This luxurious French brioche is a buttery, golden pastry with a tender crumb and subtle sweetness that melts in your mouth. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as an elegant accompaniment to any meal, this iconic bread showcases the art of traditional French baking. Master the technique of incorporating butter into the dough to achieve that signature rich, pillowy texture.
⏱️390 min
📊Hard
👥8 servings
🍽️Snack
festivevegetarianfamily
Ingredients
500 gall-purpose flour
250 gunsalted butter
5 pieceseggs
120 mlwhole milk
7 ginstant yeast
50 gsugar
10 gsalt
5 mlvanilla extract
Instructions
1ACTIVATE THE YEAST: Warm the milk to approximately 37°C (98°F) and combine it with the instant yeast in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy and activated, which indicates the yeast is alive and ready to work. This step is crucial for proper fermentation and rise.
2CREATE THE DOUGH BASE: In a large mixing bowl, combine 500g of flour, 50g sugar, and 10g salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the activated yeast mixture along with 4 whole eggs and 5ml vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook or your hands, mix for 8-10 minutes on medium speed until a shaggy dough forms. The dough will be slightly sticky but should start holding together.
3INCORPORATE THE BUTTER: Cut the 250g of cold unsalted butter into small cubes (approximately 2cm pieces). Begin adding the butter cubes gradually to the dough while the mixer runs on low speed, adding 3-4 cubes at a time and waiting until each addition is fully incorporated before adding more. This process should take 15-20 minutes total. The dough will appear messy and greasy at first, but it will gradually come together into a silky, elastic mass. The temperature should not exceed 24°C (75°F) or the butter will melt too quickly.
4FIRST RISE AND BULK FERMENTATION: Once all butter is incorporated, continue mixing for an additional 5 minutes until the dough is glossy and pulls away from the bowl sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature (20-22°C) for 2-3 hours, or until roughly doubled in volume. You should see visible bubbles beneath the surface. For enhanced flavor development, you can also use a cold rise in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours), which is often preferred by professional bakers.
5SHAPE AND PROOF: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently divide it into 8 equal portions (approximately 125g each). Shape each portion into a smooth ball by pulling the dough toward you on an unfloured surface, creating surface tension. Place each ball into a buttered brioche mold or a standard muffin tin, seam-side down. Beat the remaining egg with 15ml water to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash generously over each brioche. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours until the dough rises above the rim of the mold and springs back slowly when poked.
6BAKE TO GOLDEN PERFECTION: Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) at least 20 minutes before baking. Once the brioche has proofed, apply a second coat of egg wash for a deep golden color. Place the brioches on a baking sheet and bake for 22-25 minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The internal temperature should reach 90°C (194°F) when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven and let cool in the molds for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely, which takes approximately 30 minutes.