This buttery brioche bread recipe is so fluffy it practically melts in your mouth. Serve it warm or toasted with salted butter and you will never want to try any other bread recipe after this one!
We love brioche so much that we made sure to incorporate it in our amazing bread pudding and brioche french toast.
Table Of Contents
- What is Brioche?
- Ingredients for this recipe
- How to Make Brioche Bread
- What makes it different from other breads?
- Brioche dough texture
- What to do if the dough isn’t coming together
- What is it used for?
- Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
- Can I make brioche bread without a stand mixer?
- How long does homemade brioche bread keep?
- Try these other delicious bread recipes
- Full Recipe Instructions
What is Brioche?
Brioche is a French origin bread made with flour, yeast, and a high egg and butter content. The high butter content is what gives brioche that fluffy and tender crumb. The taste results in a richer, buttery flavor that just can’t compare to standard white bread. You can get creative with this bread by making it into a sweet breaded Nutella bread, or brioche douts, or even as brioche dinner rolls and hot cross buns! And then you can always go the savory route by making it into burger buns and serving it with a juicy homemade patty.
Ingredients for this recipe
- Dry ingredients – you will need basic bread essentials like bread flour, salt, yeast, and a tiny amount of white sugar.
- Wet ingredients – use warm milk to activate the yeast, vanilla for flavor, and butter and eggs to give the bread that irresistible buttery texture.
How to Make Brioche Bread
For the full printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card
- Make the yeast mixture. Combine the milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, and yeast in a large measuring cup or bowl and leave in a warm place for about 20 minutes. Once it becomes frothy, give it a quick stir.
- Whisk the eggs. In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them just enough to loosen them up.
- Mix the ingredients (except butter). Add the flour, salt, and the rest of the sugar to the stand mixer bowl. Then pour in the yeast mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat the dough with the hook attachment until it begins to come together.
- Knead in the butter. Now cut the cup of softened butter into slices and add them to the dough. Continue kneading the dough at high speed for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise. Now remove the brioche bread dough from the mixer and shape it into a ball. Grease a bowl with oil and place it inside, covering with a cheesecloth or plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place for an hour, or until it doubles or triples in size.
- Braid the dough. After proofing, divide the dough into two equal pieces (for two loaves). Divide each dough half into three equal balls. Roll the balls out into long strands and then cross them, forming a braid. At the ends, pinch the dough to seal it. (You can also skip the braid and just place the dough balls in a loaf pan.)
- Let it rise again. Butter a loaf pan and place the braided dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap or cheesecloth and let it proof again for an hour in a warm place, or until it doubles.
- Brush with egg wash and bake. Once it has risen, brush the dough with egg wash and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.
What makes it different from other breads?
Typically, most bread recipes like my multigrain harvest and rustic bread have yeast, flour, and water as the base. Brioche, on the other hand, has a lot of butter and eggs to aid in that soft and fluffy crumb.
Brioche dough texture
Your brioche dough should be slightly tacky because of all the eggs and butter, but not stick to your fingers. It should also be smooth and elastic. To test this, take a small amount of dough and slowly stretch it until it becomes thin and semi-transparent. This elasticity is what gives brioche that lovely chew.
What to do if the dough isn’t coming together
If your brioche bread dough is mixing, but is not coming together or is too runny, add another 1/4 cup of flour. This should solve the problem.
What is it used for?
The best way to enjoy a warm loaf of homemade brioche is by toasting it and slathering on a thick layer of salted butter and a drizzle of honey on top, YUM!! But you can always use the stale leftovers in french toast or bread pudding with vanilla rum sauce!
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour to make brioche bread. But there will be a slight texture difference. All-purpose flour has less protein in it and will develop less gluten, which determines the chewiness of the bread. So, your brioche with AP flour will be slightly less chewy, but still soft and buttery.
Can I make brioche bread without a stand mixer?
You can, but it’s difficult. Because brioche needs to be mixed a lot and also at high speed, doing it by hand is a lot harder. The mixing process is what releases the gluten and gives brioche bread its texture. So if you do this by hand, it will take a lot longer and require a lot more effort.
How long does homemade brioche bread keep?
Keep the brioche in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. The more airtight the bag, the fresher the bread will taste. And if it goes stale, pop it in the oven for a few minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit or make bread pudding or french toast out of it.
Try these other delicious bread recipes
- Nutella Brioche: Brioche bread with swirls of Nutella
- Poppyseed buns: Pull-apart buns with sweet poppy seed filling
- Pumpkin bread: Loaded with toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds
- Brioche bun recipe: Perfect for homemade burgers!
- Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread: Super simple to make!
