Fluffy, soft, and rich in flavor – that’s how an authentic French Brioche Bread must be! Let me show you how to make the best brioche bread recipe at home!
What Is Brioche Bread
Brioche is one of the most famous and authentic French breads. It's made with eggs and butter, which gives it a very rich flavor.
The texture is similar to sandwich bread or challah but much lighter and airier. Because of the high amount of butter in the dough, brioche has a very rich, buttery flavor. Some people love it, others find it too intense - but I think it's absolutely delicious!
Because French Brioche Bread is so buttery, it’s perfect for making Brioche French Toast, Baked French Toast Casseroles, or Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
I personally love to toast it and enjoy it as sandwich bread or spread with Nutella or jam for breakfast.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Baking Tips for Brioche
The dough is basically a yeast dough enriched with butter and eggs. It's quite sticky and harder to handle than regular bread dough, so I highly recommend using a stand mixer instead of kneading it by hand.
Since the dough needs to be kneaded for 20 minutes, let your stand mixer do the work for you. It will save you time and energy!
For a fluffy and airy brioche, it's essential to let it rise in the fridge for at least 4 hours, up to 16 hours. The cold rise allows the dough to develop its signature texture with beautiful air bubbles.
I always bake my brioche as a loaf in a 10×5-inch loaf pan, but you can also make brioche rolls or burger buns (sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking). Just reduce the baking time and keep an eye on them - remove as soon as they're golden brown.
Time Planning
- Option 1 - Overnight: Prepare the dough in the evening, let it rise overnight in the fridge, shape it in the morning, let it rise again, and bake at noon.
- Option 2 - Same Day: Start in the morning, let it rise in the fridge during the day, shape and bake in the evening.
Ingredients
- Fresh or Dry Yeast: I recommend fresh yeast if available, but dry yeast works too.
- Lukewarm Milk: Can be substituted with soy or oat milk.
- Sugar: Necessary for the yeast and a light sweet taste.
- Eggs, All-Purpose Flour, Salt
- Butter: Must be cold. Can be substituted with dairy-free butter.
See recipe card for quantities.
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How To Make
- Mix yeast, lukewarm milk, and sugar in a bowl until the yeast starts to foam (about 5 minutes with fresh yeast).
- Add the eggs into a bolw and stir in the yeast mixture.
- Add flour and salt to your stand mixer, pour in the yeast mixture, and knead for 5 minutes on low speed using a dough hook. → The dough will be sticky & hard - don't add extra liquid!
- Add the cold butter in pieces and knead for another 15 minutes on medium speed until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky but come away easily from the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- Grease a bowl with oil (olive, sunflower, or canola). Place the dough inside, turn it over once so it's coated in oil, cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Transfer to the fridge and let it rise for 4-16 hours (overnight is perfect!).
- The next morning, your dough is very airy. Place it on a lightly floured surface and divide into 5 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a small log:
- First flatten into a rectangle with your palms.
- Roll it up tightly into a log.
- Place all logs into a greased 10×5-inch (25x12cm) loaf pan. You can push them carefully together if they don’t fit.
- Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1.5-2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 395°F (200°C) after about 1.5 hours of rising time.
- Brush the brioche with a beaten egg using a pastry brush - this gives it a beautiful golden crust and prevents the dough from drying out while baking.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely before slicing.
FAQs
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📖 Recipe
French Brioche
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Ingredients
French Brioche Dough
- 1 tablespoon fresh yeast, or 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup milk, lukewarm, use soy or oat milk as a non-diary option
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled, use plant-based butter as a non-diary option
Egg Wash
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, lukewarm milk, and sugar, and let it sit for 5 minutes until foaming. Mix in the eggs until well combined.
- Place it with the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, and knead at speed level 1 for 5 minutes (your dough is very sticky). Add the butter in pieces and knead for another 15 minutes at speed level 2 (your dough should be sticky but comes easily from the bowl using a silicone spatula).
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and let it rise at room temperature for one hour. Refrigerate for 4-16 hours ➝ makes your brioche soft & airy.
- Take the dough out of the fridge, place on a lightly floured surface, divide into five pieces and fold each one into a log (punch down the dough gently with the ball of your hand, stretch into a rectangle, and roll up into a log). Place them in a greased (or with parchment paper lined) 10×5-inch loaf pan (25x12cm), cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 395°F/200°C. Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake it for 30-35 minutes until brown.
- Allow the brioche to cool down on a cooling rack before slicing.
Notes
- Use a plastic wrap instead of a damp tea towel to cover your dough.
- The temperature in the recipe is for the use of a regular oven. If you use a convection oven (fan-based), set the temperature to 355°F/180°C.
- Brioche is the best if fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container for a few days or up to three months in the freezer. Defrost in the oven or toaster.
Nutrition
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I made this lovely brioche and am IN LOVE! I had bread flour (also known as strong flour) on hand which I needed to use, so I thought I would try it for this recipe. I followed all directions explicitly for my first try and the bread was absolute perfection. I then decided to make sandwich buns with the dough, and again, absolutely wonderful!
