Quick French Brioche Recipe

Welcome this quick French brioche recipe and make a brioche without butter but with the incredible ultra-soft texture. It makes a simple yet delicious breakfast with a cup of fresh coffee or tea. This basic simple recipe is a keeper!

This French brioche loaf is the first brioche I have ever made and the second baking project made from a yeast-leavened dough after French Mini Brioche Rolls.

I fell in love with the brioche dough from the minute it was ready, and I could not wait for the brioche to take out of the oven.

Its aroma filled the whole kitchen, my "Petit Paris" (little Paris in English),  as I call my favorite place in the house.

While the brioche was baking, I could not stop looking at its growing and browning through the oven window. Finally, it was ready. 

I always take pictures of my new baking project before serving it on a table. Once the brioche showed up its ultra-soft texture at the two bun's balls, I stopped taking photos.

I was staring at the loaf. I have never seen such a beautiful baked texture: it was golden, soft, and pillowy.

I have already made this French brioche loaf a few times. Sometimes I notice that the baking result is being improved through the times I make, but this brioche is so easy to make this it turns out perfect each time.

I want to reassure you that you will get an excellent result from the first attempt!

What is brioche?

Brioche is a French pastry that resembles bread with high egg and butter content.

A unique brioche formula gives the finished product a flaky, almost pastry-like texture. That is why brioche is considered as "the meeting point of pastry and bread."

It belongs to the viennoiserie category, which means it is a baked good made from leavened yeast dough with the extra addition of eggs, butter, liquid (most of the time, milk), and sometimes sugar. 

Origine of brioche

The first appearance of the word 'brioche' goes back to 1404. Food historians believe that brioche was adapted from a classic Norman recipe.

But another version that brioche is of Romania origin since a Romanian holiday bread resembles brioche.

In any way, it is clear that the brioche formula was developed in France with the addition of butter that masks the yeast flavor.

Yes, the French perfected the art of brioche making known and loved today. 

Types of brioche

There are different types of brioche. Brioche loaf is made in a pan without being rolled into balls, which is perfect for toasts.

Brioche Nanterre is a French brioche loaf made in a standard loaf pan with two rows of dough rolled into balls.

The bread is then proofed in the pan, fusing the dough balls. During baking, they rise further and form a beautiful pattern.

Brioche à tête meaning "brioche with the head" in English, has a small roll of the dough on top and then baked in a muffin pan to get its rounded shape.

Other types of brioches include crumbed brioche, braided brioche, Vendée brioche, muslin brioche, the panettone. 

The tart tropézienne also consists of a soft and melting brioche.

Plenty of Christmas brioches are all variations of the traditional French brioche recipe as well.

The sweet bread baked during Christmas time is widespread: Panforte in Siena, Zelten from Trento, Cougnou from Belgium, Stollen from Alsace, etc.

Main tips for making brioche

The 'right' temperature of the ingredients 

According to Madam Mercotte, who learned one of the Valrhona school's essential tips, all the ingredients must be cold; it avoids overheating the dough during kneading.

Brioche pan

The brioche dough is very rich in butter and needs to be baked in a mold to keep an excellent cooking resistance.

The best brioche pans are the metal ones, which allow you to get a satisfactory baking result.

Please, never use silicone brioche molds since they do not allow the right convection of heat.

To grease the brioche pan, use a cooking spray, but you can also use butter and flour. 

Kneading a brioche dough

To knead a brioche dough, you will need to use a stand mixer. The dough is relatively tricky to handle knead otherwise or by hand.

The first slow-speed kneading gives the dough's body and elasticity; the faster kneading builds the gluten network.

Use the hook of a stand mixer for kneading, but if you use the flat whisk (instead of the hook), it will even bring a more beautiful brioche texture. 

At the end of kneading, the brioche dough must come off the walls of the bowl. You should be able to pull on the dough without it tearing.

Respect resting times

There are three known resting times in brioche making. 

The first resting time is the fermentation that lasts up to 24 hours, depending on the temperature and yeast amount.

At the end of this step, you will degas (or "punch down") the brioche dough with your palm or your fist to dismiss carbon dioxide.

The second resting time is the cooling time in the refrigerator, which lasts up to two hours, depending upon the dough's weight, temperature, and temperature of the fridge).

This step is a must-have since the brioche dough is quite sticky, the butter and the dough have to harden.

The third resting time is proofing when the dough rises to double in volume before baking.

You will need to cover the bowl with a cloth and keep it in the switched-off oven, so there is no draft, and the ambient temperature is constant.

To find out if the dough is ready to bake, you will need to press on the dough with your index finger. 

If the dough rises right away, it is not finished. In this case, if it grows slowly, it indicates the brioche dough is ready to bake.

