Foolproof Brioche Recipe (2024)

Foolproof Brioche Recipe (1)

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January 11, 2023/

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This foolproof brioche recipe is my go-to bun/roll recipe as an amateur baker! Super easy and turn out perfectly every time!

I started really baking about a year ago. Cookies, pies and cake recipes I was able to quickly improve and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Bread is a WHOLE different story! Bread recipes are hit or miss for me. And unfortunately, that usually that means miss 🙁

I am all about the EASY recipes especially when it comes to bread! I DO NOT want to knead anything by hand! So far, the ONLY easy recipe for bread that I found to come out perfectly every time is for loaf/sandwich bread is my No Knead Overnight Bread. I could NOT find one for buns &/rolls!

UNTIL NOW!

This easy brioche buns recipe is not technically a quick brioche recipe, but it almost all hands off which makes it SUPER EASY!

Couple of important things to note about this brioche dough before you begin:

  1. This brioche dough is SUPER sticky! FIGHT THE URGE TO ADD MORE FLOUR!
  2. It’s going to be difficult to pull apart into eight pieces. Then you are going to think it will be impossible to roll it into balls. But I promise you IT WILL roll into balls to form perfectly shaped rolls/buns!

What makes this a foolproof brioche recipe?

  1. Not a huge bread baker so don’t have bread flour just sitting around? NO WORRIES! This recipe uses all-purpose flour! (However, if you do happen to have bread flour, you can substitute 3 cups of the all-purpose for bread flour!)
  2. Don’t want to or forget to put a pan on water on the bottom of the oven? NO WORRIES! Your brioche rolls/buns will still turn out just fine!
  3. Forget to turn them halfway through cooking? NO WORRIES! Again, they will be okay! Some may be slightly more/less browned than others but the taste will not be effected!
  4. As long as you know how to watch a clock or set a timer you can’t over mix/knead/work this dough! Because you aren’t kneading with your hands, you only have to watch a clock during the 8 minute kneading time.

So let’s get into the nitty gritty of this homemade brioche recipe:

What You Will Need:

Shopping List:

  • 2tspActive Dry Yeast
  • 2.5tbspGranulated Sugar
  • 3tbspWarm Milk
  • 2LGEggs
  • 3.33cAll-Purpose Flour
  • 1.5tspSalt
  • 2.5tbspUnsalted Butter

Directions:

  1. In glass measuring bowl, whisk together water, milk, yeast and sugar.
  2. Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbling.
  3. While waiting, in a separate bowl, whisk one egg.
  4. In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine flour and salt.
  5. Using your fingers, mix the butter into the flour mixture, making crumbs.
  6. With paddle attachment and mixer on low, add yeast mixture and whisked egg to the flour.
  7. Mix just until combined.
  8. Switch to the hook attachment.
  9. Mix on low for 4 minutes.
  10. Increase speed to medium and mix for 4 more minutes.
  11. Remove bowl with dough from stand mixer.
  12. Form into a ball shape and cover bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel.
  13. Place bowl in a warm place and let rest/rise for 2 hours.
  14. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
  15. After dough has risen, divide into 8 equal pieces and place on prepared sheet. **Dough will be VERY sticky.
  16. Roll each part into a ball, return to prepared sheet 2-3″ apart.
  17. Cover loosely with a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for another 2 hours.
  18. Optional: Place a shallow pan of water on bottom of oven (this will produce more humidity in oven).
  19. Preheat oven to 400F with a rack in the center.
  20. Whisk together remaining egg with 1 tsp of water.
  21. Before placing rolls in oven, brush with egg mixture.
  22. **Optional: sprinkle with toppings at this point if you choose to.
  23. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown, turning halfway through.
  24. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Substitutes:

  1. Three cups of bread flour can replace three cups of the all-purpose flour. (Still use the remaining 1/3 c of all-purpose flour.)
  2. Unsalted butter: Salted butter works just as well. You can reduce the amount of added salt by 1/4 tsp if you are sensitive to salt. You may also substitute margarine (I do this often because of the price of butter recently!)

