Buttery and soft, this homemade Brioche Bread is an easy and delicious recipe that everyone will love. Made with only a handful of simple ingredients, this sweet bread comes together with only a few simple steps.
To make the sponge, in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 1 cup flour, the milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, and the yeast until combined. Loosely cover, and let stand at room temperature, until foamy, about 45 minutes.
Once the sponge is ready, add 6 eggs, the salt, the remaining 5 cups flour, and the remaining 5 tablespoons sugar. With dough hook attachment, beat on low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Continue kneading until the dough is shiny and elastic about 10 to 12 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until it is fully incorporated before adding the next tablespoon. Once all of the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-low and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes more. (It should be tacky but not stick to a clean finger when quickly tapped.) Scrape the dough down into the bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Butter 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans.
Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, cut the dough into 3 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a 9-inch long rope. Braid the ropes together, pinching ends together to seal. Tuck the ends under and place in a buttered loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half. Loosely cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
While loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 375F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the water and remaining 1 egg until smooth. Brush the risen loaves with egg wash.
Bake for 35 minutes or until deep golden brown, covering with aluminum foil after 25 minutes if the top is browning too quickly. Let the bread cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and continue cooling on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store cooled bread in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or slice and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
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Notes
The time it takes for your dough to rise depends on the temperature of your kitchen. The ideal temperature for dough rising is 75 to 78F.
If your kitchen is cold, you can place your burger buns dough in an OFF oven with the light on.
Make sure the milk is between 110 to 120F as milk that’s too hot will kill the yeast, and milk not warm enough won’t activate the yeast.
Avoid adding too much flour by measuring your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake leading to dense bread. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
Eggs need to be at room temperature and not fridge-cold as they’ll incorporate better into the brioche dough. Place the eggs into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature if you have forgotten to take them out of your fridge ahead of time.
To tell if your dough is ready to be baked, gently press the dough to form an indent. If the indentation stays or springs back a tiny bit, the dough is ready to be baked. If it bounces back fully, then it needs more time.
When you poke the dough, and it deflates, it means the dough is over-proofed. You will have to reshape the dough and start again, or your brioche bread will deflate once baked.
To tell if the bread is baked through, check that the internal temperature is 190°F.
Making a sponge takes extra time but it enhances the flavor of the baked loaves. If you want to save some time, skip adding the flour in step 1 and bloom the yeast until the mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes. Add all 6 cups of flour in step 2.