Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Stand mixer with dough hook
• •9x5-inch loaf pan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine dry ingredients

   Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Good flour matters here. If you can find stone-ground bread flour from a mill you trust, you will taste the difference in the finished loaf. The wheat should smell alive, faintly sweet, with no staleness.

2. 2

   Add eggs and milk

   Add the four eggs and the lukewarm milk to the flour mixture. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about two minutes. Increase to medium speed and knead for eight to ten minutes. The dough will look rough at first, then begin to pull away from the sides and wrap around the hook. It should feel tacky but not sticky, smooth when you press a finger to it.

   Room temperature eggs are essential. Cold eggs shock the yeast and prevent proper gluten development.
3. 3

   Incorporate butter slowly

   With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter one or two pieces at a time. Wait until each addition disappears before adding more. This is the heart of brioche making. The dough will slacken and look greasy, then gradually absorb the fat and become glossy and elastic. This takes ten to fifteen minutes. Do not rush. The butter must be soft enough to incorporate but not melted.

   If the dough refuses to come together, refrigerate it for fifteen minutes. The cooled butter will firm slightly and bind with the flour.
4. 4

   Test for windowpane

   Continue kneading until the dough passes the windowpane test: pinch off a small piece and stretch it gently between your fingers. When properly developed, it will stretch thin enough to see light through without tearing. The finished dough should be silky, supple, and pull cleanly from the bowl.

5. 5

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about two hours. The dough will feel pillowy and airy, almost alive when you press it gently.

   For deeper flavor and easier handling, refrigerate the dough overnight after this first rise. Cold brioche dough shapes beautifully.
6. 6

   Punch down and chill

   Press down on the dough to deflate it. Cover again and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. The butter needs to firm for shaping. Warm brioche dough is unruly and sticky. Cold dough is a pleasure to work with.

7. 7

   Shape the loaf

   Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Turn the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball by cupping your hand over it and moving in a circular motion against the counter. Place the four balls in a row inside the prepared pan. They will rise and merge into one beautiful loaf.

8. 8

   Second rise

   Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough crowns about one inch above the rim of the pan, one to two hours. The balls will have joined and the surface will look puffy and delicate. Preheat your oven to 375F during the last thirty minutes of rising.

9. 9

   Apply egg wash

   Gently brush the top of the risen loaf with the egg wash, taking care not to let it drip down the sides where it might glue the bread to the pan. Use a light hand. Two thin coats produce a better shine than one heavy coat.

10. 10

    Bake until golden

    Bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes until the top is deeply golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190F. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the final ten minutes. The kitchen will smell of butter and warm bread, and you will understand why the French consider brioche essential.

11. 11

    Cool before slicing

    Let the brioche cool in the pan for ten minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Wait at least thirty minutes before slicing, if you can manage it. The crumb needs time to set. Tear into it while still warm for the most tender experience, or let it cool completely for clean slices.

Chef Tips

• •Source the best flour you can find. Stone-ground bread flour from a local mill has more character than commodity flour, and brioche will show the difference.
• •Butter temperature is everything. Too cold and it will not incorporate. Too warm and it will make the dough greasy. Press your finger into it. It should yield easily but hold its shape.
• •The overnight refrigeration is not optional. Cold dough is easier to shape, and the slow fermentation develops flavor you cannot rush.
• •Brioche stales quickly because of all that butter. Store it wrapped at room temperature for two days, or slice and freeze for up to three months.
• •This bread makes the finest French toast you will ever taste. Slice it thick, soak it well, and cook it slowly in more good butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be refrigerated after the first rise for up to 24 hours. Shape it cold and let it rise in the pan before baking.
• •Baked brioche freezes beautifully for up to three months. Wrap tightly in plastic and then foil. Thaw at room temperature and warm briefly in a 300F oven.
• •For individual brioches à tête, divide the chilled dough into twelve pieces and shape into the traditional topknot form using fluted brioche molds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 71g)