How To Make a Brioche Loaf

Once you start, you just can’t stop.

And I’m not talking about potato chips.

I’m talking about bread baking!

This towering, golden stack is a follow up to my homemade brioche rolls. It’s the same recipe, just shaped into a loaf.

The versatility of brioche bread is endless: you can make beautiful sandwiches, fluffy bread pudding, the ultimate French toast- the flavor is light and buttery.

But first, let’s go over a few things.

Understanding the Dough

The key to mastering this brioche recipe is understanding the dough.

The dough is sticky. It’s wet. It’s not easy to handle. Intuitively, you’ll want to add more flour to make it manageable.

But wait!

These fickle characteristics are what makes brioche, brioche.

Adding too much flour to compensate will make the brioche stiff, and it will lose its signature soft and fluffy texture.

That doesn’t mean you can’t add any flour at all; the quest for the ‘perfect’ loaf is highly personal. However, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the dough in a traditional sense as a benchmark for comparison.

On that note, I’ve found that using a stand mixer is best when dealing with sticky doughs. It does all of the work for you. No mixing or kneading by hand required! Keep in mind, the dough won’t come together into a tight ball like other bread recipes; it will be smooth, elastic, and ‘relaxed.’

Once fully risen, after a few hours or so, you are ready to shape the dough.

How to Shape Brioche Bread

My favorite method is outlined below.

To assemble, cut the fully risen dough into thirds. Shape each piece into a ball and place them next to each other in a well buttered loaf pan (think: building a snowman). If the dough is too sticky when shaping, sprinkle some flour over the top to help you along.

When the dough rises, it will look like this…

Baking Schedules

Once you understand brioche dough and shaping, it’s important to establish a baking schedule.

Timing is key.

You can certainly bake brioche from start to finish in one day, but you might find the overnight method helpful as well.

Here are two options:

Option #1: Overnight Loaf 

*This is the method I used in the above pictures.

Let’s say you want fresh bread to make sandwiches for the upcoming week.

Here’s what you do:

For example, on Saturday mix up a batch of dough. Cover, and leave in a warm spot to rise.

The rising time will vary depending on how warm or cold your kitchen is. It could take anywhere between 1-3 hours, or more. To speed up the rising process, either place your dough in the oven (proof setting), or near a heater.

Keep your eye on the dough- not the clock!

Once the dough is fully risen, cut and shape. Place into your buttered loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, the dough should have risen to about 1 1/2 inches above the rim of the pan. If not, rest at room temperature until it rises a bit more.

Brush with egg wash and bake.

Option #2: Overnight Bulk Dough

Let’s say you intended to bake on a particular day, but plans changed (i.e. Anthropologie was having a sale!) and you ran out of time.

Here’s what you do:

Mix up the dough as directed, preferably in the morning.

Instead of rising the dough 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 do this directly in my stand mixer bowl (covered). For best results, leave the dough at room temperature for 2-4 hours to give it a boost, then pop it in the fridge.

The following day, cut and shape the cold dough (if it hasn’t doubled in size yet, let it rest at room temperature until ready). Place into your buttered loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise about 1 1/2 inches above the rim of the pan, about 30 minutes- 1 hour (or more) depending on the ambient temperature.

Brush with egg wash and bake.

Note #1:

An egg wash (mixture of egg and water) is usually brushed over the dough to create a golden, shiny exterior.

However, for this particular post I skipped the egg wash. I wanted you to see what a ‘matte’ crust lookes like. It’s okay to skip the egg wash if you’re out of eggs, or don’t feeling like wasting your last one on a single loaf.

Either way, your brioche will taste and smell fantastic.

Note #2:

The secret to bread baking is flexibility.

On some days, your dough will rise faster than others. On other days, it will take forever to rise no matter what you do. Sometimes, your dough will require extra flour to prevent stickiness and sometimes it won’t.

It’s just the way it is.

Go with the flow and you will excel.

Slicing & Storage

Once your brioche has finished baking, cool completely before slicing.

I prefer to wait at least 1 hour. Maybe 2. This loaf was actually cold when I cut it.

A large serrated bread knife works best, and the desired thickness is up to you. I was able to get about 18 slices from my loaf.

For storage, wrap your cooled bread in plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature. It’s best consumed within the first 1-2 days of baking.

If it even lasts that long…