Easy Brioche Loaf

A sliced open brioche bread loaf in a sunny window.

5 from 1 vote

This Easy Brioche Loaf makes one delicious loaf of brioche bread - without having to add in softened butter. With very little hands-on time, and skipping the step professional bakers hate the most, the result is a pillowy soft, buttery loaf of bread that is fantastic simply toasted or for sandwiches and French toast.

Prep Time30

Rising time10

Total Time10 30

Course: Bread

Cuisine: French

Servings: slices

Calories: 191kcal

Author: Cynthia Christensen

Equipment

Stand mixer
9 inch loaf pan
Bread slicer optional - but so useful

Ingredients

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
¾ cup milk room temperature
3 large eggs room temperature (one will be used for egg wash)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mixing and kneading the dough

In a small pan on the stovetop, melt your butter. Remove from heat. To the butter, add milk and eggs. Whisk to combine.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, place all-purpose flour, kosher salt, instant yeast, and granulated sugar. Use paddle attachment to combine them.
With your mixer on low, pour in your wet ingredients and allow to combine with the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough with no more dry flour visible.
Remove paddle attachment and replace with dough hook. Scrape the sides of the bowl and turn mixer on to medium. Knead dough for 3 minutes. Turn off mixer to check consistency.
If the dough is wrapping around the dough hook and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, with only a circle of dough attaching itself to the bottom, you're good. Keep mixing for another 5 minutes.
If most of the dough is sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, turn mixer on low and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix one minute and check again. If still sticking, add one more tablespoon of flour.
Turn mixer back onto medium and mix for 4 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and wrapping around the dough hook. When you touch the dough it will feel sticky, but it will not stick to your fingers. Some of the dough will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and that's okay.

Shaping your loaf

Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball with your hands, Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot in your house for 1 to 2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Use your hand to press the air out of the dough (called degassing or punching down the dough) and place it on a very lightly floured counter. Divide into 8 even pieces, using a scale for the most accurate results.
Take a piece of dough and gather all of the edges on the top and twist them together. Roll the dough in your cupped hand, seam side down, against the surface of the counter until a ball is formed. Repeat with all of the dough pieces.
Place the dough balls in 2 rows of 4 in a 9 inch by 5 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Baking your loaf

In the morning, remove the pan of dough from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 350°F for at least 30 minutes.
Whisk together one egg with one tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the top of your loaf lightly with the egg wash.
Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top of your loaf is golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 190°F when using an instant read thermometer.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Video

Notes

If you want to bake the bread on the same day, you can place the loaf in a warm spot in your kitchen for another 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Follow the directions on egg washing and baking.

This dough can be shaped and refrigerated up to 48 hours in advance. Allow to come to room temperature before baking.

Storage: Store in a bread box, plastic bag, or other airtight container. Wait for the bread to cool completely so it won't become soggy. I like to save bread bags or the plastic veggie bags from the market, to store my bread. It will keep up to 3 days before becoming stale.

Freezing: For longer term storage, freezing a full loaf is an excellent choice. Wrap your fully cooled loaf in plastic wrap and then place in a large freezer bag with all the air removed, or wrap in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to a month. When you want a fresh loaf, let it come to room temperature, unwrap, and refresh for a about 5 minutes in a 350°F oven.

Check out my video to see how you can do a traditional braided brioche loaf. It's easier than you think!

Nutrition