Print

French Brioche Recipe Without Butter

Brioche bun with jam, the rest of the brioche, a spoon with jam in the background.
Print Recipe
Save Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 17 reviews

This quick French brioche is made without butter, using grape seed or olive oil and milk for an ultra-soft, pillowy crumb. It is a simple, dairy-flexible brioche recipe that is easier than a classic butter brioche.

Ingredients

Scale

For the brioche dough:

  • 1 cup + 3 1/2 teaspoons (260 g) whole milk
  • 1/3 cup (70 g) grapeseed oil
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla sugar
  • 3 cups + 2 teaspoons (380 g) all-purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons (60 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 tablespoon (5 g) salt
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) instant dry yeast 

For brushing:

  • 1 tablespoon milk or 1 egg

*Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!

** If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. To make the brioche dough, melt instant dry 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.
  2. Then gradually add the milk/yeast mixture. Knead the dough in the stand mixer until smooth, about 11 minutes (5 minutes at average speed, then 6 minutes at maximum speed).
  3. Transfer the dough to a bowl, 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.
  4. 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, leaving a little space between them.
  5. 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. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Glaze the brioche with the egg beaten with salt using a pastry brush. Bake for 25 minutes. 
  6. Let it cool a bit before removing it from the pan. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Notes

  1. Read the main tips for making a 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 an eye on the brioche while baking: you might need to cover it with aluminum foil at some point to keep it from browning too much.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/brioche-christophe-michalak/