This classic brioche bread recipe makes deliciously buttery and tender bread.
If you are a budding bread baker, perfecting a french brioche recipe is one of the best ways to broaden your bread-baking portfolio. This post has step-by-step instructions to show you how to make this homemade brioche bread at home.
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What is brioche bread?
This french sweet bread is a French classic. It’s an enriched and buttery bread with rich flavor. It has a delicate and tender crumb and is not overly sweet. Use it both for both sweet and savory dishes.
The first use of this french bread dates back all the way to 1404. Back then it was likely a sourdough brioche leavened with wild yeast using a sourdough starter. However, this is a much more easy brioche loaf recipe since it uses commercial yeast.
An enriched dough is one where fats and proteins are added, and brioche dough has a considerable amount of butter and eggs added to the dough.
Adding all this fat means the dough reacts a little differently to standard bread. The high butter content slows gluten development down so the initial kneading process is trickier than regular bread. However, you can build up the strength the dough needs with patience and time.
You can make enriched bread without butter, like these challah buns. They use oil instead.
What should brioche dough look like?
Brioche develops over several stages and the look and feel of the dough change throughout. The first stage makes a thick dough that uses all the ingredients except for the butter.
In stage two, add in the cubed butter, a bit at a time. Butter brings in fat and liquid. The dough will become slack and sticky with the addition of all this moisture and fat.
Once the butter has been added, it is time to develop the gluten in the dough. This is done by kneading the dough, preferably in a bench mixer until it becomes glossy and strong, pulling away cleanly from the sides of the mixer.
This is a slow and steady process. The dough will seem so sticky, but all of a sudden it will come together and become glossy and strong.
Making brioche by hand
You can make brioche by hand, but you will need plenty of patience and elbow grease. With the addition of all the butter you may think ‘is my brioche dough too sticky?’ and you could be tempted to add more flour. Resist the temptation, and continue kneading.
A slap and fold method works well for a very sticky dough. The dough can be slapped down hard on the bench and folded over itself. Use quick motions to avoid it sticking too much on your hands.
The flour
For this recipe, all-purpose flour is used, one with a protein level of around 11%. This protein content is enough to develop the gluten but not too much that the bread becomes chewy. Using bread flour with protein levels can lead to chewy brioche.
All-purpose flour protein levels can vary between brands, and the name of the flour itself can vary between countries. It’s best to check protein levels rather than just the name of the flour.
The yeast
The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dry yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast. Whichever one you use, it needs to be viable. Usually, the instant yeast sachets are pretty full-proof, but sometimes active dried yeast can lose viability.
To test the viability of yeast before beginning, warm the milk (to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C) and mix in the yeast along with one tablespoon of the sugar. Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes first. If it becomes foamy, it's good to go.
The eggs
Eggs sizes vary in not only weight but also in name depending on what country you're in. Some are labeled large, extra-large, and jumbo, while others are labeled by number. The actual volume of the egg within each shell varies a lot too within these labels.
It's easiest to use a scale to measure the eggs and go from there.
Approximately 260-270g of the egg is used in this recipe. That's around 5 large eggs with a volume between 1.75oz/52g and 1.9oz-/54g (measured without the eggshells.)
The butter
Use good quality in the dough. It can be unsalted butter or salted butter. If using salted butter, decrease the salt in the recipe slightly.
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment- A stand mixer makes this brioche recipe nice and easy. It is possible to knead by hand too, but with such a large amount of butter and eggs in the dough, it takes a lot of arm muscle.
- Two standard 8.5 x 4.5 inch (21x11cm) loaf pans are used.
Method
Add the warm milk and stir in the yeast and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. To this, add the eggs, flour, and salt.
Turn the mixer on medium-low speed and combine until it forms a thick but slightly sticky dough. Mix this dough for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
Add in the cubed butter. Incorporate each cube before the next addition.
Turn the mixer on medium speed and keep it mixing until the sticky dough starts to strengthen and come together and pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
It will seem very sticky but don't add more flour. Too much flour makes dense bread.
For the best gluten development and brioche crumb, keep the dough mixing for at least 15-20 minutes. Proper gluten development will allow you to stretch the dough so thin you can almost see through it. This is called the window pane effect.
