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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Easy Brioche Loaf Recipe

    Published: Jun 17, 2020 / Modified: Aug 1, 2020 by Mei / This post may contain affiliate links / 8 Comments

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    Pin of our easy brioche loaf recipe

    This easy brioche loaf recipe makes the fluffiest, most tender, and buttery crumbs ever! You can make a plain loaf or turn it into a braided brioche showpiece for weekend brunch. It's great for breakfast and even better when you make some Banana Foster French Toast with the leftovers.

    Baked braided brioche wrapped in a blue napkin.

    During our summer study excursion at Paul Bocuse Institute in France a couple of summers ago, we were introduced to a huge variety of brioche in more than just the average plain Jane loaves. Although I do love my plain Jane loaves when I'm lazy, haha.

    Those brioche were made into all sorts of viennoiseries, aka a French term that refers to pastries made of enriched doughs. Some were folded with nuts and chocolates, some were made into puff pastries, and others were braided into some posh brioche funs. Thinking about all those brioche goods, I couldn't help myself from wanting to make some. So here's to making classic brioche with some braided extravaganza!

    Now, let's dive into some tips and FAQs to make a nice loaf of brioche!

    Finished brioche dough smoothed into a ball.

    Enriched dough

    Unlike breads that only require flour, yeast, salt, and water, bread made from enriched doughs have additions of eggs, milk, butter, sugar, or all of the above. Some of the most popular examples of bread made with enriched doughs are challah and brioche. These enriched breads taste richer and have extra tender crumbs that's slightly yellower in color from the addition of eggs and butter.

    Challah vs. Brioche

    Although both challah and brioche are made of enriched dough, they have their differences. One of the main differences is that challah is a dairy free bread, made to Kosher standards and popular in Jewish cuisine. It's enriched with eggs, oil, and sometimes sugar. On the other hand, brioche originated from France. And as French pastries are, brioche is also enriched with butter, eggs, and sometimes sugar and milk.

    Shaggy brioche dough with softened butter.

    What can you eat with brioche?

    You can eat brioche like any other bread. As a turkey sandwich, PB&J, tea snack, you name it. Our favorite ways to eat brioche is to smear a slice with a generous amount of hazelnut and chocolate spread, or use thick slices for french toast. You'd be surprised how good this brioche can make a Banana Foster French Toast!

    What kind of yeast can I use?

    I've always used active dry yeast, but instant yeast will work as well. If you're using active dry yeast, make sure to always activate and dissolve the yeast in some warm water, registering around 95 to 100F. With instant yeast, you can pop them straight into the dry mix and start kneading. No need to dissolve.

    For those of you that can get your hands on fresh yeast, you can use that as well! Just make sure to convert the amount properly. Usually to convert active dry yeast to fresh yeast, you have to multiply the weight of active dry yeast by 3. For example, 7g dry yeast x 3 = 21g fresh yeast.

    How do I know if my brioche dough is kneaded enough?

    Stretching the donut dough to test for window pane.

    When your brioche dough is ready, the dough should be smooth, supple, and elastic. It should also pass the window pane test where you stretch a chunk of the dough so thin, you can see silhouettes though it without tearing. The total time of kneading in a mixer is roughly 10-15 minutes, but the time may differ for different mixers.

    Can I make brioche by hand?

    Yes! This recipe works perfect fine if you decide to knead the dough by hand. Although, a stand mixer would make your life much easier! If you are kneading by hand, you can follow the recipe as is. Get ready for some arm workout! Do keep in mind that your kneading time will be different than kneading with a stand mixer.

    What are ways to shape my brioche?

    Brioche loaf finished braiding.

    There are as many ways to shape brioche as there are shades of color. Some of the most popular ways are as a plain loaf, round buns, braided, or "brioche à tête." My current obsession is the 6 strand braid. It's so pretty and surprisingly easy to do!

    To shape a plain loaf:

    First, roughly shape the dough into an oval and place it horizontal to you. Then, place your hands behind the dough and pull it towards you. While pulling, tuck the dough under itself to tighten and smooth the top of the dough. You may have to repeat this step a couple of times to get a smooth top and tight dough. Tuck the ends of the dough under itself and transfer it into a loaf pan. (I really like USA loaf pans. They're super durable, heavy duty, and almost acts like a nonstick.)