Full Recipe Instructions
Buttery Brioche Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup warm milk 110 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 7 1/4 cups bread flour spooned and leveled off with knife
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 eggs (+1 egg for egg wash)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
Instructions
Make the yeast mixture
- In a glass bowl or large measuring cup, combine milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and yeast. Leave this mixture in a warm place for about 20 minutes. Once it becomes frothy, give it a quick stir.
Mix all ingredients (but butter) in a stand mixer
- Place 7 1/4 cup bread flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Then pour the warm yeast mixture into the bowl.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and give them a quick whisk just to loosen them. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract to the rest of the ingredients in the mixer bowl.
- Using the hook attachment, beat the dough until it begins to come together.
Knead in the softened butter
- Cut the 1 cup of unsalted softened butter into slices and add it to the dough. Continue kneading the dough at high speed for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough isn't coming together well enough after 15 minutes, add an additonal 1/4 cup flour.
Rise the dough in a greased bowl
- Remove the brioche dough from the mixer and shape it into a ball. Place it into a bowl greased with oil. Then cover with a cheesecloth or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles or triples in size.
Braid the dough and rise again
- Once the dough has proofed, divide it into two equal pieces. These two halves will make two loaves of bread.
- Starting with one of the two dough halves, divide that half into three equal balls. Roll those three balls into long strands.
- Begin crossing over the three strands in a braid-like fashion. Once you get the end, pinch the dough to seal the braid. Repeat these steps with the other dough halve. (If you don't want to do a braid, just place the 3 dough balls on the loaf pan.)
Brush with egg wash and bake
- Butter a loaf pan with unsalted butter and place the braided dough into the pan. Cover with a cheesecloth or plastic wrap and let it proof in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
- Once the dough has proofed, brush with egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 tsp water). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on April 5, 2017, but we have tweaked it a bit since then to improve it.
PS: Here are our old images.
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Billy Leinbach says
Men’s eyes were made to look, let them gaze, I will budge for no man’s pleasure.
Narine Limanoff says
This is absolutely amazing recipe. This bread came out perfect! The taste and the smell are out of this world. I love your YouTube channel. I’m not a good cook, but your instructions are so easy to follow. Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much Narine!! I really appreciate your support and feedback 🙂 So happy that you loved this brioche bread recipe 🙂 Glad that you found the instructions helpful! I try to have all my recipes have clear instructions to make it easier for my followers. Thank you for taking the time to leave such an awesome review 🙂
GEORGE RIEDL says
How about a recipe for only one loaf?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi George, yes you can use this brioche bread recipe to just make one loaf 🙂 Just cut all the ingredients in half. Occasionally cutting recipes in half can change the consistency slightly. If the dough is too wet then just a little extra flour. However, you want the dough to be a bit sticky/tacky so don’t add too much. So add a tablespoon at a time. Hope that helps clarify and I hope you love this recipe 🙂
Morgane says
Well it’s me again! I’ve made that brioche (after making a LOT of your nutella ones, with all sorts of flavors), followed it all and handmade (as always): easy, delicious and wonderful. Slight minuscule tweek: made two, one of them round shaped (yum) and added on top some sugar grains. Delicious as always!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Morgane 🙂 Thank you so much for your support, it really means the world to me! 🙂 I’m so happy that you loved this brioche bread! This is my favorite bread recipe 🙂 Thank you for your awesome review! 🙂
Nancy Reynolds says
This recipe makes an absolutely delicious and beautiful loaf of bread. My 1st rise time was about 2 hours instead of 1, and my baking time was about 20 minutes longer than stated in the recipe. However I made sure to continue to bake until the internal temperature hit 200 degrees. I also tented the loaves about midway through baking to keep them from over browning. This one is a keeper!
simplyhomecooked says
Wow, thats awesome Nancy! Thank you for leaving these important details. It really helps me get a better idea of time and temp adjustments for my viewers. I really appreciate the detailed feedback.
Lynne B says
Soooooo glad I came across your blog! I can’t tell you how helpful all the pictures are at each step. Thank you!!
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome Lynne! Very happy that you came across my blog and appreciate the step by step photos 🙂 I hope you love this brioche bread, it is my favorite bread! Thank you for your feedback Lynne 🙂
Anna says
Brioche is our favorite bread for French toast. We let it sit for a week in the fridge (I’ve heard it’s better when the bread isn’t fresh) then make the French toast. It tastes amazing!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Anna, brioche is my favorite bread and truly is amazing! You can also use it for bread pudding 🙂 I prefer fresh brioche bread with salted butter and honey!!
Ursula says
It came out delicious!
I followed all the steps and baked as instructions.
Thank you for the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome Ursula! Very happy to hear you loved this brioche bread! This brioche bread is my absolute favorite bread! Thank you for your feedback Ursula 🙂 I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Zuhairah says
Hi can I use all purpose flour in place of bread flour
simplyhomecooked says
Hi, yes can definitely use all-purpose flour as well.