One tip that I recommend, is that you must measure accurately and do NOT add additional flour to the recipe during the 15 minute kneading process in the mixer. The flour may take longer to absorb moisture, so leave it to knead undisturbed. I did scrape my mixer bowl twice during kneading, but otherwise, left it to knead. I found that at 7 minutes, the dough was quite wet, but at 15 minutes only slightly tacky.
I removed my dough at that point and floured my hands only, giving the dough 3-4 turns by hand and voila! It was ready for its first rise! Thereafter, the directions were perfect as was this bread!
This is my go to recipe for perfect brioche! Thank you Aline!
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Kate! It makes me so happy that the brioche turned out perfect, and the recipe was easy for you to follow. Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sure other users can benefit from it too!
Enjoy your Homemade Brioche! 😉
All the best,
Aline
If I want to triple the recipe can I use one bowl in the frig overnight or should they be split up into 3 different bowls for the rise? Thanks so much!!
Hi Angela, using one bowl will do it! 😉
This was such an easy and delicious recipe! Loaf looks professional! One thing I would note is my dough was very tough when the butter was mixed at a chilled temp — I went with room temp and saw a much easier to work result.
Thank you so much for your lovely words and for sharing your baking experience, Cara!
I am happy to hear that the Brioche turned out well!
All the best,
Aline
Thank you for this near fool-proof recipe Aline!
I did utilize bread flour after reviewing the link you included in an earlier reply to me. I did a 1:1 substitution and made no adjustments otherwise. I measured everything in grams and ml’s using my trusty kitchen scale. My first rise was about 40 minutes and then, as you’d instructed, I placed my dough in the refrigerator over-night. I elected to make large sandwich buns, with each ball of dough weighing around 3.75 ounces. They were allowed to rise for about 1 hour and baked off for 15 minutes! The result is a very light, airy bun with very nice structure! Thank you for a great recipe,
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Kate! I am super happy to hear that the recipe worked great with the bread flour and that you enjoy the result! Baking your own bread is so rewarding!
Enjoy your brioche. ☺️
All the best,
Aline ❤️
I actually have a question. Can this be made with bread flour vs all purpose? What are your thoughts in this regard?
Hi Kate
As we don’t have bread flour where I live, I do not have experience with it. However, I checked it for you and it seems that it shouldn’t be a problem. Have a quick look at this article before you make the recipe, but it should be fine.
All the best,
Aline
Thank you Aline! I luckily have both flours available in my kitchen however, needed to use the bread flour I have on hand! Thank you for the link! This looks like a fabulous recipe!!!
Can you use an electric bread machine? Does it change the recipe amounts? Also when I bake bread I use my machine and I just use the dough button which mixes and rises the bread dough. Then I let it rise one more time ( in this case overnight) and then bake in my gas oven or electric conventional/convection oven. By the way I have to put the wet products together then the dry with the bread machine yeast on top after making a well on the dry products.
Hi Susan
I have never made bread in a bread machine and therefore can’t give you any advice on that. Sorry!
If you do have experience and made the same procedure with other bread recipes, which didn’t call for a bread machine, I would just give it a try and see how it goes! Good luck with it.
All the best,
Aline
I am wondering if you tried this and how it turned out? I also use my bread machine the way and want to try this recipe.
This is the Best bread, I have ever made! It was gone before I got a chance for the picture! On my thanksgiving menu! Thank you
Hi Donna, your comment makes me so happy! Thank you for letting me know and I wish you lots of success and joy with your Thanksgiving menu!
All the best,
Aline
Hello, does it matter what type of milk is used, such as whole, 2%, skim…?
Thank you!
Hi Lucy,
no, it doesn’t matter. You can use any kind of milk. Happy baking!
All the best,
Aline
super delicious couldn’t stop eating it
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know!
All the best,
Aline
Hi! Aline, Can I use instant yeast for this recipe?
Thank You!
Rose
Hi Rosallia, instant yeast can be used too! Have fun baking! 😉
This turned out great! Our 16 year old French exchange student said it was perfect 😊 Merçi beaucoup !
I am so happy to hear that, Rachael! Your French exchange student must know!:) Happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me know!
All the best,
Aline
Should the butter be salted or unsalted? Or does it not matter?
Hi Erin,
Thank you for your question. Use unsalted butter, works better for this recipe. Here in Switzerland, butter is always unsalted. 🙂
I will adjust the recipe, so no more confusion.
If you only have salted butter at hand, leave out the salt in the recipe.
Happy baking and much love,
Aline
I did it…. However, my bread climbed out of my carefully measured pan while baking. Next time I’ll use my 12X4 pan. Otherwise, I think this recipe is a WINNER! Im a pastry chef and rarely need to do a beautiful bread like this. It was fun.
Hi Christine
I am so glad to hear that and thank you for letting me know that you made my recipe & you like it!
The brioche should slightly climb out of the pan, that’s normal. But if you prefer if it doesn’t, go for the larger pan next time.
Happy baking and much love,
Aline
I always wanted to try making brioche bread, so I’ll give this recipe a go! It looks so fluffy 🙂 And love all the progress photos. Wish me luck!
