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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b says
A Big THANKS.
You deserve much appreciation for all the work to create, design the marketplace and produce an excellent product in Bread and Circus (literally!) Yummly!
Regards,
B
Dina says
Thank you!
K says
This recipe is definitely a keeper. Cut the recipe in half and shaped into sandwich buns. It was very good, pillowey soft! Thanks for sharing.
Dina says
I am so happy you love this recipe! Thank you for the kind feedback! 🙂
Adriana says
As a baker this was disappointing. Flavorless. Yeah it’s soft but deff doesn’t taste right.
Dina says
Hi Adriana, could you please specify what exactly was flavorless about the brioche bread? If you look up any brioche recipe, there are only a few ingredients that go into a brioche loaf: milk, butter, flour, sugar, eggs, and yeast. I’m not really sure what flavor you are looking for. If you want to add things like dried fruit or spices for flavor, you are welcome to.
Inna says
Bread turned out amazing!!! Super soft and delicious! Recipe is super easy to follow and really accurate. I didn’t change anything and followed the recipe exactly also I used King Arthur bread flour and 7 cups was perfect. Will definitely be making this bread again for Easter! Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe! Many blessings to you!
Dina says
Inna, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this brioche recipe so much! Thank you for taking the time to write your kind feedback. It truly means a lot to me!
Charlene Denhaese says
Most amazing bread ever!!! Almost like a pastry.
Dina says
Thank you, Charlene! I agree, it’s my favorite sweet bread! So indulgent 🙂
Sue says
Oh my goodness this is the best Brioche bread recipe yet! Will be putting this in my bread making rotation. I have one question though – what brand is the mixer in the video where you made the bread?
Dina says
Hi Sue, I am so glad to hear that you loved this brioche bread recipe! The mixer I use is called the Bosch Universal Plus mixer. Here is the link to it: https://amzn.to/3J3MaZa
Molly says
mine turned out really dense and thick. what did I do wrong😭
Dina says
Hi Molly, I am sorry to hear that. Typically if bread comes out dense, it might be for one of two reasons. One, it did not proof enough before baking, and two, it was not kneaded well enough. I hope that helps!
Molly says
thank you! good to know! I started it in the bread machine, so I will try without it. I just like the bread machine to mix it, so I don’t burn out my mixer. it was still good! we made bread pudding and French toast with it.
Dina says
That’s awesome Molly! Thank you for coming back to let me know 🙂
Maria Bonilla says
Thank you for the yummy recipe, I made it the firts time following exactly the recipe and it came delicious, today I combined bread flour with whole grain flour and honey instead sugar, and it came really good, thanks again xoxo
Dina says
You are very welcome Maria 🙂 Very happy to hear you loved this brioche bread! Glad that the adjustments worked out for you! Thank you so much for your feedback and support! 🙂
Ashleigh says
Thank you for sharing. Been using this recipe for a long time now.
Dina says
My pleasure Ashleigh! I am happy to hear it’s been a favorite in your rotation 🙂
Christine says
This looks very good please send me the website thank you
Dina says
Hi Christine, thank you! All the instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Enjoy! 🙂
Nanci says
Will instant yeast work instead a active yeast?
Dina says
Hi Nanci, instant yeast will work great! The only adjustment you will need to make is to skip the part when your froth up the yeast in the warm milk. If you use instant yeast, you can just add everything into the stand mixer bowl. Enjoy! 🙂
Mandy B says
I am making this brioche recipe as I type this (it’s doing it’s first rise now). I must admit it nearly killed my KitchenAid (5qt size), but the dough looks amazing. I can usually tell by the time it gets to the first rise if a bread will be soft and fluffy or dense and this is the prettiest dough I’ve made in a long time. I used all-purpose flour but added vital wheat gluten to it to make a bread flour. I also sifted the flour and gluten which helps with the airiness of the bread. I used salted butter so I cut the salt in half. I did have to add the extra 1/4 cup of flour to make it finally come together, but any more than that would have made it too dry.