Pull the dough out of the bowl onto a bench and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough ball into a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for around 1.5- 2 hours until doubled in size.
How fast the rise happens will depend on the room temperature.
Cold Proof
Deflate the dough gently, and reshape it into a ball again. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight. This step can be shortened, but 8-12 hours long cold proof gives the best flavor.
If you want to skip the overnight proof, the dough will still need a couple of hours of fridge rest after room temperature proofing. This cold rest will let the butter stiffen up and result in much easier shaping.
Shaping
Pull the stiff, cold dough from the bowl and tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal portions, and line two loaf pans with parchment paper. Shape the dough as per the two options below.
Shaping Options
Option 1- Divide a portion of the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long roll, about 30cm in length.
Braid the three lengths together, tuck in the ends and place the braided dough into the lined tin.
Let them rise until doubled in size
Option 2 - Use a bench scraper or knife to divide a portion of the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll the pieces of dough into tight balls and place the dough balls in a lined tin, side by side in two rows.
Let them rise until doubled in size.
Baking
Whisk an egg in a bowl with a tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the dough with egg wash.
Bake the bread for approximately 30 minutes until a deep golden brown. If the tops are browning too fast for your liking, loosely cover the tops of the bread with aluminum foil.
Once baked, allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack before slicing. Brioche can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Uses for brioche
By day two, and especially day three, the bread will start to firm up a bit. Use older brioche in recipes that bring in some extra moisture to the bread.
Here are 21 great ways to use brioche bread including french toast, bread pudding, savory recipes, and more! You can also use this dough recipe to make brioche buns, brioche cinnamon rolls, and brioche strawberry rolls!
Related recipes
For more bread, try these chocolate cinnamon rolls, overnight bagels, or homemade focaccia.
Full Recipe
Easy Brioche Bread Recipe - Step by Step
This brioche bread recipe makes a yellow, buttery and tender bread.
Ingredients
- 125g (½ cup + ½ Tablespoon) lukewarm milk (95-104°F / 35-40°C)
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 600g (5 cups) all-purpose flour*
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs (approx. 260g-270g excluding shell.)
- 230g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the milk and stir in the yeast and one tablespoon of sugar. Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add to it the remaining sugar, eggs, flour, and salt. Turn the mixer on low and combine until it forms a thick but slightly sticky dough. Mix this dough for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
- Add in the butter, a cube or two at a time, ensuring each cube has been incorporated before the next addition. Turn the mixer on medium and keep it mixing until the sticky dough starts to strengthen and come together and pull away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- For the best gluten development and brioche crumb, keep the dough mixing for at least 15 minutes. Proper gluten development will allow you to stretch the dough so thin you can almost see through it. This is called the window pane effect.
- Pull the dough out of the bowl onto a bench and form it into a ball. Place the dough ball into a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours (depending on room temperature) until doubled in size. Deflate the dough gently, and reshape it into a ball again. Cover it lid or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight. This step can be shortened, but an 8-12 hour fridge proof gives the best flavor.
- Cold Proof
If you want to skip the overnight proof, the dough will still need a couple of hours of fridge rest after room temperature proofing. This cold rest will let the butter stiffen up and result in much easier shaping. - Pull the proofed dough from the bowl and tip it onto a lightly floured bench. Divide the dough into two equal portions and two 8.5 x4.5 inch (21x11cm) loaf pans with parchment paper.
- Shaping Options
Option 1. Divide a portion of the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball and place the balls in a lined tin, side by side in two rows.
Option 2. Divide a portion of the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a long roll, about 30cm in length. Braid the three lengths together, tuck in the ends and place the braided dough into the lined tin. - Let the shaped dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (approximately 2 hours depending on room temperature.)
- Preheat the oven to 390°F/200 °C and gently whisk an egg and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the dough with the egg wash.
- Bake the brioche bread for approximately 30 minutes until a deep golden brown. If it's browning too fast, loosely cover the bread with a sheet of aluminum foil after the first 20 minutes of baking,
- Once baked through it should sound hollow when tapped and the internal temperature should be around 190°F/88°C.
