasty?

Brioche SHOULD have a lovely depth of flavor if you proofed it overnight.
However, if you over-proof the dough (the first or last proofing), the bread will have an unpleasant beer-like taste.
So make sure to only proof the dough until needed; so don’t necessarily go by time, go by the appearance of the dough.

Can I make brioche buns instead of loaves?

Yes you can! I’ve shared a recipe specifically for brioche buns. The recipe is the same, but the dough shaping technique is different. Plus, I’ve included different weight variations for different sizes of burgers. From large buns to regular buns, and even slider buns too.

 

Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

5 from 217 votes

Brioche Bread Recipe

Author: Dini K.
Yield: 2 loaves
Cuisine: European, French
This brioche bread is ultra soft, rich, and buttery! Not only delicious to eat, but easy to make too! Learn how to with my step by step recipe.
INTERMEDIATE - This is an easy brioche recipe, but requires a stand mixer. The dough is slightly harder to manage than a regular lean dough.
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions.
Weight‌ ‌measurements‌ ‌are‌ ‌recommended‌ ‌for‌ ‌accurate‌ ‌results.‌ ‌You‌ ‌can‌ ‌access‌ ‌metric‌ ‌weight‌ ‌measurements‌ ‌using‌ ‌the‌ ‌toggle‌ ‌button‌ ‌below‌ ‌the‌ ‌ingredient‌ ‌list.‌ 
Prep: 1 hour hour
Proofing / chilling: 1 day day
Cook: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 day day 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 30 slices
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup warm milk
  • 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast about 9 g
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 5 large eggs You can also use 4 large eggs
  • 1 yolk from a large egg. Use 2 egg yolks if using 4 large eggs.
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2.1 oz granulated white sugar 5 tbsp
  • 17.6 oz AP flour 4 cups + 2 tbsp (measured by spoon and level method)
  • 1 ½ tsp sea salt fine grind
  • 8.8 oz unsalted butter very soft, roughly divided into four portions (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions:

DAY ONE

    Making the dough

    • Measure all the ingredients and have them ready.
    • Add the milk, yeast and honey into the mixing bowl and whisk gently to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
      ½ cup warm milk, 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast, 2 tsp honey
    • Add the eggs and yolks, and whisk gently to break the egg yolks.
      5 large eggs, 1 yolk
    • Add the vanilla, sugar, flour and sea salt, and mix to form a scraggly dough.
      2 tsp vanilla, 2.1 oz granulated white sugar, 17.6 oz AP flour, 1 ½ tsp sea salt
    • With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on speed 2 or 3 for about 3 - 5 minutes.
    • Divide the butter into roughly 4 portions. Add the first portion of butter, in increments, after the first 5 minutes of kneading. Allow the butter to be mixed well into the dough. This should take about 2 minutes.
      8.8 oz unsalted butter
    • Repeat with the other 3 portions of butter, kneading the dough for about 2 -3 minutes after each addition. Make sure to stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl (and the bottom if needed) between kneading as well. You will have incorporated all the butter in about 9 - 12 minutes of kneading time.
      8.8 oz unsalted butter
    • Once all the butter is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl (and bottom if needed), and knead the dough for a further 5 - 15 minutes on speed 5 or 6. This could take up to 20 - 30 minutes if your mixer is on low speed.
    • The dough will have been kneaded enough when it can be lifted fairly cleanly off the bottom of the bowl when picked up with the dough hook. It will be very soft and tacky to the touch, but shouldn’t stick to your fingertips. Rather than strictly going by time, knead the dough until you have reached this consistency.
    • Flour your work surface, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and the surface of the dough to prevent the dough from sticking to your palms.
    • Fold in the edges of the dough towards the middle and gently press them into the dough (see pictures in the post for more information). Carefully flip the dough over, and then with the heel of your palms, shape the dough to form a tight ball.
    • Carefully pick up the dough ball and place it back in the mixer bowl (or another large bowl).
    • Let it rise until it has doubled in size, in a warm place (72°F), for about 1 hour.
    • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and press down gently to deflate the dough with your hands. Fold in the edges again as before towards the middle and press them in. Carefully flip the dough over (seam side down now). Tighten the dough into a ball with a smooth, taut surface (using the edges of your palms). Transfer the dough into the mixer bowl again.
    • Cover and let it chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.

    DAY TWO

      Shaping and baking the bread

      • Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. The dough will be much easier to work with now.
      • Butter and dust two 8.5 x 4 inch, standard loaf pans with flour. (You can also use 9 x 5 inch loaf pans).
      • Keep a bowl of flour, a pastry brush and a dough scraper/cutter ready as well.
      • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Deflate the dough by flattening it lightly. Measure the weight of the dough, and then divide it into two EQUAL portions, using the dough cutter or a sharp knife.
      • Now you've got two dough portions to make two brioche bread loaves.

