How To Make Brioche Rolls

Yes! Yes! Yes!

You can totally do this!

Even if you’re not a professional bread baker, you can still make incredible brioche at home.

Traditional brioche is a soft enriched bread, made with eggs, butter, and a touch of sugar. My version is not quite as rich, making it suitable for everyday fare. Everyone goes crazy for brioche in our house.

My secret?

Use a stand mixer for easy, hands-off kneading. Personally, I wouldn’t make these rolls without one (total prep time, 10 minutes!).

This step-by-step tutorial will show you exactly how to do it. It’s geared towards both beginners and seasoned bakers alike.

And because time is of the essence, I’ve also included 2 simple ways to fit bread baking into your busy, everyday schedule.

Ready?

The Dough

Tip your fully risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

Cut into 10 pieces. I like to use a floured bench scraper for this, but a large knife or even a pizza wheel will do the trick.

Take two pieces of the dough and cut them in half, creating 4 smaller pieces. These smaller pieces will fill the center of your brioche (think: center of a sunflower).

You now have 12 pieces in total.

Shaping & Assembly

To shape each piece of dough, gather up the sides and tuck them in towards the center.

Flip the dough over (seam side down) and cup with the palm of your hand. Then, roll into a ball. If it’s too sticky to handle, sprinkle extra flour over the top, but not too much.

The trick here, is to create enough surface tension to shape the ball nice and tight. Do this on an un-floured work surface for best results. Too much flour present will make them slide around.

To assemble your brioche, generously coat a 9″ cake pan with butter.

To the pan, place 1 ball of dough at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

Fill in the gaps with the remaining dough, placing the 4 smaller balls (you made earlier) in the center. Doing it this way will ensure that the dough is evenly spaced.

You don’t want lopsided brioche.

Egg Wash & Short Rest

For the egg wash, lightly beat 1 egg with a splash of water or cream. Brush the dough with your mixture.

If you don’t have a pastry brush, use a folded napkin or paper towel instead. I do this all the time.

Next, cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Your dough should looked slightly puffed, relaxed, and no longer dense.

Baking

Bake your brioche at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Your kitchen will smell sweet and buttery, like a French Patisserie!

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack.

Enjoy your warm, homemade brioche ‘share & tear’ style with butter, jam, or creamed honey. Eat plain with soup or salad, make mini sandwiches, etc.

Good luck eating just one.

Baking Schedules

Now that you understand how to make brioche share n’ tear rolls, let’s find the time to actually do it.

Here are two options to fit bread baking into your busy, everyday schedule.

Option #1: Overnight Rolls

Let’s say you want warm, fresh rolls for Saturday morning breakfast.

Here’s what you do:

On Friday evening, when you get home from work, mix up a batch of dough (alternatively, make the dough in morning before you leave the house).

The dough will be ready in 1-3 hours depending how warm your kitchen is. To speed up the rising process, either place your dough in the oven (proof setting), or near a heater.

When the dough is ready, shape into balls, place in your greased pan, and chill (covered) overnight in the fridge.

The following morning, brush with egg wash and bake cold.

Option #2: Overnight Bulk Dough

Let’s say you have every intention of baking on particular day, but life hijacks your plans and you’re suddenly out of time.

Here’s what you do:

Mix up the dough as directed.

Instead of the dough rising at room temperature for 1-3 hours, chill the bulk dough overnight.  It will continue to rise even in a cold environment. It just happens at a slower rate. I allow the dough to rise directly in my stand mixer bowl (covered). For best results, leave the dough at room temperature for 2-4 hours, then pop it in the fridge.

The following day, cut and shape the cold dough into balls (if it hasn’t doubled in size yet, let it rest at room temperature until ready). Brush with egg wash. Allow to rest again 30 minutes-1 hour, or more. The dough should looked puffy, not dense before baking.

Note:

The secret to baking great bread at home is embracing flexibility.

On some days your dough will rise faster than others, whereas on other days, it will take forever to rise no matter what you do. Sometimes your dough will require extra flour to prevent stickiness, whereas on other days, you barely need any at all.

It’s just the way it is.

Go with the flow and you will excel.

So, what do you think?

Are you ready to make brioche rolls?!

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