Ingredients (1 loaf)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup warm water (~105-110F)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 large egg, plus 1 for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
Mix the Dough and Activate the Yeast
To activate the yeast, whisk together the warm water and the active dry yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and allow the mixture to sit for about 10-15 minutes or until bubbles start to appear and the yeast appears to be active.
Add in the milk, sugar, 1 egg, salt, and all-purpose flour into the bowl.
Attach the paddle attachment and mix the ingredients together on low speed until the ingredients have been combined and the flour has been adequately absorbed.
Developing Gluten in the Dough
Switch to the dough hook and continue mixing on medium speed.
Allow the dough to knead until it is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl; this indicates the gluten is developing properly.
Now, perform a windowpane test to determine if the gluten has developed properly.
Simply tear off a small piece of dough and stretch it gently between your fingers to see if it stretches thin enough to allow light to penetrate, but doesn’t tear easily.
If it tears easily, continue kneading the dough.
Incorporating Butter into the Dough
When you have finished developing the gluten in your dough, add the softened butter in small amounts while continuing to mix at low speed.
Make sure to incorporate each addition of butter completely before adding the next, because at first the dough will likely appear greasy or broken apart, but will return to a reasonable consistency as you continue mixing.
The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Once you have completed mixing in all the butter, scrape the finished dough into a bowl that has been lightly oiled.
Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for approximately 30 minutes.
After approximately 30 minutes, perform a set of folds.
To do this, pull one edge of the dough up and over the centre, then rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 3 more times.
Cover the dough and allow to rise again in a warm place for at least 1-1.5 hours or until the dough feels light, airy, and puffy.
Shaping the Loaf
Gently press the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, making a rectangle shape.
Fold the top edge of the rectangle down about two-thirds of the way and press to seal.
Rotate the dough 180 degrees and fold the remaining third down to meet the bottom edge, creating a log shape.
Securely pinch the seam together to seal the log shape.
Put the shaped log seam-side down into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Final Proofing and Baking
For the final proofing of the dough, cover the loaf pan loosely and allow to rise in a warm location until the dough rises just above the rim of the pan.
This final proofing should take about 1-2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 350F when your loaf is almost finished rising.
To prepare for baking, beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with a small amount of water to create an egg wash.
Using a pastry brush, apply egg wash to the top of the loaf.
Bake the loaf for 35-40 minutes, until the crust has turned a deep golden brown colour and the internal temperature has reached approximately 185-190F.
After baking, allow the brioche to cool in the pan for approximately 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Soft and Buttery Brioche Loaf
Ingredients
Ingredients (1 loaf)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup warm water ~105-110F
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 large egg plus 1 for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter 5 1/3 tablespoons, softened but still cool
Instructions
- Whisk warm water and yeast in stand mixer bowl. Let stand 10-15 minutes until bubbly.
- Add milk, sugar, 1 egg, salt, and flour. Mix with paddle attachment until just combined.
- Switch to dough hook and knead on medium until smooth and pulls from sides.
- Add softened butter gradually while mixing on low, incorporating fully between additions.
- Transfer to oiled bowl. Rest 30 minutes.
- Perform one set of folds, rotating bowl 90° each time.
- Let rise 1-1.5 hours until light and airy.
- Shape dough into rectangle, fold into thirds to form log. Pinch seam to seal.
- Place seam-side down in greased 9×5 loaf pan.
- Let rise 1-2 hours until above rim of pan.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Brush with egg wash.
- Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and internal temp reaches 185-190F.
- Cool 5 minutes in pan, then completely on wire rack.
