Brioche

This classic French bread is rich and slightly sweet, with a soft, golden crust and a yellow, buttery, cakey crumb. It is widely eaten in France - with coffee for breakfast, as a roll with dinner, or as a base for any number of desserts. At River Cottage, we like to toast brioche and serve it with a smooth chicken liver pate, and a little fruit jelly.

• makes

  2 small loaves

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Contrary to popular belief, as bread goes, brioche is pretty straightforward. The dough is very soft to handle though, so kneading in a food mixer is easier. You can make and bake this brioche recipe all in one day, but it benefits from sitting overnight in the fridge; the very soft dough stiffens as it chills, making it easier to shape. 

Ingredients

• 400 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 5 g powdered dried yeast
• 10 g fine salt
• 90 ml warm milk
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 100 g butter, softened
• 4 medium free-range eggs, beaten 

Glaze

• 1 medium free-range egg to glaze
• 2 tbsp milk

Chilling time: overnight

Proving time: 3-4 hours

You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead

Instructions

To knead by hand: mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, and bring it all together to form a dough. Knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and shiny.

Or, to use a food mixer: fit the dough hook and add all the dough ingredients to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined, and leave to knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and shiny.

Shape the dough into a round, place in a bowl and cover tightly. Leave in the fridge overnight.

The next day, divide the dough in two and form into the shape of your choice . Lightly flour the loaves, lay them on a wooden board or linen cloth and cover with a plastic bag. Leave them somewhere nice and warm to prove until almost doubled in size; this could take 3 or 4 hours, as the dough is cold.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. For the glaze, beat the egg and milk together. Transfer the risen loaves to a baking tray and brush all over with the glaze. Bake for about 10 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Bread - River Cottage Handbook No. 3 by Daniel Stevens (Bloomsbury)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Contrary to popular belief, as bread goes, brioche is pretty straightforward. The dough is very soft to handle though, so kneading in a food mixer is easier. You can make and bake this brioche recipe all in one day, but it benefits from sitting overnight in the fridge; the very soft dough stiffens as it chills, making it easier to shape.