How to Make Perfect Brioche at Home: Classic Brioche Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 4, 2024 • 5 min read
Brioche is a classic French bread that is so rich, it almost feels like a dessert.
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What Is Brioche?
Brioche is a buttery yeast bread from France. It's made with lots of eggs, which help the dough rise, creating a large crumb that's great for soaking up liquids, like a bowl of chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). The egg yolks give the bread a golden interior, and butter adds extra moisture. The result is a rich, buttery flavor and deep brown crust.
6 Tips for Making the Best Brioche
Baking your own brioche for the first time can be intimidating, but there are a few tricks to ensure success.
- 1. Make sure your yeast is alive. Test the yeast by dissolving it in warm water or milk—if you don’t see bubbles within a few minutes, the yeast is probably old. It's also possible to kill your yeast by dissolving it in liquid that's too hot. The ideal temperature for yeast is about 100°F. Yeast will die at about 130°F.
- 2. Separate the yeast and salt. Keep the yeast and salt apart during the first part of baking since salt can inhibit yeast's activity.
- 3. Add the butter at the right time. Since butter can slow down the activity of gluten (the protein that gives wheat bread doughs their elasticity), you should work the butter into the dough after the initial kneading and first proofing.
- 4. Make your own brioche mold. If you don't have a brioche mold, you can make your own using an emptied and cleaned one-pound coffee can. Line the can with a piece of parchment paper tall enough to form a collar above the rim, and grease the parchment paper well with butter.
- 5. Let the dough rise overnight. Brioche dough is easier to shape when fully cooled, which is partially why it’s best to let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator. Overnight proofing also allows the dough to develop more flavor, and it means that you can sleep in and still have fresh baked bread ready in time for brunch.
- 6. Eat your brioche when it’s fresh. Brioche is best fresh, but you can store fresh brioche in an airtight container for up to three days—or freeze it for up to six months. Leftover stale brioche makes for delicious French toast and bread pudding.
Classic Brioche Recipe
makes
1 loafprep time
1 hr 30 mintotal time
2 hr 15 mincook time
45 minIngredients
- 1
In a small bowl, combine yeast with warm water or milk and stir to dissolve. Let sit until a few bubbles form on top. (If bubbles do not start, the yeast may be dead; start again.)
- 2
Sift flour onto a clean work surface. Make a large well in the middle of the sifted flour pile. Pile the salt and sugar off to the side. Crack eggs into the flour in the center of the well. Add yeast-water mixture to eggs and mix together with your fingertips, gradually drawing in flour, salt, and sugar to form a soft, lumpy dough. If the dough seems dry, beat another egg in a small mixing bowl and gradually add beaten egg to brioche dough until the dough feels moist. Alternatively, mix the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment
- 3
Knead the dough by hand by stretching, folding, and slapping the dough against a clean work surface until soft and uniformly textured. Alternatively, knead the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment on medium speed, about 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl. Transfer brioche dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours.
- 4
On a clean work surface, use a rolling pin to flatten cold butter into a patty. Fold the butter patty in half, then continue flattening and folding until soft and workable. Transfer the risen dough to the work surface, then work the butter into the dough. Lift dough from the work surface and pass it back and forth between your hands, squeezing until butter is fully incorporated, 3–5 minutes. Knead the dough again for 1 minute. Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment to incorporate the butter. Cut the cold butter into 1-inch pieces. Transfer the dough to the mixing bowl and add butter, one piece at a time, with the mixer on medium speed. Wait until each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding the next, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. It will take about 30 minutes to work in all the butter using the stand mixer. Continue kneading on medium speed until the dough looks shiny, about 5 more minutes.
- 5
Transfer dough to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, up to 24 hours.
- 6
The next day, shape your dough. For small brioche buns, divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Remove a pinch of dough from each of the pieces, then roll each piece into a ball. Roll each pinch of dough into a ball. Place the larger dough balls into buttered brioche molds or a muffin tin, and place a small dough ball on top of each. You can also bake brioche in a loaf pan by flattening the dough into an 8-inch by 5-inch rectangle. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a log, tuck the ends under, and transfer to a greased loaf pan, seam-side down.
- 7
Let dough rise in its mold until almost doubled in size, about 20–30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.
- 8
Make an egg wash by beating 1 egg with ½ teaspoon salt. Brush the top of the brioche with egg wash.
- 9
For larger brioches, bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F and continue baking until the crust is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the bread should show an internal temperature of 200°F. For smaller brioches, bake at 425°F for 15–25 minutes total. Transfer bread to a wire rack to rest until completely cool.
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