I’m going to divide the dough and make one loaf of pull-apart bread, but I wanted to ask if this dough could be used to make sweet brioche rolls? With the amount of sugar in the dough itself I would think it would be perfect for danish.
I’m looking forward to tasting the final result. Thank you for such an easy recipe.
Mandy ~
Dina says
Thank you for all that feedback Mandy! I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. Yes, this can be made as sweet rolls 🙂
Andi says
I made this today and it was pretty perfect… Moist.. tasty… Smelled awesome while baking. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I only had salted margarine sticks instead of unsalted butter on hand. I still added the salt, and it tastes amazing. I made one braided loaf in a loaf pan and 12 rolls with the remaining dough. Ugh . Prefect!
My picky kid also enjoyed it. This will be my new go to bread recipe. Thank you so much!
Dina says
Hi Andi 🙂 I am so happy to hear you loved this brioche bread so much that it is now your go to recipe! Glad to hear this recipe worked out with the substitution that you had. Thank you for your awesome feedback! 🙂
Connie Drake says
Hi Dina, I recently found your YouTube channel and am so excited so thank you for sharing your talents. I’m wanting to make the brioche bread and I have the Bosch mixer that you used in your video…. I’m needing to know the speeds you used, at one point you said to mix on high… which number on the speed settings is the one you used? I know usually mixing is speed 1 until ready to switch to kneading time as the Bosch book indicates but they don’t have a recipe for brioche lol and I’m a new to all of this. God bless and thank you, Connie Drake
Dina says
Hi Connie 🙂 So happy that you found my brioche bread recipe! I use 4 which is the highest setting on my Bosch mixer. I hope that helps and I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know how it goes! 🙂
Donna says
Hi. I was wounding what is the measurement of your dough strands before you braid the dough? And too what is the size of your bread tins?
Dina says
Hi Donna, the strand of dough were roughly just over 12 inches long. They were all able to fit in a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Brenda Sehorne says
This dough was extremely wet for me. I needed to add about a cup more of flour. You could taste the difference in the final product. Won’t be making this one again.
Dina says
Hi Brenda, I am sorry to hear that your dough was too wet. I have not heard of anyone adding an entire cup extra. Are you sure your measured correctly? That’s really odd.
Ashanti says
Hello!
I want to know if I can add sweet potatoes to this recipe without majorly altering the structure and texture of the bread? I want to make sweet potato french toast for my dad for Father’s Day 😊
Dina says
Hi Ashanti 🙂 I have never tried adding sweet potatoes to this brioche bread so I don’t know how it will turn out. It sounds like it will really change the recipe a bit since it will change up the ratios and affect the texture. I hope that helps clarify. Let me know how it goes. This brioche bread really is a great recipe for father’s day! 🙂
Sierra says
Would an automatic hand mixer work with this recipe?
Dina says
Hi Sierra 🙂 A hand mixer would not work for this recipe. It isn’t strong enough to mix the dough and can break. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can always mix by hand but it will take a little longer. I hope that helps and I hope you get a chance to try this recipe! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Noelle says
Thanks For sharing this recipe. The instructions were so clear. Thank you for that very delicious is a keeper in my recipe book. Turned out beautiful and definitely something I could wrap up and take to friends.
Dina says
You are very welcome Noelle! Happy to hear you loved this brioche bread recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your awesome feedback! 🙂
Cheryl says
Baked this last night and it’s really good. Has just enough sweetness to it. Sliced a couple this morning, heated them up and smeared on the butter…. It was so good, my finicky cat had to have some….. I also used AP Flour because I was out of Bread Flour. Next loaves will be made with the other stuff….
This recipe is a keeper. Thanks Dina….
Dina says
You are very welcome Cheryl! It makes me so happy to hear that people love my recipes! Awesome to hear you love this brioche bread 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog! 🙂