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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Bea says
Are you in DC? I live there 🙂
Beatrice
Bea says
Thank you Dina. I will try a let you know the results. I am french, living in the USA, and brioche turns out perfect back home (fluffy, triple the size after baking) but here it’s a disaster. I was told it’s because of the flour quality. Although I follow recipes step by step, the dough rises normally when proofing but it doesn’t when baking….
I was also told to try Canadian all-purpose flour that is supposed to be the same (or better) quality than the US flour.
In any case, I will let you know the results 🙂
Thank you again and have a lovely afternoon,
B 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Please do let me know how it turns out Bea! 🙂 I almost always use Canadian Flour. I’ve also heard the quality is better too.
Beatrice says
Hello
This looks yummy. Do you think I can divide the recipe in half? Do you happen to have the measurements in grams? I’d rather work with my scale for baking.
Thank you 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Beatrice! Yes you can definitely cut the brioche recipe in half. Unfortunately I don’t have the recipe in grams, but there are many conversion websites out there that can help with that 🙂 Here is an example https://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking/
REN says
Would it work to make the dough and then leave it in the fridge overnight in order to bake it fresh in the morning? Or would that mess up the rising time?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ren, I’ve never left the brioche dough overnight so I’m not too sure. I’m afraid it will rise too much.
Kenny says
Hi can this brioche bread come out well just by mixing with a wooden spoon?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kenny, I wouldn’t recommend making brioche with a wooden spoon. If you do not have a stand mixer, your best option would be to work the dough with your hands. The dough will need to be kneaded really well though.
Donna JM Gustafson says
Hi, Do you know how many serving sized brioche rolls this would make using the single serve brioche tins?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Donna, I wish I could tell you how many it would make but I’ve never made brioche in small single serve tins so I’m not too sure.
Cheri Rubin says
Wow!!! I made this today.
For Dairy Challahs. Amazing texture as making & Aroma! Look forward to Friday.
Thank you.
Mark says
I am done making this brioche bread. So delicious! My wife make it for me and it taste good. She loves bake now and want to know if she can use other half of the dough for cinnamon roll?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mark, I’m glad you and your wife enjoyed the brioche. She can most definitely make cinnamon rolls out of the other half of dough.
Katie Beth says
Am I able to half this recipe?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Katie, you can divide the brioche bread recipe in half. Just cut each ingredient in half, but maybe keep a closer eye on the bread as it may bake faster.
Patty White says
My friend I want to make this for has celiac, has anybody ever used Bob’s glutton free flour blend?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Patty, I’ve never used glutton free flour for this brioche recipe so I’m not too sure how it will turn out.
Ta Yang says
I’d like to know how to incorporate a cream fruit into the brioche bread? So the bread is flavored? Please advise.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ta, do you mean you want to use jam instead of Nutella? The bread is not flavored other than with sugar.
Mares says
Do you use bread flour or all purpose flour?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mares, I used all purpose flour for this brioche bread.
Emily says
I made this recipe but rolled the dough out and cut it in to strips. I put apples n cinnamon on the strips, rolled them n put muffin tins to bake. Apple cinnamon brioche rolls at their best!
simplyhomecooked says
That sounds heavenly Emily! Thanks for sharing 🙂
tania says
room temp butter or cold?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Tania, use softened room temperature butter.
bobby says
I used some of this for some french toast. Talk about kick french toast up to a whole new level.
Courtney says
I just tried this and it turned out beautifully. Thanks for the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Yay! That’s awesome Courtney!
bobby says
okay so I’m a 57 year old guy who has always known my way around the kitchen except when it comes to baking. Lately, I’ve made a concerted effort to learn to bake properly. I tried this bread today and it turned out wonderfully. I had to leave the house in the middle of the process unexpectedly so I punched the brioche dough down and just did an extra rise. The dough turned out to be so wonderfully soft and pliable. Thank you so much for this recipe and your clear directions.
simplyhomecooked says
I’m glad to hear the brioche turned out well for you Bobby!
Josh says
I have made this a few times and loved it. I add 2 sprigs of rosemary per loaf and it makes the best herb bread. Thanks for the recipe. it wouldn’t let me choose 5 stars so here they are *****
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Josh! I’m glad this brioche was a five star recipe for you 🙂
Shari says
Does anyone make a French Brioche bread mix for a bread machine? I am unable to knead the dough anymore due to my arthritis. Thanks for your help. srichsmith@gmail.com
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Shari, you can use the bread machine just for kneading.
Puckles says
So u rate a recipe without even making it?
Julie says
Such soft, melt in your mouth deliciousness!! Thank you Dina for another great recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
You’re so welcome Julie! Thank you for the kind review on this brioche bread 🙂
JG says
what temp do you heat the milk to?
simplyhomecooked says
Heat the milk to 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.