Brioche

This buttery, slightly sweet and decadent Brioche will look like it came from a French Patisserie!

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Course: Appetizer, Bread, Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Artisan Bread, Bread, Homemade Bread

Prep Time: 30

Rest Time: 21

Servings: Slices

Calories: 323kcal

Equipment

KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a dough hook
Kitchen Scale
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Small Mixing Bowl
Large Mixing Bowl
Digital Thermometer
Fork
Flexible Bench Scraper
2 Loaf Pans
Silicone Pastry Brush

Ingredients

54 g Warm Water (105-110℉) appx. ¼ C. or 1.8 fluid oz.
9 g Instant Yeast appx. 1 Tbsp.
1 Lb All Purpose Flour plus extra for dusting work surface
56 g Granulated Sugar appx. 3-½ Tbsp. or 2 oz.
7 g Kosher Salt appx. 1.5 t.
5 Lg. Eggs, at room temperature
226 g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 8 oz or 2 Sticks
Cooking Spray, such as Pam to prepare the bowls and loaf pans
1 Large Egg, mixed with a pinch of Kosher Salt for the egg wash

Instructions

Gather all of your ingredients, a digital kitchen scale and thermometer, along with a stand mixer.
In a small, liquid measuring cup or bowl, measure out the warm water and be sure it's anywhere between 105-110°F. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and stir using a fork, just until mixed, and set aside. The mixture will become frothy as the yeast activates.
Using the bowl of your stand mixer, measure out 1 pound of flour. Remember to tare (zero out) the weight of the bowl itself so you have an accurate measurement. If not using the scale, be sure to use the 'Spoon and Sweep' method*; in this case, approximately 3-½ Cups.
*The 'spoon and sweep' method is the most accurate way to measure flour, aside from weighing it on a kitchen scale. Use your spoon to gently stir and fluff the flour in its container, then scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup, using the straight edge of the spoon to sweep away the excess flour once the cup is full.
Mix the sugar and salt into the flour.
Fit the bowl back onto to base of the stand mixer and add in the proofed yeast. With the mixer on medium-low, stir the ingredients just until they come together. You'll have a dry, crumbly dough.
Begin adding the eggs, one at a time, and mix those into the dough just until the yolks have been incorporated and you no longer see any glossy streaks from the egg whites.
Once all of the eggs have been added to the dough, increase the mixer's speed to medium-high, and knead the dough for eight (8) minutes. The dough will go from looking shaggy to smooth.
Slowly begin working in the butter by adding in a few pieces at a time. You want your butter to be at room temperature, not too cold (or it will struggle to mix into the dough properly) and not too warm (or it will melt and make your dough wet, loose, and harder to work with). Run the mixer until there are no more large chunks of butter in the dough, a few minutes with each addition. Don't rush this step! You may want to use a silicone spatula or a flexible scraper to clean up the sides and bottom of the bowl every so often to ensure all of the ingredients are being incorporated.
Once all of the butter has been worked into a smooth and cohesive dough, use a flexible scraper to remove the dough from the mixing bowl, and move into a large, glass bowl that's been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. The dough will be sticky!
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for 2-3 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
After several hours and your dough has risen, gently punch down the dough to release the excess fermented gas. Re-cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator overnight (12-16 hours) so the dough can go through a cold fermentation process.
The next day, remove your dough from the refrigerator. It will be quite firm, and easy to handle.
Grab your digital kitchen scale, if using, along with a bench scraper, and 2 loaf pans, each lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it directly onto the kitchen scale. Whatever the measurement (in grams), divide this number, by 14. You'll need 7 equally portioned balls of dough for each loaf.
For example, if your dough weighs 1023 grams, each individual portion of dough should weigh approximately 73 grams.
Lightly dust your clean worksurface with flour and begin portioning out the individual balls of dough.
If not using a kitchen scale, cut the dough in half multiple times, trying to keep the portion sizes as even as possible.
Roll each ball to make the dough as smooth as possible, guiding the dough from the palm of your hand and your fingers in a circular 'C' motion on your work surface. This is an important step, as you'll want smooth rounds of dough as they go through their second and final rise before baking.
Stagger 7 balls of dough into each prepared loaf pan, leaving a little room in between each, cover the tops tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for 90 minutes and up to 2 hours, until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
About an hour into your final rise, preheat your oven to 350°F.
If you haven't done so already, mix one egg and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl to create an egg wash.
Once your dough has doubled in size, and your oven is up to temperature, use a pastry brush to gently brush the tops of the dough.
Bake the brioche in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the bread reads 205°F.

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