Brioche is a sweet bread of French origin, with a lovely crumb and a soft and spongy texture… That can be eaten at any time of the day!
This sweet bread is of French origin, and the first time the word “brioche” appeared was in 1.404, in a recipe book from the Normandy region of France (northwest France). There it began to be made as a sweet bread that included, besides flour and yeast, sugar, eggs and butter.
There are many explanations of the origin of the word “brioche” (pronounced “bri-yosh”), but the most accepted is that the term “brioche” comes from the verb “brier”, an ancient form of the verb “brover” (to crush or grind) in the Old Normand language.
Over time, brioche has gained popularity and has diversified and become popular, not only in France but also throughout the world.
In fact, it is such a popular dessert that International Brioche Day is celebrated on May 14, demonstrating its significance in global culinary culture.
The most accepted origin of the “brioche” word is that it comes from the verb “brier”, an ancient form of the verb “brover” (to crush or grind) in the Old Normand language.
It is a super versatile product. I like to eat it alone or with butter and jam for breakfast, but you can practically do anything with brioche bread: You can use it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and desserts, … and it can be in sweet or savoury dishes; from French toasts to go with a cup of coffee or tea, to make the best burgers.
You can also make it in many ways or formats; from bums for burgers or in a loaf of bread, to balls or rolls, braided, … For this recipe, I made the brioche in two formats: braided and bums, but you can make it however you like!
And as a historical anecdote, legend has it that in 1.775, during the “Guerre des Farines” or the Flour War, in which the French were experiencing famine, Marie Antoinette asked her ladies-in-wanting what the people were demanding and, when they responded that the people had no bread to eat, she would have said: “Quíls mangent de la brioche” (let them eat brioche).
Although there is no evidence that she uttered those words. And, it was possibly a plot by the revolutionaries trying to undermine the queen´s reputation…
Brioche in buns and braided brioche
International Brioche Day is celebrated on May 14, demonstrating its significance in global culinary culture.
And talking about queens and kings… Brioche has many similarities with the Spanish Three Kings Cake or with Italian Panettone (both from a very specific time of the year: Christmas). You can find the recipes for both products in the “Doughs” recipe section of this website.
Though both Spanish Three Kings Cake and Italian Panettone need longer fermentations. Also, their ingredients make them unique (such as orange blossom water in the Three Kings Cake).
Are you ready to make this delicious recipe? Let´s do it!
Difficulty: DIFFICULT
Preparation time: 4 hours
Baking time: 30 – 35 minutes
BRIOCHE
INGREDIENTS (For 1 Brioche)
- 250 g high protein flour
- 75 g milk
- 1 egg (L)
- 35 g sugar
- 25 g butter
- 12 g fresh yeast / 7 g dry yeast
- 2 g salt
- 1 egg to brush
PREPARATION
IMPORTANT! You must use high protein flour to make this recipe.
Mixing
Firstly, blend the warm milk and fresh yeast in a glass and let it dilute.
Then, place the flour in the mixer bowl. Add the salt and sugar and blend the 3 ingredients with the dough hook.
Add the milk and fresh yeast to the flour, salt and sugar. Mix everything until blend them. Add the egg and mix at medium speed for about 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes of mixing, incorporate the butter cut into squares (butter should be softened) gradually, and continue mixing in each incorporation. Do not worry if halfway through mixing it seems like the dough is breaking apart and you have added too much butter (as you can see in the photo sequence below), it is the normal evolution of this type of dough as the butter is being incorporated and the gluten network is forming.
Keep mixing (around 10 minutes more) until have a smooth, shiny, and manageable dough.
If you do not have a mixer, you can mix using your hands on a marble or plastic surface. At first, the dough will stick a lot to your hands, but as the gluten network forms, you will see that it stops being sticky until you get a smooth-surfaced dough.
Restings
When you finish mixing, place the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rest for 1 h 30 min – 2 h or until doubled in size. Once risen, place the bowl and the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
After this rest in the refrigerator, divide the dough into equal parts (balls, strips, etc. depending on the shape you want to achieve) and shape it as you prefer (braided, rolls, buns, …).
Place the dough in a baking tray with parchment paper underneath. Cover it with plastic film or a kitchen towel and let the dough rise a second time. This will take between 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
Fermentation evolution and baking of braided brioche
Baking
After letting the brioche rest, paint it with beaten egg.
Bake at 180 ºC for 30 – 35 minutes (until the surface has acquired a nice golden colour).
Lastly, remove the brioche from the oven and let it cool completely before eating.
Brioche buns. Before and after baking
BRIOCHE
1
brioche4
hours30 - 35
minutesIngredients
250 g strong flour
75 ml milk
1 egg (L)
35 g sugar
25 g butter
12 g fresh yeast / 7 g dried active yeast
2 g salt
1 egg to brush
Preparation
- Place the flour in the mixer bowl. Add the salt and the sugar and mix everything with the dough hook
- Warm the milk, add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Mix with the flour until combined. Add the egg and mix (medium speed) for 2 minutes
- Next, add the softened butter, one cube at a time until combined. From time to time clean the sides and keep mixing. The final dough will be very soft
- If you do not have a mixer, you can mix using your hands on a marble or plastic surface. At first, the dough will stick a lot to your hands, but as the gluten network forms, you will see that it stops being sticky until you get a smooth-surfaced dough.
- Transfer the dough to a larger bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let rest for 1 hour 30 min - 2 hours (until doubled in size). After that, let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour
- Split the dough in equal pieces (balls, strips, depending on the final format wanted)
- Let it rest on a baking tray with baking parchment, cover it with a tea towel and leave it to prove for about 30 minutes until almost doubled in size
- Heat the oven to 180 ºC. Lightly brush the dough with a beaten egg and bake for 30 - 35 minutes
- Leave it to cool in the tray for about 30 minutes, then remove and cool completely
Did you like this recipe? Go ahead and do it!
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