The Queen of French Breads
Brioche occupies a unique space between bread and pastry. With more butter than most cake recipes and enough eggs to turn the crumb golden, it's technically a bread — but barely. The result is a loaf so tender, so buttery, so impossibly soft that eating it plain, still slightly warm, is one of baking's greatest pleasures.
The secret to great brioche is cold butter and patience. The butter must be cold enough to incorporate gradually without melting into the dough, and the dough benefits enormously from an overnight retard in the refrigerator, which develops flavour and makes it easier to handle.
Ingredients
- Bread flour — 350g (high protein gives structure to support all that butter)
- Large eggs — 4 (at room temperature)
- Cold unsalted butter — 150g (cut into 1cm cubes, kept cold)
- Sugar — 50g
- Instant yeast — 7g
- Fine salt — 8g
- Warm milk — 30ml
- Egg wash — 1 egg + 1 tsp milk
Method
Mix the Dough
In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add eggs and warm milk. Mix on low for 2 minutes until combined, then increase to medium and knead for 8–10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky at first — resist adding flour. After 10 minutes, it should be pulling away from the sides and forming a smooth, elastic mass.
Add the Butter — Slowly
With the mixer on medium-low, add the cold butter cubes one at a time, waiting for each piece to be fully incorporated before adding the next. This takes 8–12 minutes. The dough will appear to break apart and become greasy — this is normal. Keep mixing. Eventually, it will come back together into a glossy, very soft, elastic dough that slaps cleanly against the bowl. This moment is unmistakable.
Bulk Fermentation + Overnight Chill
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with cling film, and let rise at room temperature for 1.5–2 hours until doubled. Punch down gently, re-cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (overnight is ideal). The cold firms the butter, making the dough handleable, and slows fermentation, which develops a more complex, yeasty flavour.
Shape
Brioche à tête (classic): Divide cold dough into 8 equal pieces. From each piece, tear off about 20% and roll both parts into smooth balls. Place the large balls in a greased muffin tin, poke a hole in the top, and nestle the small ball in. Brioche loaf: Divide into 4 equal pieces, roll into smooth balls, and place side by side in a buttered loaf tin (23×13cm).
Proof & Egg Wash
Cover loosely and let proof at room temperature for 1.5–2 hours until puffy and nearly doubled. This takes longer than regular bread because the dough is cold and butter-heavy. Beat 1 egg with 1 tsp milk and brush very gently over the surface. A heavy hand will deflate the soft dough.
Bake
Preheat oven to 175°C fan. Bake for 25–30 minutes until deeply golden brown on top and the internal temperature reads 88–90°C. If browning too quickly, tent with foil after 15 minutes. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. The crumb will still be slightly gummy if cut too early — wait at least 30 minutes.
What to Do with Brioche
- French toast — day-old brioche makes the most decadent French toast imaginable
- Burger buns — brioche buns are now standard in gourmet burger restaurants
- Bread pudding — cubed brioche absorbs custard beautifully
- Tarte Tropézienne — split, fill with pastry cream, dust with sugar
- Just toast it — toasted brioche with butter and jam is absurdly good
Storage
Brioche stays fresh for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight bag. Freeze for up to 2 months — slice before freezing for easy individual portions. Toast slices directly from frozen.