Ahhh, BREAD! What would life be without it? This humble food comes in sooo many forms. So take advantage of this chance to explore more soul-satisfying bread recipes, like a good brioche bread recipe. After perfecting my Jamaican coco bread and homemade white bread recipe, I decided to work on this buttery goodness. If you’ve ever had brioche, you know what a treasure it will be to make it in the comfort of your own kitchen!

Brioche Bread vs. White Bread

Fat is delicious because it provides a decadent mouthfeel and carries the flavor of whatever it graces. Basic white bread has four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. The brioche recipe delivers buttery goodness held together with eggs. The higher fat content makes it more decadent, and the eggs make it a gorgeous golden yellow.🍞😍

Recipe Ingredients

How to Make Brioche Bread

Make the Dough

Activate Yeast – Dissolve yeast in warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine. Let it sit until it dissolves, 1-2 minutes. (Photo 1) Make the Dough – Add sugar, salt, and eggs, and mix on medium speed. Then slowly add flour, a little at a time, mixing with the paddle attachment. Trade out the paddle attachment with your dough hook attachment. (Photos 2-3) Knead – Continue mixing for 4-6 minutes or until the dough is firm and elastic and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. (Yes, you can knead the dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer.) (Photo 4) Butter – Dump half the butter in and continue mixing until thoroughly combined. You may have to stop the mixer and mix by hand to fully incorporate it into the dough. Add the remaining butter a little at a time until all has been added. The dough may look loose, and that’s fine.  Continue kneading for 4-5 minutes until it’s smooth, soft, and shiny. The easiest way to know when the dough is ready is when it slaps against the bowl. (Photo 5) Rise – Place the brioche dough on a lightly floured board, knead it a couple of times, then place it in a large, greased bowl. Cover it loosely with a clean kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours or until doubled. (Photo 6) Chill – Once the dough has doubled, punch it down. At this point, the dough develops best if you can refrigerate it overnight. When ready to shape the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it warm up just enough to be workable (about 30 minutes). Divide the dough according to the desired shape; rolls or bread (I did one of each). (Photos 7-8)

Brioche Buns

Divide dough into 16 balls. To form round balls, tuck the edges underneath the dough ball, then roll them against the board or between your palms until round. Then, place the rolls into two rows of 4 in two greased loaf pans (or arrange them in a large, greased baking dish or brioche pan). (Photo 9) Egg Wash – Lightly brush the rolls with egg wash. Sprinkle with coconut sugar or crystallized sugar. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half or until it doubles in size. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Remove them from the brioche pan and let it cool enough for the butter to firm up. (Photo 10)

Brioche Loaves

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions if making two loaves. Then roll each portion into a ball. Roll the balls into logs and place them seam-side down in a prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining portions of dough (5 logs in each loaf pan). Let rise until doubled. Brush with egg wash. (Photo 11) Preheat the oven to 350℉ 180℃). Bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped (30-35 minutes). The brioche loaves should be golden brown on top, and the internal temperature should be at least 200℉ (95℃). (Photo 12) Serve – Remove from the baking pan and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Once the bread has cooled enough, slice it with a bread or a serrated knife. Store cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze it for later.

Recipe Variations

Tips and Tricks

Make-Ahead Instructions

The rolls are easier to make ahead than the bread. I like lining my baking tray with parchment paper, making the rolls, letting them rise, and then freezing the whole tray. As soon as the rolls freeze solid, pop them into a large freezer ziplock bag and keep them frozen until ready to bake. They’ll stay good for up to 3 months. To make your brioche rolls, put them still frozen on a greased and parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 325℉ (165℃) oven until done. The air fryer comes in handy for doing 2 or 3 rolls at a time.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Brioche rolls are amazing right after they’ve had a little time to cool. And brioche bread makes awesome toast—slather more butter, marmalade, or Nutella for a perfect Sunday brunch item. Tightly wrap leftover brioche in plastic so it doesn’t dry out. Then, you can leave it at room temperature for 3-4 days, refrigerate it for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Amazing Things You Do With Homemade Brioche Bread

Brioche bread French toast, brioche bread pudding, Croque Monsieur, and a Monte Cristo sandwich are all fabulous ways to use brioche bread.

More Fabulous Bread Recipes to Try

This blog post was originally published in April 2020 and has been updated with additional tips

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