Become a great baker and learn how easy it is to make delicious buttery homemade brioche bread right from your own kitchen.
Servings: 20
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 30 minutesminutes
Resting Time: 1 hourhour45 minutesminutes
Total Time: 2 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
For the Sponge:
8ouncesof warm milk, 112° to 116°
1tablespoonsugar
1tablespoon+ 1 teaspoon active yeast
8ouncesall-purpose flour
For the Dough:
2poundsall-purpose flour
1/3cupsugar
12eggs
2teaspoonssea salt
16ouncessoftened unsalted butter
1egg whisked with 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
Add the milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk just until combined.
Let it sit for 5-7 minutes or until it forms a raft.
Pour in 8 ounces of the flour and mix on low speed with the hook attachment until combined to create a sponge.
Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and proof in the oven with only the oven light on and the door cracked and proof for 60 minutes or until more than doubled in size.
Remove the bowl and plastic wrap and place back onto the stand mixer with the hook attachment and add in 1 egg at a time over low speed until slightly mixed in and the eggs are completely whisked.
Next, stop the mixer and add in the remaining 2 pounds of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar and salt and mix on low to medium speed until completely combined and smooth.
Slowly add in the softened unsalted butter until it is completely mixed in, about 5-7 minutes.
Place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to harden up the butter.
Remove and place the dough onto a clean floured surface and divide the dough into thirds.
To make loaves of bread, take one of the pieces of dough spread it out to form a rectangle, about 14 x 8 inches, and roll the dough over to form a taught loaf.
Next, place it 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.
Remove it from the oven and 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.
To make individual Sicilian style buns: 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.
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.
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.
Notes
Chef Notes:
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.
You can add up to 1 more pound of softened unsalted butter to this recipe when adding butter to make it richer in flavor.
The more butter you add to this recipe the stickier and harder to work with it will become.
You can also add up to ¼ more cup of sugar to sweeten the bread even more.