Homemade Brioche Loaves

November 5, 2017 22 Comments

The first time I had brioche bread ages ago, it was love at first bite. It was the most buttery, amazing bread I ever had. Fast forward to my culinary school days and I actually learned how to make it. It was so fun. There really is nothing like making fresh bread to me. So this week I decided to make some gorgeous homemade brioche loaves just like the ones I made at school. There was a lot of inactive time, but they were simple to make.

There are two parts to brioche bread. The first part is the yeasty levain. I just mixed my yeast into warm heavy cream. Then I slowly stirred in flour to bring it together into a soft dough. It needed to ferment for about 45 minutes.
The second part of the dough is called the pate. It came together quickly in my stand mixer in a similar process of making cake batter. Then I used my dough hook attachment to stir the levain into the pate. It became really smooth and elastic.
The dough needed to rise a couple of times before I left it overnight in the refrigerator. Then in the morning, I pat it out into a thick square.
After that, I cut the square into nine equal pieces. Then I rounded them out and put three in each greased loaf pan. That was just the pretty design I learned in school. It added interest to the look and also made it easy to pull it apart into buns if desired.
After they rose for another hour, I brushed the homemade brioche loaves with egg wash. Then they baked for 30 minutes until they become gorgeously golden and shiny. I let them cool for a few minutes before I turned them out to cool completely.

Once they cooled, there were endless possibilities! I froze two of the loaves that I was not going to use immediately. It is perfect bread for sandwiches, french toast casserole, burger buns, you name it. Hope you all love this amazing, buttery and fresh bread!

Homemade Brioche Loaves
Homemade Brioche Loaves
Homemade Brioche Loaves
Homemade Brioche Loaves

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5 from 3 votes
Homemade Brioche Loaves
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Homemade Brioche Loaves
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 

Brioche is such an incredible, buttery French bread that can be used in countless ways. This a simple recipe to make perfect homemade brioche loaves!

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Bread, Brioche
Servings: 3 loaves
Calories: 356 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE LEVAIN
  • 1/2 pint heavy cream
  • 2 packets active dry yeast
  • 8 ounces all-purpose flour
FOR THE PATE
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter softened, plus additional to grease the bowl
  • 3 ounces granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 2 whole egg yolks save the whites for an omelette
  • 12 ounces all-purpose flour plus additional for bench flour
FOR FINISHING
  • cooking spray as needed for the loaf pans
  • 1 whole egg beaten with a dash of water
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
  1. First, make the levain. Warm the heavy cream in a large, microwave safe bowl for about 45 seconds. It should feel like warm bath water, about 100 degrees. Gently stir the yeast into it and let it bubble for a minute. Then stir in the flour until it becomes a soft dough. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it ferment for 45 minutes in a warm, dry place. When the time is almost up, start on the pate.
  2. Combine the butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat them together until fluffy with the paddle attachment. Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Then turn the speed to low and slowly add in the flour just until it disappears. Switch to the dough hook and add in the fermented levain. Let the hook work the dough for 10-15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Wash out the bowl you used to make the levain, or get out a fresh bowl and grease it well with butter. Transfer the dough to the buttered bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Set it aside to rise for an hour, until doubled in size. Punch it down, cover it in plastic again and put it in the refrigerator for another hour. Punch it down one more time, cover it again and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. The next day, get out three loaf pans and spray them well with cooking spray. Take out the dough and pat it out into a square that is about two inches thick on the plastic wrap that you covered it with. Cut it into thirds, then cut each third into thirds. Round each piece into a ball and put three balls of dough into each loaf pan. Let them sit in the loaf pans to rise one more time for an hour.
  5. When the hour is up, pre-heat the oven to 375 and put the three loaf pans on a sheet tray. Brush the tops generously with egg wash, then bake them for about 30 minutes. They should be completely golden brown on top and baked through. Immediately brush them with the melted butter. Let them cool for 10 minutes or so, then turn them out onto racks to finish cooling. Use the bread in countless ways! You can freeze what you are not going to use immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Brioche Loaves
Amount Per Serving
Calories 356 Calories from Fat 254
% Daily Value*
Fat 28.2g43%
Saturated Fat 16.8g105%
Cholesterol 196mg65%
Sodium 58mg3%
Potassium 86mg2%
Carbohydrates 21.3g7%
Fiber 0.8g3%
Sugar 10.1g11%
Protein 5.7g11%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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22 thoughts on “Homemade Brioche Loaves”

  4. Those look delicious! I’ve always wanted to make my own bread at home and I think I might have to start with this recipe! It looks so simple! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    A- simplylovely90.com

  7. 5 stars
    This is when I wish my screen had a scratch and sniff. This bread looks delicious. What I wouldn’t do for a fresh loaf right this second. Thanks, this is a keeper for breadmaking day!

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5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)