- Once baked, allow the brioche bread to cool before slicing. Brioche can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Alternatively, it can be frozen for future use.
Notes
*The cup sizes are US size which is smaller than metric. For best results, use scales. This recipe works best with flour with around 11% protein. All-purpose flour protein levels can vary between brands, and the name of the flour itself can vary between countries. It’s best to check protein levels rather than just the name of the flour.
Egg sizes and weights vary a lot. It's best to use scales to measure the total egg volume.
If you would like to make your brioche sweeter, the sugar amount can be doubled.
If you want to test the viability of your yeast before beginning, warm the milk (to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C) and mix in the yeast along with one tablespoon of the sugar. Leave it to sit for 10 minutes first. If it becomes foamy, it's good to go.
Don't be afraid to let your bread bake nice and deep brown. This gives a lot of flavor to the brioche.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 369Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 348mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 8g
Can brioche bread be made without a stand mixer?
Brioche bread can be made without a stand mixer. It can be kneaded by hand, although it may take longer and require more effort. It's a very sticky wet dough, so don't be tempted to add more flour or it will ruin the texture.
Brioche bread is best stored in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. It can also be frozen for longer storage.
Brioche bread can be made with whole wheat flour, but the texture will be denser and the flavor will be different than traditional brioche made with all-purpose flour.
Yes, it's delicious when used for cinnamon rolls and brioche donuts!
Absolutely! It's best this way. Refrigerating overnight to develop its flavor and texture.
Steve says
I live in the U.S. and my oven goes up by 10s so if I can't do 392F could I do 390F or 400F?
Elien says
390 🙂
Carrie says
Love your recipes ( I have two questions at the end of this)
When I made this bread. It was on a very cold day so my kitchen was not warm, however, during the first proof of sitting covered on the counter it to let it rise and it rose within an hour. For the second proof in the refrigerator it also rose quickly and was almost going over the side of the bowl within two hours. I then shaped into small balls for buns (using a muffin pan) and then did a braid for the loaf pan, covered to let is rise for a third proof. It more than doubled in 30 minutes. The bread is good and cuts like butter. Makes wonderfully tasty French toast. The buns worked out good and the kids loved them with a little butter and a slice of ham or even just plain. I do plan on making this bread again, however I do have a couple of questions.
First, How come during the proofs it rose so quickly. I followed the measuring and mixing instructions word for word (I even bought a scale to weigh out the ingredients).
Second: For this brioche bread are you able to add dried fruit and nuts to it at all after you do all the proofs when you are forming it into a loaf?
Elien says
Hey, did you use instant yeast? That proves quite quickly! It's not a problem though, as long as it doesn't overproof on the last rise just before you bake it :).
You can add fruit and nuts after it has been kneaded, before the first rise.
Hilda says
I made 2 batches of your cinnamon rolls the first time, they turned out so tasty and beautiful. I froze a few to enjoy later and shared the rest equally with four other siblings and their family. I was requested to bring the dinner rolls for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. So today I’m making two more batches of the recipe for our thanksgiving dinner. I know they’ll be a hit at our dinner.
Beth Garland says
I am trying this recipe for the first time this morning and I got about 80% of the way through the mixing process when my stand mixer broke! The pin that hold the mixer head on worked its way out and I didn't notice until it was too late! So I turned it out and started the first proof. The problem us, the dough never became less sticky and glassy! Will it still work??? I'm so sad. 😔
Elien says
Hey Beth, sorry to hear about your mixer! Your bread should still work out though.
Nancy says
I made it exactly and weighed everything. I didn't have instant yeast so used regular active yeast. It is in the refrigerator now, been there for about 4 hours. It is almost over the sides of the large bowl. I make regular sourdough bread weekly and have never had one rise this much.
I'm afraid by morning it will have escaped the bowl, lol. What should I do?
Elien says
Punch it down and place it back in the fridge, it will rise again so maybe a bigger bowl too but will be fine to shape in the morning 🙂
Nancy says
Thank you for responding. I light punched it part way down and went to bed. This morning it had not rose back up and I was afraid I had messed it up. But I followed the rest of the recipe and wow. It is fantastic. My fresh eggs are such a wonderful color that made a beautiful bread. I wish I could attach a picture.