Genny..MS.Crafty says
Mine is in the oven this very moment!! It worked up good in my stand mixer and proofed good ! My daughter and her children love homemade bread, can not wait for them to taste
Me to ..Thank you !! Happy New Year to you and your family!
simplyhomecooked says
I hope you all loved it Genny! Thank you for the feedback, and Happy New Year to you and your family as well 🙂
Priscilla says
Very good made it for Thanksgiving.
simplyhomecooked says
Very happy to hear you loved this brioche bread recipe! Thank you so much for your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Alana says
Hi! Was this recipe changed? I’ve made this before and now I’m back to make it again and it looks different lol. If it was, can I have the old recipe?
simplyhomecooked says
H Alana, I retouched some of the step by step photos but the recipe is all the same.
Oliviah says
I found that many other brioche bread recipes call for overnight refrigeration. is there a reason why you chose to opt that common step out?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Oliviah, you can refrigerate if you want. I’ve tried both methods and got the same results, so I figured why not speed up the process?
Patrick Cox says
I like to overnight my brioche because it is much easier to shape when cold. But it does add time.
Jacky gomez says
Hi, could you refrigerate the second half of the dough for baking the next day? Also, could I use instant yeast instead? And if so, same process?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jacky, yes you can refrigerate the other piece of dough. Just make sure it wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge before the last rise. And yes, instant yeast will work here. You will need the same amount.
Belinda says
Hi,
I want to ask why did you choose to use all purpose flour instead of bread flour? Because usually we would use bread flour to make bread. Would it be different if we use bread flour?
Thanks.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Belinda, typically homemade bread would need bread flour, but brioche works best with all-purpose flour since the lower gluten gives it a lighter crumb. But you can still use bread flour if you prefer. It will still taste delicious 🙂
Belinda says
Cool… Thanks for the input. I surely will try it 🙂
Timo says
Is it possible to freeze in half of the dough for later use?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Timo, yes you can freeze half the dough for later use 🙂
Katherine says
Are you supposed to add all 6 eggs to the dough or are you only supposed to add 5 and reserve one for the egg wash ?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Katherine, the 6 eggs are for the dough. You will need an additional egg for the egg wash. Thanks for the question. I hope you love this brioche bread recipe! 🙂
Gregory Rupp II says
This recipe was incredible. Not very hard at all if the steps are followed properly. The only hard part was the waiting. lol Especially while it was baking. My Goodness, I was so glad it was done when it was, wasn’t sure how much more smelling it without eating it I could take. Then when it was done it was almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. 🙂 Was very grateful this recipe was so good. Tried another before it that was just awful, wasted ingredients and came out a completely mushy, wet disaster. So second time ever trying to make Brioche and it came out so good people couldn’t believe it. Also great to be reassured that the first try wasn’t my fault.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Gregory, thank you so much for such an awesome review! I am very happy to hear that this brioche bread recipe turned out great for you 🙂 Brioche bread is actually one of my weaknesses lol! I feel like it teases me when it slowly rises in the oven! That is why I have multiple different brioche recipes on my blog. I hope you enjoy more recipes from my blog 🙂
Dorothy Graves says
Mon.6, made the brioche bread did not have a stand alone mixture did everything by hand was not that hard and did not take that long .came out beautiful and delicious. my husband and i had some when it came out of the oven and with dinner. I was afraid it would not be good the next day made toast delicious love it. I did take a pic but I am not on instagram, Facebook. next I will try the hamburger buns
thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Dorothy, thank you so much for your kind feedback! I am really happy to hear that you enjoyed my brioche bread recipe 🙂 I hope you enjoy the brioche burger buns and many more recipes from my blog 🙂
Kristina says
My absolute favorite bread to make, and the recipe is so easy to follow. It’s so delicious and tastes like a sweet bread. Thank you for such a great recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kristina, thank you so much for your kind feedback! I am very happy that you enjoy this brioche bread recipe! 🙂
Richard says
what are the measurements of your loaf pans?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Richard, sorry for the delayed response. I have been away from home. This loaf pan is 9×5 inches. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Deborah Good says
can the bread braids be baked without putting into loaf pans?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Deborah, the brioche bread can be baked on a baking sheet instead of a loaf pan. It just might not be as tall.
Zoya says
This recipe is great on the first day, but not on the second. Too buttery! I’ve tried other brioche recipes with less butter and it was much better the next day. Probably because too much butter it’s not as fluffy or soft next day. Of course it didn’t go to waiste my son just microwaved it for few seconds. Love your other recipes, but will not repeat this one.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for your input Zoya. Brioche is known as the bread of eggs and butter. The butter is was gives brioche that amazingly fluffy and soft texture. I have other brioche bread recipes on my blog, I hope you give those a try 🙂