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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Missy says
I made it this week on a very rainy day. I had to add almost 1/2 cup extra flour. The bread turned out delicious! Thanks for the recipe
Dina says
You are very welcome Missy! I am so happy to hear that you found this brioche bread recipe delicious! I have found that different brands of flour have to be adjusted a bit to get the right consistency. Thank you for your kind feedback and for your support of my food blog. 🙂
Hailee says
Feel like I’m doing something wrong. I can’t seem to get bread down. It either rises the first time and doesn’t the second, or it doesn’t rise either time. But I know the yeast is good because it got foamy/frothy when it sat
Dina says
Hmm that is very odd how it rises in the first rise and not the second time? Is there a chance you are leaving it to rise too long? Sometimes if yeast dough is left to rise too long. It will rise to its peak and then collapse and deflate.
Dolores G Shepherd says
Me too I have the same problem 🤦🏽♀️
Brandi says
after baking, do you cool completely prior to removing from the pan? or remove from the pan upon cooking to avoid condensation?
Dina says
Hi Brandi, great question. Let it cool until the loaf pan is just warm to the touch so its ok to handle with your hands. Then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool.
A V says
I have been using this recipe for months now. It is perfection. The proportions are perfect. In Florida, I found that if the butter is too soft, it needs too much extra flour so room temperature doesn’t work here. I have the smaller Kitchen Aid mixer so you have to watch so the dough doesn’t climb into the motor above the dough hook.
Depending on the day, the baking time changes a tiny bit. Also, I line the pans with parchment and leave a little over the sides to lift out easily. Then immediately after removing from the pan, I peel down the parchment to release the steam. I find if the bread is too hot, it collapses so with the parchment sleeve, I can put it back in the pan another 15 minutes on the counter until it firms up. (I bake in glass)
There is a learning curve but of all the recipes I have tried for brioche, this one is concise, easy to follow, and perfect.
Dina says
Thank you so much or your feedback! I really appreciate it 🙂
Ruth says
Should have went with my gut and split them into 4 loaves. Way too much dough for 2 loaves. Bread ended up separating a lot during baking process. Flavor good.
Stephanie Lighter says
I made half the recipe and it came out great!
Dina says
Hi Stephanie 🙂 I am very happy to hear that you gave this brioche bread recipe a try and that you loved it! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Carla- The Bakerpreneur says
This is our favorite brioche recipe. My family refuses store bought brioche now. I use it for loaves, hamburger & hotdog buns. I cut the recipe in 1/2 to make 1 loaf along with about 2 hamburger buns(to have on hand for breakfast sandwiches). Just bought a bread machine, looking forward to simplifying this process even more as I make it weekly. Hope my adjustments for the bread machine work out well.
Dina says
Carla, I am so happy to hear that you and your family love this brioche bread recipe so much! Thank you for the kind words!
Kaylee says
This is the first loaf I’ve made that turned out as described! I did it all by hand as I don’t have a stand mixer. It was beautiful! Thank you!
Dina says
You are very welcome Kaylee! I am so happy that you gave my recipe a try and that it turned out so beautiful! I hope this brioche bread will be a family favorite. Thank you for supporting my blog and for your kind feedback! 🙂
Brooke says
Excellent recipe I was nervous because it required so much flour and eggs I was afraid I’d ruin it but it is great!
My only tweak is I did heavy whipping cream and egg for the egg wash vs. water.
Dina says
Hi Brooke 🙂 I am very happy that you made the decision to give this recipe a try and that it turned out excellent for you! I am always happy when people enjoy my recipes. Glad that your tweak worked out. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback! 🙂
Roger Young says
You mentioned Coffee Is there a Coffee you recommend?
Dina says
Hi Roger, I absolutely love ordering my coffee from Coava coffee. Here is a link to their website: https://coavacoffee.com/
Lucy says
Mine looked just like the picture, but it isn’t light and fluffy.. what did I do wrong?
Dina says
Hi Lucy, if the brioche wasn’t light and fluffy, there is a chance it might have over-proofed and slightly deflated after which could cause the texture to be more dense. I hope that helps answer your question.
MntnMn34 says
Excellent recipe!
I made a pan of 24 – 1.75 ounce (50 grams), and 1 5 braid loaf, excellent texture.
Being that I like to experiment; I have a couple of questions for you:
1) I understand that you have made this recipe with whole wheat flour? Exactly the same except for 3 cups whole wheat and 4 1/4 cups of all purpose/bread flour?
2) How about a Rye version? I have been playing with a possible recipe makeup, just seeing if yo have any additional insights.
Dina says
Hi, I am so glad you loved this brioche bread recipe! I have not tested out brioche with whole wheat or rye flour so I am not too sure. I can’t really give ratio without testing it out myself.
Tiffany Gil says
Hi! I’m wanting to make this bread tomorrow. I was wondering if I could add chocolate chips, and if so, when would I do that for this recipe?
Dina says
Hi Tiffany, you would add the chocolate chips right before the last rise 🙂 I hope it turns out great!
Sam says
Hello! I’ve tried to make this bread twice now and it won’t rise for me. Is there something I’m doing wrong?
Dina says
Hi Sam, there are a few reasons why your dough isn’t rising. One, there is a chance that your yeast is expired and all you need is some fresh yeast to get things going. Or it is too cold in your home for the yeast to rise properly. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have anymore questions 🙂
Alyssa Kegin says
Everytime I try to bake my bread its not cooked all the way I’ve done everything right in the recipe but I don’t understand why it’s taking so long I put it in for 35 minutes and it’s still raw in the middle.
Dina says
Hi Alyssa, every oven bakes slightly differently. Yours might just run a little on the low side. I think you just need to leave the bread in a little longer 🙂
Angeline Lai says
May I know what size is the loaf pan?
Dina says
Hi Angeline, I used a 9 inch loaf pan. Here is a direct link to the loaf pan: https://amzn.to/3RkZK01
G says
Hi-I pinned and used your recipe to make loaves and they came out beautifully! I used slices to make French toast that my family loved! So much so my daughter-in-law asked for the recipe. I was trying to send it to her and couldn’t find it when I realized it was because the picture is of fried zucchini instead of the bread. Do you know how I can pin this with a picture of bread instead of the zucchini to make it easier to find for future use? I’m sure I’ll be using this again and again.
Dina says
Hi Ginny 🙂 I am so happy to hear that everyone loved this brioche bread so much. I am a little confused about what you mean about the fried zucchini. I don’t see fried zucchini anywhere on this recipe. Instead of pinning it, you can try to just copy the link url at the top of your screen and paste it in a text message. I hope that helps 🙂
Caroline says
I love this recipe it always comes out really good for me. But when I make it I always use a cookie sheet I tried using a loaf pan but it got so big. I had to try something bigger I used the biggest cookie sheet we had, also everyone loved the bread.
Dina says
Caroline, I am so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe! The bread is quite tall in the loaf pan for me as well. But we actually love it that way 🙂