Brioche bread is a staple in many a French household and has been widely known since the 17th century. This Brioche Recipe is made with a high butter ratio which helps to develop a deep flavor and maintains a light crumb. Interestingly enough, May 14 is National Brioche Day and I plan to make it for our family once again. Click the link below to then be taken to a fantastic website that gives such deep information about this iconic bread, and a fun countdown to Brioche Day! Additionally, I am excited to share this recipe for brioche.

Occasions – St Pierre Bakery US

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Published May 10, 2022
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Why this recipe works

Traditionally, brioche bread has been made with 50 percent butter that was folded into the dough. If done incorrectly, the dough can separate and become greasy and not the typical tender crumb. To make sure the bread maintains a rich and tender crumb, this recipe calls to melt the butter and add it to the eggs instead of folding softened butter into the batter.
In addition to do away with the long hassle of folding the butter into the dough, this recipe lets the dough rest in the fridge overnight to develop structure and flavor.
Additionally, while baking, the loaf pans rest on a warm baking stone in the oven to help protect the bottom of the brioche bread from burning.

This recipe is from The Americas Test Kitchen Cookbook on page 695. Not only does it have this recipe for no-knead brioche, but also how to use the brioche recipe to make brioche buns. I love this cookbook because it gives no-fuss recipes that are easy to follow and are amazingly delicious.

Cost to make this Brioche Recipe

If you were to buy a loaf of Brioche at the grocery store, it will cost a pretty penny. Because of the intense amount of work this recipe can take, and the high butter content, buying this bread from the store can become expensive.
To lower the cost, this from scratch recipe helps you to take back control over cost and not only lowers the price but gives the ultimate satisfaction of making it yourself. Below is a cost breakdown for each ingredient based on ALDI prices near me. Of course, the cost may change if you buy a name-brand variety.
3 1/4 cups bread flour $0.48
2 1/4 tsp yeast $0.06
1 1/2 tsp salt $0.01
7 large eggs $1.54
1/3 cup sugar $0.09
16 Tbsp unsalted butter $1.65

Total cost to make this Brioche recipe is $3.84. Yes, buying a loaf from ALDI is less expensive by a whopping $0.01, however, making this bread and eating it still slightly warm from the oven cannot be beat. It is sweet, fluffy and dense while maintaining a light texture.
To buy a loaf of Brioche at ALDI, it would cost $3.85. Click the image to be brought to the Instacart website for ALDI to see their prices.

At another local grocery store, a Brioche loaf costs $7.49. Click the image to be brought to the Instacart website to see prices for a local grocery store, Woodmans.

More recipes

Our family loves bread. Recently I made a sourdough starter and have been successful at making sourdough bread and other recipes with the starter. If you are familiar with sourdough starter, you know that to feed it you also have to lower the volume ahead of time. As much as waste is detested, there was an equal amount of desire to find ways to use the discard. Below is a link to the recipe for sourdough discard rolls.

Sourdough Discard Rolls – How to make them, not toss the discard

Brioche Recipe

Ingredients for Brioche Recipe

3 1/4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
7 large eggs
1/2 cup water, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
16 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly

Directions for Brioche Recipe

1. In a medium saucepan, add 16 Tablespoons unsalted butter and melt on medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, turn off the heat, remove the pan from the hot burner and allow the butter to cool slightly. If you do not let the butter cool, it may start to cook the eggs when you whisk it in later. Make sure it cools!

2. In a large bowl, measure and add flour, yeast and salt then whisk together gently.

3. In a medium bowl, add 6 eggs, water, and sugar and whisk together well until the sugar is dissolved, around 2-3 minutes. Make sure to keep 1 egg aside for brushing on the tops of the loaves before baking.

4. Whisk the melted and slightly cooled butter into the egg mixture until smooth. Make sure the melted butter has cooled before adding it to the eggs.

5. To the flour mixture, add the wet ingredients and slowly combine with a wooden spoon until a uniform mass forms and no dry ingredients remain, around 1-2 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and rest in the bowl on the counter for 10 minutes.

6. Holding the edge of the dough with your fingertips, fold the dough over itself toward the middle. Then turn the bowl 45 degrees and fold again, repeating for a total of 8 folds. Cover the bowl and then rest for 30 minutes.

Repeat for a total of 4 folds:
1 Fold, rest 30 minutes
2 Fold, rest 30 minutes
3 Fold, rest 30 minutes
4 Fold, rest in fridge for at least 16-48 hours

After the fourth fold, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then rest the brioche in the fridge for 16-48 hours.

7. Transfer the dough onto a well-floured counter and use a bench scraper and divide the dough into four equal pieces.

8. Work the dough one piece at a time and pat it into a 4-inch disk. Fold the edges into the middle, working around the edges and not applying too much pressure, until a ball forms.

9. Repeat the forming of each dough ball and then cover all four dough balls with plastic wrap and let them rest for 5 minutes.

10. Spray two 8 X 4 loaf pans and then set aside.
11. Flip the dough balls seam-side up and repeat the rounding step.

12. Place two dough balls into a prepared loaf pan, seam side down, and then gently press into the corners.

13. Cover loaves with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, around 1 1/2-2 hours.

14. Thirty minutes before baking, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and place a Pampered Chef Baking Stone on the rack. Turn the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

15. Remove the plastic wrap, then using a basting brush, brush the loaves with 1 beaten egg with a pinch of salt.

16. Set the loaf pans on the baking stone in the warm oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the loaf registers an internal temperature of 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Rotate pans halfway through baking.

17. Remove the Loaf Pans with the baked Brioche from the oven and rest pans on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

18. Remove the loaves from the loaf pans and cool completely on the rack for up to 2 hours before slicing and enjoy!
~Monica

Recipe for Brioche

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