Toppings:

  1. Sesame seeds
  2. Poppy seeds
  3. Sea salt
  4. Dried onion
  5. Parsley

Notes:

  1. This brioche dough is SUPER sticky! FIGHT THE URGE TO ADD MORE FLOUR!
  2. It’s going to be difficult to pull apart into eight pieces. Then you are going to think it will be impossible to roll it into balls. But I promise you IT WILL roll into balls to form perfectly shaped rolls/buns!

Storage:

  1. Store buns/rolls in an air tight container/bag on counter for 1-3 days.
  2. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  3. Freeze by fully cooling then separating, putting on baking sheet in freezer for 1-2 hours. Then transfer to air tight container or bag and store frozen for up to 6 months.

Foolproof Brioche Recipe (2)

Easy Brioche Rolls Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Rising time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Breads

Cuisine French

Servings 8 rolls

Calories 187 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
  • 2.5 tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Warm Milk
  • 1 c Warm Water
  • 2 LG Eggs
  • 3.33 c All-Purpose Flour **see substitutes
  • 1.5 tsp Salt
  • 2.5 tbsp Unsalted Butter **softened **see substitutes

Instructions

  • In glass measuring bowl, whisk together water, milk, yeast and sugar.

  • Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbling.

  • While waiting, in a separate bowl, whisk one egg.

  • In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine flour and salt.

  • Using your fingers, mix the butter into the flour mixture, making crumbs.

  • With paddle attachment and mixer on low, add yeast mixture and whisked egg to the flour.

  • Mix just until combined.

  • Switch to the hook attachment.

  • Mix on low for 4 minutes.

  • Increase speed to medium and mix for 4 more minutes.

  • Remove bowl with dough from stand mixer.

  • Form into a ball shape and cover bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel.

  • Place bowl in a warm place and let rest/rise for 2 hours.

  • Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

  • After dough has risen, divide into 8 equal pieces and place on prepared sheet. **Dough will be VERY sticky.

  • Roll each part into a ball, return to prepared sheet 2-3" apart.

  • Cover loosely with a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for another 2 hours.

  • Optional: Place a shallow pan of water on bottom of oven (this will produce more humidity in oven).

  • Preheat oven to 400F with a rack in the center.

  • Whisk together remaining egg with 1 tsp of water.

  • Before placing rolls in oven, brush with egg mixture.

  • **Optional: sprinkle with toppings at this point if you choose to.

  • Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown, turning halfway through.

  • Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Substitutes:

  1. Three cups of bread flour can replace three cups of the all-purpose flour. (Still use the remaining 1/3 c of all-purpose flour.)
  2. Unsalted butter: Salted butter works just as well. You can reduce the amount of added salt by 1/4 tsp if you are sensitive to salt. You may also substitute margarine (I do this often because of the price of butter recently!)

Toppings (after brushing with egg wash):

  1. Sesame seeds
  2. Poppy seeds
  3. Sea salt
  4. Dried onion
  5. Parsley

Notes:

  1. This brioche dough is SUPER sticky! FIGHT THE URGE TO ADD MORE FLOUR!
  2. It’s going to be difficult to pull apart into eight pieces. Then you are going to think it will be impossible to roll it into balls. But I promise you IT WILL roll into balls to form perfectly shaped rolls/buns!

Storage:

  1. Store buns/rolls in an air tight container/bag on counter for 1-3 days.
  2. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  3. Freeze by fully cooling then separating, putting on baking sheet in freezer for 1-2 hours. Then transfer to air tight container or bag and store frozen for up to 6 months.

Keyword brioche, brioche bread, brioche buns, brioche rolls, herb bread

Enjoy this recipe?

Check out these other favorites from Struggle Shuttle:

Super Easy Pizza Dough

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Classic Sloppy Joe

Have you made these brioche buns? Let me know what you think about this foolproof brioche recipe in the comments!