If your fingerprint remains, it is about too late: bring the dough into the oven promptly!

Shaping brioche

The shaping is essential; it is the second last step of your brioche making. There are as many different shapes as there are kinds of brioches. 

For example, you will need to shape two branches for braided brioches and then braid them together. 

For Nanterre brioche, you will need to divide the dough equally into several small balls and put them together in a mold.  

To make brioche à tête, you will need to weigh two small dough pieces: one in a ball with a hole that will work as a base, and the other in the shape of a pear (with a tail) that will be arranged into the base.

Browning brioche

To get a lovely golden brioche, you will need to apply the gilding, a mixture of eggs or egg yolks, and water or milk. 

There are several techniques of gilding. You can use a whole egg lightly whisked with a fork, add a pinch of salt, and a little bit of water.

This technique is the most common one used by French chefs.  Another way of gilding is to dilute the egg yolk in a little bit of milk or use only milk. 

It is common to use the gilding twice: the first time before the proofing (to prevent the brioche from "crusting") and the second time is before baking. 

To brown the brioche, use a pastry brush instead of a silicone brush, which does not work for pastry.

How to eat brioche

As per The Spruce Eats, eating brioche is

an exercise in self-control, as [the] brioche recipe smells incredible as it bakes, and you will not want to wait.

It is best served warm and eaten on baking, although leftovers make great French toast.

Once the French brioche loaf is ready, pull it apart into rolls/buns or let it cool, slice it and enjoy.

Eat brioche on its own or torn into bite-sized pieces and enjoy with a little swipe of butter.

Brioche is also good with jam or preserves; children love it toasted with Nutella.

Why you should try this recipe

1. This quick brioche recipe is easy to make from scratch compared with other brioches.
2. It is a basic recipe used for other recipes. As an example, please, have a look at Sweet Pizza made out of brioche dough.
3. This French brioche recipe does not call for butter; instead, grape seed oil and milk are added.
4. The shaping technique is extremely easy: you will only need to make equal dough balls and arrange them in a brioche pan.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Milk: the recipe calls for whole milk, but it can be substituted with plant-based milk. This French brioche recipe does not use butter; milk or other liquid is added to complete the hydration.

Grape seed oil: it brings moisture to the brioche dough. The grape seed oil is flavorless, which is why it is often used in baking.

You can replace it with rapeseed oil, or you are free to use a scented oil such as black truffle oil or roasted hazelnut oil.

Vanilla sugar: it brings the vanilla flavor to brioche.

Flour: use freshly bought all-purpose flour, but you can also choose oatmeal flour (not oat flour).

It is the most refined wheat flour made from soft wheat with 11% gluten that is sold in France, for example.

Since this flour is richer in gluten than the others, it gives more elasticity to the brioche dough.

Sugar: the recipe calls for granulated white sugar. It makes the crumb moister and promotes the coloring of the crust during baking. 

It also allows a proper fermentation and a good development of the yeast. 

Salt: it gives the taste and enhances the flavor, improves the elasticity of the brioche dough, and promotes coloring of the crust.

Instant active yeast: this recipe calls for instant dry yeast or fresh baker's yeast.

How to make French brioche

To make the brioche dough, melt instant active yeast in the warm milk and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla sugar. Add grapeseed oil and mix at low speed for about 2 minutes (photo 1).

Then gradually add the milk/yeast mixture. Knead the dough in the stand mixer until smooth for about 11 minutes: 5 minutes at the average speed, then 6 minutes at the maximum speed (photo 2).

Transfer the dough to a bowl (photo 3), cover it with a cloth, and let it rest in the switched-off oven (aka cool oven) for about 1 to 1.5 hours until the dough is doubled in size.

To shape the dough, divide it into six equal parts and shape the balls (use a bit of flour while shaping).

Butter a nonstick bread pan and arrange the dough balls in the mold, spacing them slightly (photo 4).

Let the shaped dough grow at room temperature (better in the switched-off oven) until it doubles in size, for about 20 minutes to 1 hour (photo 5).

Preheat oven to 355 degrees F/180 C. Glaze the brioche with the egg beaten with salt using a pastry brush. Bake for 25 minutes.

Take it out and let it cool a bit before taking it out of the pan (photo 6). Let it cool completely before slicing.

Expert tips

1. Please, read the main tips for making French brioche loaf above in the post.
2. Replace instant dry yeast with 0.7 oz (20 g) of fresh baker's yeast.
3. If you brush brioche with an egg, you will get a shiny result. Replace the egg with milk if you prefer.
4. Keep your eye on brioche while baking: you might need to cover it with aluminum foil at some point to keep the brioche from extra browning.

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.aux-fourneaux.fr/ and  https://www.mercotte.fr/. It was originally published on August 30, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.