Brioche is one of the most famous French breakfast classics - a buttery, tender pastry made from fluffy yeast dough with a fantastic crust. My basic recipe for brioche bread is easy but requires a long rising time (preferably overnight). Suitable for a leisurely, indulgent brunch… Well, does anyone fancy it?
Taste and Occasion
Although the original French brioche is quite similar to the German braided bread or the bundt cake, there are significant differences - especially regarding the ratio of ingredients. Brioche French toast traditionally consists of a yeast dough, rich in fat and eggs. There are brioche bread recipes with butter amounts ranging from 50 grams to 350 grams per 500 grams of flour.
Ingredients
I have long searched for a suitable compromise, which was not easy at all. The result should be neither too dry nor too greasy, the recipe neither too simple nor too complex. Although the shape did not turn out quite as I had hoped, I am happy with the taste and consistency. "The best brioche bread I've ever had," says Jan. The brioche French toast tastes only slightly sweet, making it suitable even for savory toppings. But our favorite way to eat brioche is plain or with a bit of jam or honey.
Let the yeast dough rise overnight in the refrigerator to make the brioche extra fluffy and light. But if you are in a hurry, you can certainly use the standard method: just let it rise for about 1-2 hours in a warm place, covered with a kitchen towel.
How to make the French Brioche Bread
Let's get started with this French classic! First thing first: Crumble the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar into the lukewarm milk and stir until dissolved. Now, put the flour and the remaining sugar in a large bowl and press a mold in the center. Pour in the lukewarm yeast-milk mixture and cover the bowl with a cloth. It's time to let the pre-dough stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes.
Add the room-warm eggs, the very soft butter and the salt to the dough. After this, mix everything together and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. For your information: It will be comparatively soft. Now it's time to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
The next day, let the dough come to room temperature. Pour into a large greased loaf pan and et rise again for an hour in a warm place.
Finally, preheat the oven to 380°F/190°C. Brush the brioche with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with hail sugar if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, possibly covered after 15 minutes if the surface gets too dark. You will love the result, I promise!
Top Tip
Classically, brioche bread is somewhat round and has a small spherical head. There are special brioche molds that remind me of tarte ramekins. However, you can also use a regular loaf pan as a substitute. After baking, it's easy to slice and enjoy while still lukewarm. This is how to start the day!
Recipe Card
French Brioche
Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan (approx. 12 in/ 30 cm)
Ingredients
- 100 milliliters (7 tablespoons) milk, lukewarm
- 30 grams (7 ½ tablespoons) yeast, fresh
- 500 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour, normal or Viennese semolina
- 50 grams (⅓ cup) sugar, more or less according to taste
- 4 eggs, medium, room warm
- 250 grams (1 cups) butter, soft
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk, medium, for coating
- hail sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Crumble the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar into the lukewarm milk and stir until dissolved. Put the flour and the remaining sugar in a large bowl. Press a mold in the center. Pour in the lukewarm yeast-milk mixture. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the pre-dough stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes.
- Add the room-warm eggs, the very soft butter and the salt to the dough. Mix everything together and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. It will be comparatively soft. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, let the dough come to room temperature. Pour into a large greased loaf pan. Let rise again for an hour in a warm place.
- Preheat the oven to 380°F/190°C. Brush the brioche with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with hail sugar if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, possibly covered after 15 minutes, if the surface gets too dark.
Notes
- The brioche will be extra fluffy because of the long rising time in the refrigerator. However, if you are in a hurry, you can also let the yeast dough rise as usual in a warm place for about 1h.
- There are different typical brioche molds. The best-known consists of a giant ball of dough and a smaller ball on top. If you have a special baking pan (a large one or several small ones), you can make the dough in it. For small brioches, a muffin tray is also suitable. The baking time is about 15 minutes. You can also bake the brioche dough as a braid or as a combination of several large balls of dough in a loaf pan.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
The yeast dough tastes only very slightly sweet. If you like it sweeter, use about 70-90g of sugar and/or more hail sugar as decoration. For a savory alternative, reduce the amount of sugar to about 1 tsp.
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