      Shaping the loaves

        Nantaise brioche loaf

        • Weigh one portion of the loaf and divide it into 8 equal portions.
        • For each portion (with the smooth side down), fold in the edges towards the middle as before. Carefully flip the dough over, and using a cupped palm, roll the dough portion on your work surface until you have a smooth dough ball (see pictures in the post for more details). Repeat with the other dough portions to get 8 smooth dough balls.
        • Place the dough balls in the loaf pan in a zig-zag manner. This will likely be a fairly snug fit.
        • After arranging the dough balls in the loaf pan, flatten them slightly. Then cover the pan with plastic wrap and set aside.

        Braided brioche loaf

        • Divide one portion of the dough into 3 equal portions.
        • Flatten each portion into a small rectangle. Then tightly roll up the rectangle to form a tube. Using your palms, and a back and forth motion, roll out the dough into a 14 inch long bread rope. Apply light but even pressure to get a bread rope with even width.
        • Repeat with the other two portions.
        • Now you have three 14 inch long bread ropes. Bring the ends of the three ropes together and pinch to seal. Braid the dough, while being careful to avoid any loose folds and to not stretch the dough ropes at the same time. Once braided, the bread loaf should be a little longer than the length of the pan (about 9 - 10 inches).
        • Pinch to seal the other end. Using your palms, press down the ends of the bread to flatten them against the work surface. Tuck the flattened ends to get a lovely, rounded loaf.
        • Carefully transfer this to the buttered and floured bread pan. Flatten slightly to fit the loaf pan.
        • Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

        Regular bread loaf

        • Follow the same shaping instructions as for my white bread loaf in this recipe to form a regular bread loaf shape.

        Proofing the bread before baking

        • Proof the bread in the covered loaf pans for about 2 hours at room temperature, or until doubled in size, and almost reaching the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C before baking the loaves.
        • Once doubled in size, brush the tops with an egg wash. Optionally, you can also sprinkle some Swedish sugar pearls on top for a sweet crunch.
        • Bake in preheated oven until golden brown on top and the internal temperature registers 190°F/88°C. This can take about 35 - 45 minutes.
        • Remove from the oven and let the bread loaf cool slightly - about 5 minutes.
        • Carefully flip the bread loaf out of the pan, onto a cooling rack. Let it cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.

        Tips & Tricks

        Note on the dough
        This dough is very soft and wet. Make sure you read the FAQ section and the post for information on the dough consistency, and how it changes after kneading. If you can't find an answer in the post or FAQ section, let me know. 
        Please take your time kneading the dough while adding the butter (as recommended in the recipe). 
        Note on yeast
        • If you have access to fresh yeast, use 18 g of fresh yeast. 
        • If you have access to instant yeast, use 4.5 g of instant yeast. 
        Note on proofing 
        In winter, or if you don't have a warm place to proof the dough in your house, turn on the oven light, and keep the bowl inside the oven. The heat from the light will warm the oven sufficiently to help with the proofing. Use a metal bowl to make this proofing process go faster. 
        Proofing times will vary depending on the temperature of the dough, environment and the type of yeast you use. So rather than going by time, go by sight and feel. 
        • If you make a small indentation in the dough with your fingertip and it bounces back slightly, then it's ready to be baked.
        • If the indentation stays, it's starting to over-proof, so bake it as soon as possible.
        • If the bread deflates when poked with a finger, then it has over-proofed.
        Note on halving the recipe 
        If you're halving the recipe, use 2 LARGE EGGS + 1 EGG YOLK. 
        Notes on making this brioche in a hot kitchen / hot climate
        Use cold butter instead of room temperature butter. 
        You may also have to chill the dough halfway through kneading. This will help chill the dough so that the butter will incorporate better and the gluten can be developed. 
        Other recipe variations and uses
        Brioche buns
        Brioche cinnamon rolls
        French toast
        Bostock pastry

        Nutrition Information:

        Serving: 1sliceCalories: 151kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 16g (5%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 56mg (19%)Sodium: 130mg (6%)Potassium: 45mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 266IU (5%)Calcium: 14mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

        “This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

        Course:Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch
        Cuisine:European, French
        Keyword:Bread, Pastry, Sweet Bread, Viennoiseries
        Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

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        1. Jos says

          September 26, 2023 at 18:54

          Hi Dini,

          My dough.. has turned out huge! After mixing and after proofing it’s spilling out of the bowl!
          Is that a problem? How do i know i’ve overdone it in the kitchen aid?
          How do i prevent it from becoming giant dough?