    To make a 6 strand braided brioche:

    • Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into ropes. Then roll the ends of each rope into a tip.
      6 strands of brioche dough for braiding.
    • Pinch one end of the tips together and fan the strands out.
      6 strands of dough pinched together at the tip.
    • Cross strand 6 all the way over to the left and strand 1 all the way to the right. Strand 6 should be above strand 1.
      1st step of braiding a 6 strand brioche.
    • Bring strand 6 down the middle between strand 3 and 4. Then bring strand 5 all the way to the left (above 2).
      Step 2 of braiding a 6 strand brioche.
    • Bring strand 1 down the middle between strands 3 and 6.
      Step 3 of braiding a 6 strand bricohe.
    • Repeat the pattern of bringing the 2nd strand from the opposite side, then bring the 1st strand from the opposite side down to the middle.
      Step 4 of braiding a 6 strand brioche.
      Repeating all of the steps of braiding a 6 strand brioche.
    • Once the braid comes to an end, pinch the tips together.
    • Roll the ends of the braid even out the braided loaf.
      Rolling the ends of the braided brioche to even out the loaf.
    • Tuck both ends under the loaf itself and transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan.
      Tucking the ends of the braided brioche underneath itself.

    Do I need to egg wash my brioche?

    The primary use of egg wash is to provide browning and gloss. So, it's not necessary to egg wash your brioche if you don't care for the shine or the browning. In this recipe, we used egg whites only with a splash of water for our wash because we find egg yolk washes to be too eggy and browns our bread faster than we'd like.

    Braide brioche egg washed and ready for proofing on a sheet pan.

    Can I use less sugar in my brioche?

    Yes, you are welcomed to reduce the sugar used for this brioche recipe, although, I would not completely do without sugar. I recommend reducing the amount of sugar used to no less than 2 teaspoon per recipe.

    How long will the brioche last?

    If properly stored (plastic wrapped and stored in an airtight container), homemade brioche will last 3-4 days at room temperature, about 7-10 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer.

    If you're looking for other breads to make, check these out:

    • Easy Classic Rosemary Focaccia
    • Easy Milk Bread Loaf
    • Best Homemade Pita Bread
    • The Best Cinnamon Rolls

    Baked braided brioche cut in half to show interior crumbs.

    Bake with love!
    Mei ❤️

    If you’ve made this recipe or any recipe from our blog, please tag us on Instagram @twoplaidparons! We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰

     

    Baked braided brioche wrapped in a blue napkin.
    4.8 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Easy Brioche Loaf Recipe

    This easy brioche loaf recipe makes the fluffiest, most tender, and buttery crumbs ever! It's great for breakfast and even better when you make some Banana Foster French Toast with the leftovers.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Proof Time1 hr 30 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 5 mins
    Yield: 1 (10) inch loaf
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • ½ cup milk, warmed (about 95°F)
    • ½ teaspoon active dry yeast (roughly ¼ pack of yeast)
    • 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 large egg
    • 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (or ½ stick)
    • 1 large egg white (mixed with ½ tablespoon of water for egg wash)

    Instructions

    • Stir together warm milk (95°F) and active dry yeast. Let it sit for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until all yeast granules have dissolved.
    • In the stand mixer bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Add the egg and milk with dissolved yeast and mix with the dough hook on low until a shaggy dough forms.
    • Add the softened butter to the dough and knead on medium low speed for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together.
      *You may have to help the mixer out by mixing the dough by hand until the butter is a little better incorporated.*
    • Once the dough comes together, increase the kneading speed to medium high and knead for about 5-8 minutes, or until the dough is elastic, smooth, and supple.
    • Smooth the dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough proof in a warm area until doubled in size, about 45 minutes*.
      *The dough's proofing time will depend on how warm the area is. We usually keep our dough in our oven with only the lights on, and the dough usually doubles within an hour.*
    • Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough down to release the air. Fold the dough into itself by folding the edges into the center, all the way around. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a clean work surface.
    • To shape a plain loaf, first, roll the dough into an oval. With the oval's long side parallel to you, place your hands behind the dough and pull/ tuck it towards you. Repeat this step a few times until the top of the dough is smooth and tight.
      Tuck the ends of the dough under itself and transfer the dough into a loaf pan.
      *For the 6 strand braid, refer to the post.*
    • Beat together the egg white with a splash of water (about ½ TBSP) until the egg white is loosened up. No need to make it foam.
      Brush the loaf with a layer of egg white wash. Cover the loaf and let it proof until the dough is about 90% proofed, so just under doubling.
    • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
      Once the dough is about 90% proofed, brush the loaf with another layer of egg white wash. Bake the loaf for about 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the interior is cooked through, registering at least 180 or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The heat will carry over the cooking if the dough is just slightly under.
    • Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes then remove the bread and let it finish cooling completely on a wire rack.
      Enjoy!

