Brioche Loaf Bread
This recipe for Brioche Loaf Bread yields two loaves of rich, soft and buttery brioche that are perfect for enjoying on their own or with a smear of butter or jam.
This recipe is originally published on December 2019 and is updated with new photos and improved recipe.
Brioche, for me, is like bread on a pedestal. With its rich flavor and fine texture, it stands out above all. Yes, it takes a lot of time to make it, but as with all bread recipes here on the site, the outcome is so worth it all.
If you love our Brioche Braid (one of the favorites here!), then here is another variation for you- Brioche Loaf Bread, also known as brioche Nanterre. Basically a brioche in loaf form, this uses the same recipe as the brioche braid but takes on a different form in assembly.
Note that this dough recipe can me made into cinnamon rolls, too. Probably that will be a project for the next time.
Not only that this recipe yields such rich, tasty soft bread, it yields two loaves of homemade brioche bread in one batch too! This is perfect for an elegant bread for when you have guests coming over. Or to give as gifts. Or perfect just for you, like, bread for days at home. It is sturdy enough for slicing, but the inside is fine and soft.
I love how Brioche Loaf bread is so perfect for spreading with any kind of jam, Nutella or butter. They are sturdy enough for sandwiches, too. But, consider those not necessary. This dreamy brioche recipe is perfect on its own.
How to Make Brioche Nanterre?
First, we make the sponge. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk, yeast, egg and 1 cup all-purpose flour. Stir together just until incorporated.
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of flour over the mixture to cover it. Do not stir. Let this stand for about 45-50 minutes. Cracks will form on the surface of the mixture. Your yeast has bloomed.
Stir the flour in as much as you can.
Add the beaten eggs, salt, and sugar. Stir the mixture well with a wooden spoon so that no streaks of flour remain.
Now, add the flour gradually while stirring, until the mixture forms a shaggy dough in the center of the bowl. You may have a little amount of flour left here, and that’s okay. We will use its shortly.
Now knead the Dough. Attach the dough hook attachment to the mixer. Run the mixer briefly at low-medium speed to incorporate the mixture. Then, using medium-high speed, run the mixer to knead the dough, until the dough starts to gather in the center. Start to sprinkle the remaining flour gradually while the mixer runs. The dough will start to gather in the center and clean and slap the sides of the bowl.
If the dough is too sticky, you can sprinkle up to an additional ¼ cup of flour. The dough will eventually be slapping the sides of the bowl and passes the window pane test. You can scrape the sides of bowl as often as needed during the kneading process.
Now, add the butter bit by bit, letting it incorporate before adding more. The dough will start to fall apart again, as seen in the collage above.
After all the butter has been added, continue to knead until the dough is smooth and slapping the sides of the bowl once more. This dough is flowy, shiny and smooth.
Shape the dough into a ball. Place it in a bowl (in the same bowl is fine). Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Take the dough out of the fridge. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before shaping. On a lightly floured work surface, divide it into 12 equal pieces.
Grease two 9×5 loaf pans. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Arrange 6 balls in each of the loaf pans, 2 balls side by side for a total of 3 rows in each pan. Space them evenly to allow for rising.
Let Rise, then Bake. Cover each pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the surface of the dough with egg wash. Bake the brioche for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown.
During the last ten minutes of baking, when the tops are browning too quickly, cover the pans loosely with aluminum foil during the last ten minutes of baking.
Let the pans cool for 30 minutes in the wire rack, then take the loaves out and let cool completely before slicing.
And you are done! You get to eat the first slice, you lucky one!
More Baking Recipes For You:
- Brioche Bread Ring
- Cream Cheese Brioche
- Cheese Loaf Bread
- Cheddar Cheese Buns
- Finnish Pulla
- No-Knead Mallorca Bread
- How to Make Ensaymada
Brioche Loaf Bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer affiliate link
- 2 9×5 loaf pans affiliate link
Ingredients
For the Sponge
- 1/3 cup (83.33 ml) warm milk 105-115 F
- 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
For the Dough
- 1/3 cup (70.45 g) sugar
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 and 1/2 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. (14.79 ml) milk
Instructions
Make the Sponge
- In the bowl of heavy-duty mixer, Add the yeast, milk, egg and 1 cup all-purpose flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of flour over the top as if to cover the mixture. Do not stir this flour in. Let this stand for about 40-45 minutes. There will be cracks on the flour surface at this point, signifying that your yeast has bloomed. Now, stir in the flour as much as you can so that it is absorbed by the mixture.
Make the Dough
- Add the sugar, salt, eggs. Stir well with the wooden spoon until no dry streaks of flour remain. Add the flour gradually into the bowl while stirring, until the mixture forms a shaggy ball in the center of the bowl. You may have a little amount of flour left, and that is fine.
- Using a dough hook, run the heavy-duty mixer on low speed briefly until the mixture is incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead the dough until it cleans the sides of the bowl. During this time, sprinkle the remaining flour gradually as the mixer runs to help the stickiness. Knead until the dough is forming in the center, and slapping the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still too sticky, you can sprinkle up to ¼ cup of flour. Eventually, for maybe about 10-15 minutes or so, the dough will gather and will pass the window pane stretch test. Note that, it is possible for the dough to still be slightly adhering to the sides of the bowl, but as long as you pass the window pane test, it is ready.
- Now time to add the butter. With the mixer still running, add the butter bit by bit. Make sure that the butter is in room temperature, soft but not oily. When you add the butter, the dough will fall apart again for a moment. Continue to beat until the dough gathers into a nice, smooth and flowy dough that forms in the center of the bowl. The dough is sticky but shiny at this point.
Let the Dough Rise and Chill
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Overnight is fine too.
Assemble and Bake
- Take the dough out of the fridge. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Divide it into 12 equal portions. Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. Shape each of the dough portions into a smooth ball. Arrange 6 balls in each loaf pan, 2 balls side by side, for a total of three rows in each pan. Space them out evenly to allow for their rising. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours at room temperature. The dough balls will be touching each other at this point, They are soft and puffy. Meanwhile, beat the egg with one tablespoon of milk to make the egg wash.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the tops of the dough lightly with egg wash. Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until nicely golden. Cover the pans loosely with foil during the last ten minutes to avoid over-browning, as needed.
- Take the loaves out from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, take the Brioche loaves out and cool them on the wire rack completely. Slice and serve.
- Store the leftovers in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Overbrowning. If you see the brioche browning quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking. With that being said, I find that the deep, considerable browning is fine and adds a nice deep buttery flavor to the brioche.
- Freezing unbaked shape dough. If you only want to make one loaf, you can freeze one half portion of the brioche dough for up to a month, wrapped well in plastic then in foil.
- Freezing Baked Brioche. Wrap in plastic film, then in foil. freeze for up to three weeks.
I came across your website when the quarantine started and I am so glad I did! Your milk rolls were the first bread recipe I tried of yours and everyone loved them. I tested three different brioche recipes, NY Times, a well known bakery from Europe and yours were the winner. Thank you so much for sharing your gifts with the world ♥️
Thank you so much, Tanvi! I am so happy you loved them!