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.

Course Breakfast, sides, Snack

Cuisine French

Keyword butter, eggs, loaf bread

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 35

chill and rise times for the dough 6

Total Time 7

Servings

Calories 287kcal

Author sanna

Equipment

Stand mixer affiliate link
2 9x5 loaf pans affiliate link

Ingredients

For the Sponge

1/3 cup warm milk 105-115 F
2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 large egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour

For the Dough

1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs lightly beaten
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes

Egg Wash

1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk

US Customary - Metric

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 9x5 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.

Recipe adapted from Baking with Julia Book by Dorie Greenspan, Brioche recipe by Nancy Silverton.

Nutrition