Description
A rich, buttery French brioche bread recipe that’s soft, golden, and irresistibly fluffy — learn to master this bakery-quality classic right in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
- 120 mL warm milk (around 110°F/43°C)
- 9 g active dry yeast (2¼ tsp)
- 10 mL honey
- 5 large eggs (or 4 large eggs + 2 yolks)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 10 mL vanilla extract
- 60 g granulated sugar (5 tbsp)
- 500 g all-purpose flour (4 cups + 2 tbsp)
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt
- 250 g unsalted butter, very soft (1 cup + 2 tbsp), divided into 4 portions
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Combine warm milk, yeast, and honey; whisk and rest 10 minutes until foamy.
- Add eggs and yolk, whisk lightly, then mix in vanilla, sugar, flour, and salt until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead with a dough hook on speed 2–3 for 3–5 minutes.
- Add softened butter in 4 portions, kneading 2–3 minutes between each addition until fully incorporated.
- Knead 5–15 minutes more until smooth and elastic, lifting cleanly from the bowl.
- Shape into a ball, cover, and rise 1 hour at room temperature until doubled.
- Deflate dough gently, reshape, cover, and refrigerate 8–24 hours.
- Divide chilled dough into 2 equal portions. Shape into loaves or braid as desired and place in greased loaf pans.
- Cover and proof 2 hours at room temperature until doubled.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C), brush tops with egg wash, and bake 35–45 minutes until golden and 190°F inside.
- Cool 5 minutes in pans, transfer to rack, and cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Use room-temperature eggs and butter for smooth mixing. Don’t skip the overnight chill—it enhances flavor and makes shaping easy. Slice only after fully cooled for the best crumb texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus resting time)
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 151
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 130mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
Keywords: brioche bread, French brioche, buttery bread, homemade brioche, enriched dough