We owe the French for their many contributions to pastry making. Many types of bread we use today were the pride and joy of France; croissants, baguettes, and faluche to name a few. However, the one that is the main focus of today is Brioche. This rich bread has been considered a national treasure to bakers, not only in France but around the world, and has several variants to try.

Obviously, when it comes to making any bread, a brioche can seem like a tough nut to crack. Fortunately, foods have come a long way and recipes like those for brioche and its variants have been hacked and decoded.

In this post, we will cover this wonder bread from top to bottom and decipher the process of baking the most basic brioche buns.

WTH is a brioche?

A brioche is a type of yeast-leavened bread that originated in France; the first mention of it was back in the 13th century. It's an enriched bread whereas it contains high amounts of eggs and butter in the dough. The dough consists of flour, milk/water, eggs, butter, and yeast. Like most bread, brioche has many uses as it can be served as part of a snack or a course for breakfast or dessert.

Brioche dough can be baked in buns or loaves depending on the variant. There are several variants of this bread that not only differ from the pre-shaped form but also the percentage of butter content.

However, common formulas consist of a 2:1 ratio of flour to fat.

A simpler Brioche dough

On paper, a brioche dough is somewhat Simple to make given the common flour to fat ratio mentioned earlier. It gets easier in terms of leavening thanks to the inclusion of a modern hack we called instant yeast. This eliminates kneading which can be tedious and time-consuming even for professional bakers.

However, this also means other adjustments must be made to the formula. Particularly, the butter must be melted before it's added to the dough to compensate for the lack of kneading.

Also, for those who try this recipe for the first time, please take note that while the flour to fat ratio of 2:1 seems different from other bread formulas, this does not alter the flour to liquid ratio of 5:3 and the eggs taking up the majority of that liquid content.

Now for that recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 500g flour
  • 250g melted butter
  • 4 medium eggs (220g)
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 7g instant yeast
  • 9g salt
  • 50g sugar
  • eggs as needed

Directions:

  1. Sieve the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
  2. Combine the milk and melted butter in another bowl by whisking.
  3. Form a well in the middle of the dry mixture and pour the liquid mixture in the center. Whisk until the mixture looks smooth and all lumps are gone.
  4. Cover and rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
  5. Line a 9 x 13" baking tray with parchment paper.
  6. Remove the dough from the bowl and punch it down to deflate.
  7. Slightly dust with flour, divide and scale brioche rounds at 50g each.
  8. To mold the brioche as buns, take each piece into your palm, then clench around with fingers and roll the exposed surface on a flour dusted surface until smooth and round.
  9. Place on the paper cover tray and cover with cling film to proof until they double for another 3 hours.
  10. Beat the eggs and brush the surfaces of the buns lightly.
  11. Bake at 218 º c for approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
  12. Quickly unmold the brioche buns and place on a cooling wire.
  13. Serve immediately or wrap tightly in a clean tray and freeze for late use.
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