Should I use European-style butter in homemade brioche?

You can use either American or European butter in brioche. European butter has a touch more butterfat (about 82–85% compared to 80% in American), so the flavor is a little richer and creamier. That extra bit can really shine in a bread like brioche, which is already loaded with butter, eggs, and milk. That said, the difference isn’t huge. If European butter is what you have, go for it! Otherwise, American butter will bake up a perfectly soft, fluffy loaf. It's what we used in many test loaves.

Can I bake the brioche dough into rolls?

Yes, absolutely. You can divide the dough into 12 smaller rolls, rather than 6 larger pieces. Arrange the shaped rolls in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Proceed with step 8 below. Shorten the bake time to around 25–28 minutes. You can also bake the rolls separated on a lined baking sheet; this style produces excellent hamburger and sandwich buns. See recipe Note below.

Can I braid this brioche dough?

My team and I tested this dough in a braided design in the loaf pan. The finished bread was considerably dense, due to the tight braiding technique. For the tallest, fluffiest brioche, I recommend the brioche nanterre shape instructed in the recipe below.

Learn to Make Brioche Bread: Rich, Buttery, Fluffy

Description

Learn how to make homemade brioche, an irresistibly rich, buttery bread with a soft, tender crumb. This recipe is a 2-day baking project, since the dough rests in the refrigerator overnight to lower its temperature, as well as develop proper flavor and texture. A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook is essential for best success. Be sure to use cold milk, eggs, and butter. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.

Ingredients

3 and 1/4 cups (423g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) active dry or instant yeast (1 standard packet)
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, cold
3 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (113g; 8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cold
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk

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Instructions

Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the milk and eggs, and mix on medium-low speed for 3 full minutes, until the dough comes together and forms a rough mass around the dough hook. It will be shaggy at first, but just keep mixing until it comes together. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Increase the speed to medium and let the mixer run for 8–10 minutes. Do not shorten this time. The dough should wrap itself around the dough hook and be slapping the sides of the bowl. If that isn’t the case after about 8 minutes, add a little more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, and keep mixing.
Plasticize the butter: Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sturdy cutting board. Cut the cold butter into 8 equal pieces. Lay the pieces out on the parchment. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the butter. Using a rolling pin, pound the butter to flatten it to about 1/16th of an inch thickness, or about 2mm. If the dough is not yet ready for the next step, transfer the butter, still between the sheets of parchment, to the refrigerator. The butter must be cold.
With the mixer running on medium-low speed, add the butter, 2 pieces at a time. Use a knife or offset spatula to scrape the pieces of butter off the parchment paper and add them to the mixing bowl. Wait until the butter has completely incorporated into the dough before you add the next 2 pieces—this can take about 2 minutes. If the butter gets stuck to the side of the bowl, stop the mixer and scrape it down with a spatula. Once all 8 pieces of butter have been added, increase the speed to medium and let the mixer run for another 2 minutes (again, the dough should be slapping the sides of the bowl), until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic. It will be very soft.
Refrigerate the dough: Grease a large bowl with butter, oil, or nonstick spray. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, turning it to coat the dough in the butter/oil. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 12–16 hours, or up to 48 hours.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Shape the brioche: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. A bench scraper is always helpful for cutting dough. (Tip: If you have a kitchen scale, weigh the dough, then divide that number by 6 so you know how much each piece of dough should weigh. For example, if the dough weighs 850g, aim for each piece of dough to weigh around 140–145g.) Shape each piece into a smooth ball, and place in the prepared loaf pan, staggering the dough balls in a zigzag pattern.
Cover the loaf lightly and let it rise at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours until it’s puffy and just reaches the rim of the pan.
Adjust an oven rack to a lower position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
When the brioche has risen to the rim of the pan, brush the top of the loaf with egg wash. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown on top. For a more accurate test, insert an instant-read thermometer into the brioche; it’s done when the internal temperature reaches 195°F (91°C). If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I always tent aluminum foil over the loaf around the 20-minute mark.)
Let the brioche cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes, then carefully flip the bread out of the pan and onto the rack to continue cooling. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. (The crumb sets as it cools, giving you neat, fluffy slices—but if you sneak a warm piece, just know it’ll be extra soft!)
Cover leftover brioche tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: See step 5. The dough must rest in the refrigerator for at least 12–16 hours, or up to 48 hours.
Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: It is best to freeze the brioche dough after it has had its bulk fermentation, which is the refrigeration step (step 5). To freeze, shape the dough as indicated in step 7. Wrap each ball of dough in plastic wrap and place them all in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then let the dough balls come to room temperature, place in the greased loaf pan, and proceed with step 8.
Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer | Silicone Spatula | Rolling Pin | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan
Flour: I recommend using bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier loaf of bread and I highly recommend it. If you can’t pick up a bag of bread flour, all-purpose is great in a pinch. The bread is still soft no matter which you use. I don’t recommend whole wheat flour because it doesn’t have the same baking properties as white flour or bread flour (the gluten levels are different). If you wish to use whole wheat flour, try my recipe for whole wheat bread instead.
Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast in this recipe. Follow all of the same instructions. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the best, richest-tasting bread. Lower-fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk.
Doubling this recipe: For best results, I recommend making two separate batches of dough.
Can I make this dough into smaller brioche rolls? Yes, absolutely. You can divide the dough into 12 smaller rolls, rather than 6 larger pieces. Arrange the shaped rolls in a greased 9×13-inch pan. Proceed with step 8. Shorten the bake time to around 25–28 minutes. You can also bake the rolls separated on a lined baking sheet; this style produces excellent hamburger and sandwich buns. Bake time is around 25 minutes.
Can I braid this dough instead? My team and I tested this dough in a braided design in the loaf pan. The finished bread was considerably dense, due to the tight braiding technique. For the tallest, fluffiest brioche, I recommend the shape instructed (2 staggered rows of the dough balls in the loaf pan), which is called Brioche Nanterre.

Recipe adapted from Basic Brioche Dough in Big Book of Bread by King Arthur Baking Company