Brioche — rich buttery French bread

The butteriest of all enriched breads, approaching cake territory. Brioche has a golden, tender crumb and an unmistakable richness from a generous amount of butter beaten into the dough. It requires a stand mixer and cold fermentation, but the result is extraordinary.

Yield: 1 loaf | Prep: 30 min | Rise: 4 hrs + overnight chill | Bake: 40 min

Ingredients

• 360g (3 cups) all-purpose or bread flour
• 7g (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
• 50g (1/4 cup) sugar
• 5g (1 tsp) salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 80ml (1/3 cup) whole milk, warm (95F)
• 140g (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened and cubed

Instructions

1. Mix dough: Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer. Add eggs and milk. Mix with dough hook on low 2 minutes, then medium 8-10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and pulling from the bowl.
2. Add butter slowly: With mixer on medium-low, add butter cubes one or two at a time. Wait until each is absorbed before adding more. Takes 8-10 minutes. The dough will look like a mess halfway through — keep going. It will come together into a glossy, very soft dough.
3. First rise: Cover, rise at room temperature 1.5-2 hours until doubled.
4. Cold ferment: Punch down, cover tightly, refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Cold dough is essential for handling.
5. Shape: Remove from fridge, shape into a log, place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
6. Second rise: Cover, rise at room temperature 1.5-2 hours until cresting above the pan rim.
7. Bake: Preheat to 350F. Bake 35-45 minutes until deep golden and 190-200F internal. Tent with foil after 20 minutes if browning too fast.

Tips

• Butter must be soft (65-68F), not melted and not cold — room temperature incorporates best
• A stand mixer is essential — this dough is too soft and sticky to knead by hand
• The overnight refrigerator step develops flavor and makes shaping possible
• Makes exceptional French toast, hamburger buns, and bread pudding