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FAQs

Why is my brioche not fluffy? ›

If the kneading is not done correctly and the dough is not kneaded enough or is kneaded too much, this will affect the texture of the brioche. The dough should be left to rise in a warm place, away from any draughts.

What happens if you put too much butter in brioche? ›

It is possible to add too much butter to bread dough. Too much butter will result in a very soft, sticky dough that's difficult to shape, and bakes up greasy and dense.

Can you overwork brioche dough? ›

So making brioche is a difficult recipe. I'm using a standalone mixer, because if you overwork it, then the brioche dough won't rise as much. So using a standalone mixer avoids putting too much force into it.

What is the trick to fluffy bread? ›

Potato Flakes or Potato Water

Starch helps the dough by trapping the gas from the yeast in the dough and makes the bubbles stronger. This helps the bread to rise and be lighter and fluffier.

How do you make bread fluffy instead of dense? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Is melted or softened butter better for brioche? ›

With cold butter only being used when making brioche where temperature control is critical. Softened butter is my go-to for most other bread dough types. Melted butter is something I have always avoided because it would need to be added at the beginning of mixing unlike the softened or cold butter.

When to add butter to brioche? ›

Once the dough has developed some strength and elasticity, add one piece of the butter and mix at medium speed until it's fully incorporated into the dough, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl if necessary, then continue adding the butter one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate fully before adding the next piece.

Why is brioche unhealthy? ›

However, due to the higher butter content in brioche, brioche contains more fat and more calories than other kinds of bread. Unfortunately, the fat content comes mainly from saturated fats, which should be limited to 5% to 6% of a person's daily caloric intake, according to the American Heart Association.

What does adding an egg to bread dough do? ›

Egg has protein, fat, water and while the fat and water soften the crumb, the protein helps with strengthening the gluten and capturing more CO2. Eggs are also helping with leavening the dough which adds to the rise. Doughs that have more egg usually rise more, so go ahead and play around a bit!

How to know when brioche is done? ›

As these are brioche cinnamon rolls, very rich, they should come out of the oven when their internal temp reaches 190–200°F (88–93°C). Start checking that temperature after about 15 or 20 minutes of baking using your Thermapen® ONE, and if you don't find a temperature lower than the recommended pull temp, they're done!

How do you know when brioche is kneaded enough? ›

You know that the brioche dough has been kneaded for long enough when: the dough does not stick to the bottom of your stand mixer bowl or bread machine anymore, the dough can be held on to your hand without sticking to them, and you can extend the dough to the point it becomes see-through (it's called the windowpane ...

Why does brioche need to sit overnight? ›

Cold proof your dough: According to Martin, letting the dough proof in the fridge overnight provides extended fermentation time, which in turn develops more flavor. This step is extra-helpful since most brioche doughs are made without a preferment for flavor.

How do you know if brioche is Overproofed? ›

Properly proofed dough will be much more consistent in structure, with a soft and fluffy interior, and larger, but more evenly dispersed air bubbles present in the crumb. Over proofed bread is likely to have a very open crumb structure, due to the development of excess CO2 during the proofing stage.

Why did my brioche come out dense? ›

Lack of gas and fermentation that makes the dough aerate results in dense and heavy bread. In these cases, it is either necessary to allow the dough to be proof longer or move it to the warmer room.

Why is my bread not fluffy enough? ›

One of the most common reasons for dense bread is over or under-kneaded dough. Kneading your dough directly affects gas production, as it increases the rate that fermentation occurs. Without kneading, bread dough will take much longer to ferment fully.

Why won't my brioche rise? ›

The liquid was too hot, or not hot enough.

It will usually tell you to use “warm” water. The water temperature should be between 110 - 115 F degrees. If your liquid is too hot (i.e. boiling) it will kill the yeast and prevent the rise. If it's not hot enough, the yeast won't have the heat needed to bloom.

Why is my brioche bread dense? ›

If the fermentation is too fast or too slow, too long or too short, or not as predicted, dense bread is often the result.

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