Perfect Brioche Bread

Content… What Is It? Brioche Bread vs. White Bread Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions Amazing Things You Do More Fabulous Bread Recipes to Try

What Is Brioche Bread?

This French recipe loaded with butter and eggs delivers the ultimate brioche decadence. The tender, rich crumb in brioche bread comes wrapped in a thin golden crust. And you can create sweet or savory brioche with more or less sugar, depending on your preference.

Brioche Bread vs. White Bread

Fat is delicious because it provides a decadent mouthfeel and carries the flavor of whatever it graces. Basic white bread has four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. The brioche recipe delivers buttery goodness held together with eggs. The higher fat content makes it more decadent, and the eggs make it a gorgeous golden yellow.🍞😍

Recipe Ingredients

1. Milk – Warm milk (110℉/40℃) dissolves the yeast. If it goes above 120℉ (48℃), the yeast will die. Milk also makes a softer dough that browns to a beautiful golden.
2. Yeast – I used active dry yeast, but instant and rapid-rise yeasts also work.
3. Sugar – Granulated sugar gives the yeast what it needs to rise and slightly sweetens the brioche for that classic taste.
4. Eggs do several things. They add to the lovely color, enhance a good rise, and increase the protein and nutritional content.
5. All-Purpose Flour – Ideal for brioche. While bread flour sounds like it should work, it will result in a chewier loaf, which isn’t the goal for brioche.
6. Butter – This most delicious fat ups the mouthfeel and buttery taste. Slightly softened but still cold butter gives you a rich bread you won’t forget. Please DO NOT MELT it!
7. Egg Wash – You could skip the egg wash (egg and water), but why? The beautiful shine is so worth it.

How to Make Brioche Bread

Make the Dough

• Activate Yeast – Dissolve yeast in warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine. Let it sit until it dissolves, 1-2 minutes. (Photo 1)
• Make the Dough – Add sugar, salt, and eggs, and mix on medium speed. Then slowly add flour, a little at a time, mixing with the paddle attachment. Trade out the paddle attachment with your dough hook attachment. (Photos 2-3)
• Knead – Continue mixing for 4-6 minutes or until the dough is firm and elastic and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. (Yes, you can knead the dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer.) (Photo 4)
• Butter – Dump half the butter in and continue mixing until thoroughly combined. You may have to stop the mixer and mix by hand to fully incorporate it into the dough. Add the remaining butter a little at a time until all has been added. The dough may look loose, and that’s fine. 
• Continue kneading for 4-5 minutes until it’s smooth, soft, and shiny. The easiest way to know when the dough is ready is when it slaps against the bowl. (Photo 5)
• Rise – Place the brioche dough on a lightly floured board, knead it a couple of times, then place it in a large, greased bowl. Cover it loosely with a clean kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours or until doubled. (Photo 6)
• Chill – Once the dough has doubled, punch it down. At this point, the dough develops best if you can refrigerate it overnight. When ready to shape the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it warm up just enough to be workable (about 30 minutes). Divide the dough according to the desired shape; rolls or bread (I did one of each). (Photos 7-8)

Brioche Buns

• Divide dough into 16 balls. To form round balls, tuck the edges underneath the dough ball, then roll them against the board or between your palms until round. Then, place the rolls into two rows of 4 in two greased loaf pans (or arrange them in a large, greased baking dish or brioche pan). (Photo 9)
• Egg Wash – Lightly brush the rolls with egg wash. Sprinkle with coconut sugar or crystallized sugar. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half or until it doubles in size.
• Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Remove them from the brioche pan and let it cool enough for the butter to firm up. (Photo 10)

Brioche Loaves

• Divide the dough into 10 equal portions if making two loaves. Then roll each portion into a ball.
• Roll the balls into logs and place them seam-side down in a prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining portions of dough (5 logs in each loaf pan). Let rise until doubled. Brush with egg wash. (Photo 11)
• Preheat the oven to 350℉ 180℃).
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped (30-35 minutes). The brioche loaves should be golden brown on top, and the internal temperature should be at least 200℉ (95℃). (Photo 12)
• Serve – Remove from the baking pan and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Once the bread has cooled enough, slice it with a bread or a serrated knife. Store cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze it for later.

Recipe Variations

1. Pull-apart brioche. Divide your dough into 16 pieces, form them into discs, and arrange them in your greased loaf pan like slices of bread. Let rise, add egg wash, bake, and serve as soon as the bread cools.
2. Whole wheat brioche. Replace half of the flour with whole wheat all-purpose flour for a healthier bread. You may need just a tad more moisture (about a tablespoon of milk or water) because whole wheat tends to be thirsty. You could make 100% whole wheat brioche, but definitely add 3 tablespoons of milk or water.
3. Brioche donuts. Instead of baking brioche rolls, deep fry the rolls for a decadent twist on donuts. Heat your vegetable or peanut oil to 375℉ (190℃) and fry the dough balls for about 2 minutes per side. They should fluff and turn golden brown.
4. Air-fryer brioche. Yes, this brioche recipe is perfect for an air fryer. Air fry at 300-325℉ (150-160℃), either a few rolls at a time, or make a loaf in an air-fryer-appropriate pan.

Tips and Tricks

1. Chilling the dough overnight before making rolls or loaves does help the texture. And the butter will be firm enough to make the dough easier to shape.
2. Check the yeast’s expiration date. If in doubt, put a small spoonful in a glass of warm (not hot) water with a small spoonful of sugar. Wait a few minutes, and if bubbles start forming, you’re good to go.
3. Knead the dough well. The high butter content keeps gluten from developing as quickly, so it will need just a little help.

Make-Ahead Instructions

The rolls are easier to make ahead than the bread. I like lining my baking tray with parchment paper, making the rolls, letting them rise, and then freezing the whole tray. As soon as the rolls freeze solid, pop them into a large freezer ziplock bag and keep them frozen until ready to bake. They’ll stay good for up to 3 months.

To make your brioche rolls, put them still frozen on a greased and parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 325℉ (165℃) oven until done. The air fryer comes in handy for doing 2 or 3 rolls at a time.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Brioche rolls are amazing right after they’ve had a little time to cool. And brioche bread makes awesome toast—slather more butter, marmalade, or Nutella for a perfect Sunday brunch item.

Tightly wrap leftover brioche in plastic so it doesn’t dry out. Then, you can leave it at room temperature for 3-4 days, refrigerate it for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Amazing Things You Do With Homemade Brioche Bread

Brioche bread French toast, brioche bread pudding, Croque Monsieur, and a Monte Cristo sandwich are all fabulous ways to use brioche bread.

More Fabulous Bread Recipes to Try

1. Challah
2. Focaccia
3. Soft Pretzels
4. Coconut Bread
5. Garlic Bread Rolls

This blog post was originally published in April 2020 and has been updated with additional tips