French Brioche bread is soft, buttery, delicate bread that will leave you craving just one more slice; perfect topped with your favorite jam and out of this world amazing as French toast!
This recipe comes from my time spent in the Secret Recipe Club, when I first started blogging years ago I used to participate every month. I was a fun way to meet like minded people and discover new recipes at the same time. During my years in the club I was a member of Group B. I always loved reveal day since it was the day you found out who had your site assigned and also what they chose to make.
The recipe for French Brioche bread is credited to the site Delicious Happens, Deborah has lots of really amazing looking recipes. Of course I love to bake bread, so as soon as I started looking through her recipe index. I chose to make this Brioche recipe and oh my am I so glad I did. It is so good, like eat more than one slice at a time good.
Usually I like to make a few changes here or there to the recipes I select each month, but some recipes are so simple and amazing all on there own, no alterations are needed. I did use warm milk, dry active yeast and all-purpose flour because that’s what I had on hand and the resulting bread was divine.
I made a grilled cheese sandwich the other day for lunch with a few slices of French Brioche bread and wow! I like to enjoy a slice or two with a little jam on top for breakfast. I’m a strawberry or peach butter kind of girl when it comes to jam on bread, but however you choose to try it, it’s just plain delicious. I hope you will get a chance to make yourself a loaf soon, enjoy and happy baking!
French Brioche
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1 loaf
recipe slightly adapted from French Brioche by Delicious Happens
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs milk, warm
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 4 eggs, extra large
- 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook combine the warm milk, yeast and sugar; let bloom for about 5 minutes, until frothy.
- Add the eggs, sea salt, flour and butter, mixing on low speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture begins to come together.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on medium speed for 10 minutes, the dough will become smooth and sticky.
- Place the dough into a large floured bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, let rise at room temperature for 2 hours; until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and recover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Prepare a 9"x5" loaf pan with butter.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into an 8"x4" rectangle.
- Starting with the long side roll it into a log and place the dough seam side down in the pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap, let rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 375º F, brush the egg wash over the top of the dough and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 35-40 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and cool completely,
- Slice and serve, store left over bread in an air tight container for up to 4 days, refrigerate to store for up to 1 week.
Courses bread
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I make bread often, but I’ve never tried French Brioche. It looks amazing! Nice job. 🙂
Thank you Rebekah, it really is a delicious bread!
Well I must tell you that your brioche is absolute perfection. Seriously perfecto!
thank you Jocelyn 🙂
What a temptingly light loaf – brioche is such a lovely alternative to my usual hearty sourdough loaves.
Thank you Dee!
Hi Emily,
Your French Brioche looks wonderful, we are bread lovers and would really enjoy your recipe. Very nice choice for the SRC!
Miz Helen
thank you Miz Helen, we loved it!
Pinned!
thanks for sharing Jean
Looks great, on my list of must try soon recipes.
I hope you do, it really is a delicious loaf of bread
Holy cow, Emily! This looks like the most perfect brioche loaf–and I can only imagine how good it tastes as toast, grilled cheese, or pretty much anything. I need to make this immediately!
aw thanks Amy, it is pretty amazing! If only you lived closer you could come take the last few slices away from me 🙂
Beautiful! Nothing better than homemade bread. Visiting from SRC B!
I agree Julie, thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love baking fresh bread but haven’t tried a brioche yet. I’m definitely adding it on my list to make soon! Great SRC choice!
You really need to try it for sure Heather, you’re going to love it!
Your brioche looks so rich and delicious – I bet it tasted amazing! Great choice.
It was Shelley, thank you.
Looks good Emily! I haven’t tried making a bread like this but will have to now!!
thank you Deb, you’re going to love it!
The first thing I thought of when I saw this bread was French toast. But it also looks so good, I might not be able to let it sit long enough to get the right consistency. Either way it looks like a winner!
Thanks Colleen 🙂
Ohmigerd, Emily… I want some of this brioche SO badly right now! The thing is, yeast hates me. Like really detests me. It never EVER activates properly and therefore, I have reduced myself to only making quick breads. LOL
Will you please come over and activate my yeast for me? 😉
ha ha you crack me up Becca! maybe it’s the humidity here, but I love baking with yeast and I would love to help you overcome your fear of baking with yeast 🙂
I have the same problem. I have never really had success with any recipe involving yeast 🙁
By the way, do you know if it will make a difference that I have iodized sea salt, or should I get regular non-iodized sea salt?
I don’t think the type of salt will make a difference, enjoy Margaret!
I have a serious weakness for brioche. And this picture of your beautifully, golden and perfectly moulded brioche bun right here is seriously making my mouth water! Yum.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment Tash!
Emily,
What a delicious loaf of bread! I love that your recipe is for a small batch of brioche. Most recipes make a loaf or two (some even more!). We love brioche in our house, and you’re right, it makes THE best french toast!
Thank you Aida! I think I could really hurt my waistline if this made more than the one loaf, I hope you get a chance to make it soon 🙂
I’m a massive bread baking fan, but I’ve never attempted (or even eaten!) brioche before. Now I’ve seen how stunning your loaf is, I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thank you Nicola, I just know you’re going to love it too!
I absolutely love brioche! Now I am craving it and need to make it soon, LOL. Yours looks amazing Emily. 🙂
Thank you Lisa, its so delicious!
Hate to admit my ignorance but after you roll it out, how do you get it in to the loaf shape? Roll it or what? Thanks!
Hank after you roll it out into a rectangle you will roll it into a log starting with the long side roll towards you and then place seam side down in the pan to rise.
I am looking forward to trying this recipe, but will bleached flour make much of a difference?
No Bazz, bleached flour will work just fine, enjoy the bread 🙂
Do you know if this can be made in the bread machine?
KC I am not sure exactly how it would turn out? I think you could use the machine to do the kneading, but you would still want to refrigerate the dough before putting it back in the bread machine to bake. The chilled butter in the dough is what gives the bread it’s great texture. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you do try it!
I have made brioche before the old fashioned way (Baking with Julia). I was so excited to use your recipe, but something went horribly wrong! It came out more like a sponge, that your supposed to add more flour to. The yeast was active, I followed your recipe to the letter except for the mixing part, as the dough hook just wasn’t mixing everything together. I have added another cup of flour (per Julia Child) got the slapping sound in the mixer and am letting it rise again. I hope it works, but I’m not sure how you got yours to work. Did you ever have this problem?
I am so sorry you had a problem with the dough, no I haven’t had any issues, maybe its a climate issue? I hope that the extra flour fixes your problem, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I have made this twice now. The first time it was gone do fast this time I doubled the recipe and made 2 loaves. It is excellent and my family loves it. A definite keeper.
For those who can’t get yeast to work for them, I was a yeast noob starting out. I was determined to learn how to make bread,but my yeast was never frothy. These are the tricks I learned: yeast is picky over it’s temp. 110-115 degrees is a must. A candy thermometer is very accurate and works well for this. This is what I never read,if the container the yeast and liquid are in is cooler than the liquid,the yeast won’t work like it should. All of it needs to be in that temp range. If you have a “proof” setting on your oven,let it sit there for the required time . Works great. You can do this!
I have recently decided to take a chance making bread and this is one of my favorites. Plan to try it. Thank you for a very nice looking recipe. Looks lovely Emily. Marlene