    Notes

    The brioche loaf will stay good, if properly covered, at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for 7-10 days, or frozen for 2 month.
    To thaw a frozen loaf brioche, leave the loaf at room temperature for for 2-3 hours or until defrosted or overnight in the fridge.

    Equipments Recommended

    Stand Mixer
    Bowl Scraper
    9 in. Loaf Pan
    Half Sheet Pan

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1691kcal | Carbohydrates: 248g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 296mg | Sodium: 761mg | Potassium: 629mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 1835IU | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 14mg
    Keywords: braided brioche, brioche bread, homemade bread
    Tried this recipe?Mention @two_plaid_aprons or tag #twoplaidaprons!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shea Cox says

      November 28, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      Egg wash is not effective with egg whiteee...

      Reply
      • Mei says

        December 01, 2020 at 12:56 am

        Hi Shea!
        Thank you for checking out our recipe! There are different types of egg wash, from yolks only, whole eggs, whites only, or one of the three with the addition of milk, water, sugar, and/or salt. For this brioche recipe, we used egg whites with a splash of water for egg wash because we didn't need extra browning from the yolks, just a bit of gloss.
        So depending on what final result you want with your baked item, different egg washes can be used, including egg whites!
        Hope that helps =)

        Happy baking!
        Mei ❤️

        Reply
    2. Caprisse Layne says

      February 09, 2021 at 10:18 am

      when making the 6 stand brand, do I still cook it in a loaf pan?

      Reply
      • Mei says

        February 09, 2021 at 4:42 pm

        Hi Caprisse!

        Thank you for trying out our brioche recipe! If you are braiding your brioche, no, you do not have to bake it in a loaf pan. A sheet pan will be perfect. However, some people like the look of a braided loaf. So if that is the look you're going for, then, you can bake the 6 strand brioche in a loaf pan.

        Bake with love!
        Mei ❤️

        Reply
    3. Bea "Secrets From My Apron" says

      June 09, 2021 at 10:52 pm

      5 stars
      I'm about to make your Brioche & will be using SAF Gold because I always use it in enriched doughs. Although this recipe has the least amount of sugar, butter & eggs to be a brioche. Just found your blog, love it already!!

      Reply
      • Mei says

        June 11, 2021 at 12:46 pm

        Hi Bea!
        Thanks for stopping by! So happy that you're giving our brioche recipe a try! I've never used SAF Gold before, but it should be no issues. Yes, indeed! Our easy brioche loaf does use less butter, sugar, and egg than classic brioche recipes. This makes our brioche a little lighter, less rich, but still buttery and versatile for snacking to making french toasts =)

        We hope you enjoy the brioche, and we would love to know how the brioche loaf turns out!

        Bake with love!
        Mei ❤️

        Reply
    4. Maria A. Dimatulac says

      September 28, 2021 at 9:27 am

      Hi Mei,

      I would like to try your recipe but using individual molds. Where can I buy these from and is there a specific size that you use?

      Reply
      • Mei says

        September 29, 2021 at 10:59 pm

        Hi Maria!
        Thank you for trying out our recipe! If you want to make mini versions of brioche buns or brioche à tête, I recommend these nonstick brioche molds: https://amzn.to/3me1Mh0
        For these 3 1/2 inch molds, you will probably be able to make 5-6 individual brioches with the recipe.

        Hope this helps!

        Bake with love!
        Mei ❤️

        Reply

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