Homemade Brioche Bread Recipe (2024)

Published June 17, 2020.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Become a great baker and learn how easy it is to make delicious buttery homemade brioche bread right from your own kitchen.

Just like with the puff pastry recipe I made, it’s been a while since I’ve made brioche. If you’re like mand are a huge bread maker and eater fan then for sure see my sourdough or white bread recipe.

What is Brioche Bread?

Much like a lot of bread enjoyed today, it’s a traditional French recipe that is made in really the same process as most other loaves of bread are made. It uses a warm liquid, yeast, and flour. Brioche is a sweet dough consisting of:

• Milk
• Yeast
• Flour
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Salt
• Butter

Obviously, in brioche bread, there are a few other ingredients to add to the richness of it, like eggs and butter. While there aren’t specific dates on when brioche was brought onto the scene, many think it was introduced in the 15^thcentury but that’s simply because the word was first used then.

Other accounts in later centuries refer to things such as sweet or spiced bread, which would certainly lend credibility to this recipe. Brioche is widely made and eaten in the form of loaves, buns, or rounds and is enjoyed at breakfast, dessert, or as a bun during the main course. It is probably one of my favorite bread recipes out there and if you’re a big fan of this as well then you for sure need to check out this recipe!

What Makes it Different?

The biggest difference between brioche and other bread recipes is using enhancing ingredients to further the flavor and texture of it. It is a sweeter, richer bread resulting from fat and sugar that are added to the dough. The main additional ingredients are:

• Eggs
• Sugar
• Butter

What Is it Good For?

While brioche is absolutely amazing eaten by itself it is also a great bread to use as an ingredient in other recipes. Here are my favorite recipes to use it in:

• Toast
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• French Toast
• Bread Pudding
• Cheeseburger Buns
• Lobster Roll Buns
• Hot dog Buns

How to Make It

If you’ve ever wondered how to make brioche bread, then you’ve definitely come to the right place. As I stated earlier, brioche bread is pretty easy to make but it just requires some time, so please follow these instructions:

Whisk together some warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes to create a raft.

Add in some of the flour and mix with the hook attachment on low speed until combined to create a sponge.

Wrap in plastic and place in the oven with only the light on and the door cracked to get the perfect proofing environment, and proof for 60 minutes or until more than doubled in size.

Place the bowl back on the stand mixer and add in eggs, flour and sugar on low to medium speed until completely combined.

Once the dough has come together slowly add in chunks of softened unsalted butter until it is completely mixed in.

Remove the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let the butter hardened up.

Take the dough out of the fridge and place it on a clean surface dusted with flour.

Divide the dough into thirds and taking one of the pieces of dough spread it out to form a rectangle, about 14 x 8 inches.

Roll the dough over to form a taught loaf.

Place the bread in a buttered loaf pan and place a towel over top back in the oven with the light on and the door cracked and proof for a further 45 minutes.

Brush the dough with an egg wash of milk and egg and bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until it reaches 190°F internally.

Cool on a rack and serve.

How to Make Brioche Buns

If you want to make a classic Sicilian style brioche roll, here is how you do it:

1. Using the last third of the brioche dough, take about a ½ cup-sized amount and roll it up until it’s about the size of a tennis ball and then place it onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.

2. Be sure to save a little of the dough at the end because we are going to make a smaller dough ball to go right on top of the bigger one. It will literally look like a snowman without the middle ball, to put it as simply as possible.

3. Brush these brioche buns up with some egg wash, sprinkle on a tad bit more sugar and bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

How to Serve It

You can serve this sliced and buttered up as is with any meal. The classic Sicilian way to eat this is with granita and espresso.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This bread is incredibly eaten as soon as it is slightly cooled but you can make this baked up to 2 days ahead of time. You can also choose to place it uncooked in the loaf pan in the refrigerator 2 days before baking.

How to Store: Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. This will freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature until soft before serving.

More Amazing Breakfast Recipes

• Fried Eggs
• Homemade Gravlax Recipe
• Huevos Rancheros Recipe
• Coffee Cake
• Hoe Cakes