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Recipe Detail Page
Brioche
Holiday 2015
Plan ahead when making this brioche dough. It must be prepared the day before and refrigerated overnight before shaping and baking. There are three stages of preparation: the “sponge,” final dough, and finally the addition of the butter. Your mixer (hopefully it’s a heavy-duty one) will definitely get a workout, so be sure it’s not too close to the edge of the counter. Note that this recipe calls for medium-size eggs. If you choose to use large eggs that you may already have on hand, lightly beat the second one and only use half in the dough; the second half could be used where an egg wash is required. Rapid-rise, instant yeast works well here. No need to dissolve or “proof” ahead of time; simply add the yeast directly to the dry ingredients.
Makes enough dough for a single 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10-cm) loaf pan
SPONGE
¾ cup (175 mL) bread flour
¼ tsp (1 mL) rapid-rise instant yeast
2 tbsp (30 mL) cold, unsalted butter,cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) pieces
5 tbsp (75 mL) milk
FINAL DOUGH
¾ cup (175 mL) bread flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
¾ tsp (4 mL) rapid-rise instant yeast
2 tbsp (30 mL) plus 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
2 medium eggs
6 tbsp (90 mL) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch (5 mm) pieces
1 For the sponge, combine the bread flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and milk, and mix on low speed until well combined and no butter lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover the surface of the dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes. The fermentation will begin during this time, but the sponge will not expand to any noticeable degree.
2 For the final dough, place the flour, salt, instant yeast and half the sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up. Add the dry mixture along with the eggs to the sponge and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix the dough on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 8 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the dough hook 1 or 2 times. Add the remaining sugar and mix to incorporate.
3 Add the butter in 3 additions, mixing until fully incorporated. The dough will be very soft and shiny. Wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4 The dough can be held in the fridge for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
Makes enough dough for a single 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10-cm) loaf pan