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Paula! You should give it a try! I am sure you will manage this brioche recipe just fine! And I hope the step-by-step pictures are going to help you when making it the first time – don’t be scared of the sticky dough!
All the best,
Aline
Last night I asked how long I would be able to leave it in the fridge. Well, let me tell you:!!
It ended up being in the fridge for 20 hours! I got it out and figured it was no good but I would at least try to see if would turn out okay. Boy did it! I had to set it outside covered with the tea cloth for 2 hours. Then I put it in my convection oven on 350 for 30 minutes and it turned out PERFECT!
I will post a picture ❤️
Dear Sonja, thank you for your question and for letting me know. I am thrilled to hear that it turned out so perfect and that you like the Brioche recipe. Dough in the fridge should be stable for a few more hours, as the rising process works very slowly. But for the next time, it’s also ok to bake the Brioche one day in advance to make French toasts, I usually make those with leftover bread.
So again, I am delighted about your result and looking forward to your picture. 🙂
All the best,
Aline
I haven’t made this yet but I will, the directions are so clear anyone could follow it, thank you for that. I love brioche bread but always buy it, maybe after this I won’t have too.
Hi Charlotte
Thank you so much for your kind words! I try to give my best to make it as easy as possible for anyone to follow my recipes! Therefore, it makes me happy to read your comment!
I wish you lots of success with baking this Brioche. Let me know how it turned out. =)
All the best,
Aline
This bread looks amazing and I plan on making your French toast with it in the morning. However , I put it in the fridge too early and it will be in there for longer than 12 hours. Is this okay? It will end up being in the fridge for about 16 hours…
Thank you for clearing up the question about the salt. I made it and it was wonderful. But I understand the issue with the mixer. My Kitchenaid mixer was definitely working on this one as the dough becomes very stiff. But the finished product was great!
You are welcome, Cindi. I am happy to hear that you made this brioche recipe and you liked it. About the Kitchenaid problem: Did you use cups or a scale for the ingredients? Because cups are not as precise as measuring everything with the scale, and already 1 tbsp more flour or less liquid can, unfortunately, change the dough. Furthermore, each flour brand is a little bit different and also has an impact. But what you could try is if the dough is too stiff, add 1 tsp milk, see how it goes and add another one if needed. Just make sure it doesn’t get too sticky at the end 🙂 Enjoy your Brioche!
The list of ingredients indicates 1 TEASPOON of salt. However, in the recipe, it says to add 1 TABLESPOON. Just want to make sure I get the amount right. Looks delicious. Thank you.
Hi Cindi, that was a glitch! Thank you so much for letting me know, I just corrected it.
Have a fantastic day.
All the best,
Aline
I had a very difficult time with this recipe, had to try it as I love brioche. First would have been nice to see the US conversion along with metric. Searched web but still wasn’t sure if the measurements were correct. The dough is so stiff at times it broke the paddle on my kitchen aid, it was the plastic type. Have purchased a new heavy replacement with the rubber portion on one end only. The taste was very good, however the bread dry and I know from past experience it was because of handling too much. One other thing, the ingredient list reads 1 tsp. Salt, directions read one tablespoon salt, which is it? I used the teaspoon measure. Plan to try it again, can you send a correct list of US measurements? I’ve been baking a long time and quite aware that the correct measurements are crucial to the end result.
Dear Helen, thank you for sharing your experience.
I am very sorry to hear that your plastic paddle broke ? I always use the metal attachments from Kenwood and never had problems with it.
The US conversions are right there in the recipe, you just have to switch from Metric to US Customary (under Ingredients). However, for baking, I always recommend using a scale, as measuring with cups is not as exact and can change your end results especially for baking goods.
And I just changed the salt-glitch in the recipe, thanks for letting me know. As soon as I have time I am going to update the recipe with some more information and step-by-step images, I hope this will help you to have more success.
All the best,
Aline
How do I incorporate dry yeast? Fresh yeast is not available where I am. 🙁
Oh what a pity, Jasmine! Baking with fresh yeast is so much more fun – and I like the result more. However, you can substitute it with 2.5 tsp active dry yeast. I will write it in the recipe for other readers too! Enjoy baking! 🙂
All the best,
Aline
Hello Aline!
Thank you very much for the receipt!
Just want to make sure there is no mistake in baking time. Is it really 60 min on 320°?
I tried to make it and after 15 min on 395° it has already looked golden brown and ready, so I lowered to 320° but after 15 more min I decided to get it out, because I was afraid it can be burnt.
Thank you.
Dear Olga,
I am happy to hear that you tried my recipe. Every oven is a little bit different, and it can be that yours is heating more or the temperature you set is not the actual temperature in the oven (regular kitchen ovens tend to be not 100% accurate). Was the bread baked when you took it out after 15 minutes? If yes, bake it always this way. If no, you could try to lower the temperature in your oven even more and try to bake it longer. Make sure to place it in the middle of the oven. Furthermore, I always bake bread with upper and lower heat and not conventional. I hope the brioche bread was still delicious.
All the best,
Aline
How soft and delicious this looks!
Thank you so much Kasey, it’s indeed.