Recipe For Brioche

This is a recipe for Brioche. A French yeast bread and pastry that's enriched with butter and eggs. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy to make and can be used to make sweet or savory treats like chocolate babka. Today, we bake the classic Brioche à tête.

Table of Content

• Why make this French brioche recipe?
• Bakers schedule
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Homemade Brioche bread recipe
• Variations
• Tips for Success
• Printable Recipe
• Join the conversation

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I bet you've often seen brioche bread at the local bakery and wondered how they make it. It's rich, buttery, sweet, and of course expensive.

This French bread referred to as viennoiserie is often a cross between bread and pastry because it's rich like a pastry and also takes much longer than most bread recipes.

This is the recipe for Brioche à tête. Tete means head and that's what you see on top - the head. If you watch the video, you will the way we shape the dough and gives it, its name.

Homemade Brioche bread recipe

Brioche dough

• Dry ingredients - In a large bowl, combine salt and flour - set aside.
• Wet ingredients - In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine warm milk (110F), yeast, sugar, and eggs. Followed by the flour.
  Pro tip - Use a whisk to ensure everything is well combined. Especially, if you are using fresh baker's yeast like me.

• Knead
  • By hand - start in a bowl then transfer to a floured work surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes
  • Stand mixer - once all the flour is well incorporated, knead on medium for 12 to 15 minutes
• Butter - Next, add the soft room temperature butter one cube at a time. Once all the butter is in knead for 10 minutes more.
  Pro tip - A brioche dough is soft, elastic, smooth, and still slightly sticky so do not be tempted to add extra flour.
• Bowl - Transfer to an oiled bowl seam side down. Coat the surface with oil to prevent drying. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth or plastic wrap.
• Rise
  • Room temperature - Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour. It will rise slightly but not too much. Punch the dough down.
  • Fridge - Make a smooth ball again. Cover and let rise in the fridge for 6 to 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
  • Room temperature - Thaw at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
    Pro tip - A brioche is an enriched dough with lots of butter, sugar, and eggs. Hence, it does take longer for the yeast to mature so overnight in the fridge does add tons of flavor.

Shape the brioche a tete

• Divide - Butter the brioche molds and set them aside. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Then, divide each into 6 equal portions of approximately 110 grams each making a total of 12 buns. Alternatively, you can also make 8 equal pieces of approximately 80 grams each. (see video). Shape each portion into a ball. Set aside.
  Pro tip - You can also use a muffin pan or mini cake pans.
• Shape
  • Method 1 
    • Press each ball with your fingers to create a slightly oblong shape (like a snowman with a big head and small body).
    • Using your fingers poke a hole in the center of the large ball (body) and poke the small ball (head) through it. (see video)
  • Method 2 
    • Divide each ball into two - one large and one small.
    • Make a hole in the large ball.
    • Then, place the small ball in the hole on the large ball.
    • It does not have to be in. Just placed on top.

• Place in the prepared brioche pans. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in size. This can take an hour up to 90 minutes.
  Pro tip - You can also let these proof in the fridge overnight, and thaw an hour before baking. Perfect for weekend or festive breakfast.

Proof and bake

• About 10 minutes before baking, preheat the oven at 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5.
• Brush each brioche with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar pearls. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.
  Pro tip - If the buns get too dark on the top - tent with a foil.
• Cool on the cooling rack. It is best to rest these for at least 15 mins before you serve.

Tips for Success

• Measure all ingredients ahead of time so you don’t forget anything at the last minute.
• For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
• The liquid (milk or water) must be warm (not hot) - about 110F. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast, similarly, if the liquid is too cold it will not activate the yeast.
• Though instant dry yeast has a long shelf life, it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand for 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go if not, it’s best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
• Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine salt with the flour and then add the yeast mixture.
• A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing, it will often give you soft puffy bread. So, don’t be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
• Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker especially for soft doughs like brioche. 
• Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until doubles in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (30 C / 85 F - not hotter) oven this will expedite the rise.
• Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
• Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.

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Printable Recipe