          Reply
          • Dini says

            September 26, 2023 at 19:29

            Hi Jos
            The brioche dough should only be proofed until doubled in size, as per instructions.
            If it had doubled in size and is spilling over the bowl, then it means that the bowl was too small to begin with.
            If the bowl was a big bowl, then you have proofed it way too long and it might be over proofed.
            It still might be OK – however if you gently poke the dough and it deflates, then it was definitely over proofed. This could result in a dough that doesn’t proofnproperly in the secind stage and end up being dense.

            The instructions say to proof the dough until doubled in size. I do recommend following thilese instructions to prevent the dough from proofing too much. The timing will vary depending on how warm the dough or your kitchen is.

            I hope that helps

            Reply
        2. sophia Moussallam says

          September 23, 2023 at 00:01

          Hi Dini,

          My name is Sophia and from Australia.

          I’ve had your brioche recipe on my “to do list” for quite sometime, mainly because I’m not sure if my Kitchenaid mixer will die. Yes, I have read pretty much all your readers comments and i don’t doubt that it will taste great. But my first question is if my mixer gets overheated, and I let it rest for 10 minutes, does that throw off the recipe. Or perhaps can it be down in stages, for example kneading the dough 3-5 minutes (rest the machine). Add the butter in 2 lots and rest the mixer , then continue with the rest of the butter, rest the mixer. Then the last of the kneading to be done 3 or 4 blocks of 5 minutes. I know it’s a lot of start and stop, but I’m not very brave to risk my Kitchenaid like alot of your readers. So I’m wondering what other alternatives can you suggest other than making it by hand. (which I have done once, and yes it was hard work, cardio session).
          Final question, can I add the greek spice mastika and mahlepi to this brioche to give it a taste like the greek tsoureki?

          Looking forward to your reply and would appreciate your response.

          Regards
          Sophia

          Reply
          • Dini says

            September 23, 2023 at 10:05

            Hi Sophia
            Theoretically, you could rest the dough in between, but I would do it in the fridge.
            The dough gets quite warm as it is kneaded, and it will proof each time it’s resting and then when you knead the dough again, you’re deflating the dough.
            To slow down the proofing I recommend resting the dough in the fridge.
            The kitchenaid mixer can definitely go longer than 5 minutes at a time, but I understand where you’re coming from. Especially since KitchenAid mixers are super expensive in Australia! Remember that brioche dough is actually a very loose dough, almost like cake batter.
            You can absolutely use this dough to make greek tsoureki as well! Tsoureki is made with an enriched dough like brioche too, so it is very possible!
            I hope that helps and good luck!

            Reply
        3. Parker Reese says

          September 16, 2023 at 19:55

          5 stars
          It’s absolutely perfect and my son loves it! He wants to eat the whole thing right now. hahahaha I can’t wait to make some french toast with it.

          Reply
        4. Heather K says

          August 10, 2023 at 09:39

          Hello, I was wondering- if I want to make a (braided) cinnamon loaf using this recipe, would I need to alter anything? Thank you!

          Reply
          • Dini says

            August 10, 2023 at 11:09

            Hi Heather
            Are you looking to make a cinnamon flavored brioche bread or a cinnamon babka style brioche bread?
            If you’re looking to make cinnamon flavored brioche, you just need to add a generous amount of cinnamon to the flour while kneading the dough. Then you can proceed with the recipe as written.
            If you’re looking to make a babka style loaf, then you can check out my cinnamon babka loaf recipe too.
            With both methods (but especially the babka style loaf), you absolutely need to make sure that the dough is nice and chilled when handling it. When the dough gets warm, it is really hard to manage it. So make sure you have enough room in your fridge or freezer, so you can pop the dough in and out of it when you need to. Especially when you’re rolling the dough out to add the filling, and shaping the dough.
            The baking time can also vary, with the babka-style loaf taking longer than the brioche.
            I hope that helps!

            Reply
        5. Michelle Nicole says

          August 2, 2023 at 18:52

          5 stars
          Thank you so much for the fantastic brioche recipe! This was my first time making brioche and I decided to make it by hand. With your instructions, it turned out absolutely perfect.

          Reply
        6. Cassie says

          July 23, 2023 at 15:54

          I haven’t made the recipe yet, but super excited to! If I have “instant” try yeast instead of normal active dry yeast, will it make a huge difference?

          Reply
          • Dini says

            July 24, 2023 at 12:28

            Hi Cassie
            Instant yeast is more active than active dry yeast. So the proofing times will be different. The bread may also rise more during the overnight proofing in the fridge as well. Make sure to keep it in the coldest part of your fridge and to use a big bowl to allow room for it to proof overnight.
            Hope that helps

            Reply
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