Sweet brioche recipe for making French buns that are pillowy, sweet, buttery, and rich in eggs and milk. These buns taste delectable on their own with coffee or tea or with butter or jam!
Sweet brioche using this traditional recipe is one of my favorite sweetbreads. Over the years, I have tried my hand at various recipes from magazines, books, and of course, word-of-mouth from friends and family. With the advent of Google, getting recipes became easier. That said, it was in Singapore that I found my go-to recipe. My children’s French teacher at the international school exposed them, and by extension me, to French culture and cuisine. It was during one of their immersion luncheons that their teacher shared a few recipes that had been passed down from her grandmother. As a part of their “homework,” their teacher wanted them to choose and prepare a dish with one’s family to share with the class. My son had brought home the little booklet, and we unanimously chose to bake the brioche buns. While it was time-consuming and somewhat messy, we had a lot of fun making it. This recipe has been adapted from that booklet.
Origin of brioche:
Few memorable phrases in history are more misquoted than Marie-Antoinette’s, “Let them eat cake!” Attributed to the late French queen almost half a century following her end, what she reputedly said was, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!”, that is “Let them eat brioche”. Obviously, some lost-in-translation going on there.
Nonetheless, this luxurious, sweet, and soft bread is just that – bread. And like most bread, it has a history going back to around 1400 AD in Normandy, when it was just simple, compact, sourdough-based rounds or loaves. It was during the reign of Louis XIV that his bakers began to craft this simple dish into something more indulgent by increasing the ratio of butter to flour. The brioche that we mostly consume today is the “Brioche Parisienne”, which is lighter and airier because of the introduction of yeast, sometime in the 18th century.
Equipment for making the sweet brioche:
My family and I make a special treat out of breakfasts every Saturday. Each week, one of us chooses the weekend menu, beginning with Saturday breakfast. A perennial favorite is the sweet brioche, which is the sweet version of an old-fashioned recipe with a modern twist.
Our busy lives are eased using appliances such as the bread maker or a stand mixer. However, I prefer to make brioche by hand. This method is not that time-consuming (except for the resting period overnight) or arduous as I make them in small batches. I tried using the bread machine years ago, but they came out dense and did not have the same outer texture. When I tried using the stand mixer, the results were better but lacked the lightness I achieve when using my hands.
Frankly, all the experimenting left me convinced that handmade brioche tasted better, and this recipe has kept my family happy. “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!”
Ingredients for the sweet brioche in this recipe:
- Butter: Unsalted butter is what you need for this recipe and not salted butter that contains more water.
- Flour: While all-purpose flour is fine, bread flour is preferred as it has a higher protein content that helps to form gluten, which is essential for breadmaking.
- Yeast: In the recipe handed to us, fresh yeast was used. I adapted this recipe by using active or dry yeast which have a longer shelf life and work just fine.
- Milk: Every ingredient that goes into making such special breads must be carefully chosen to make a difference in taste and texture in the end. Whole milk is better than reduced fat for a richer taste.
Difference between brioche and regular white bread:
Brioche breads are rich in eggs, milk, and butter unlike regular white bread that calls for flour, water and yeast.
Difference between Brioche and Challah:
While brioche and challah have many of the same ingredients as challah — eggs, flour, and sugar, a key difference is that challah (being kosher) does NOT usually contain butter, milk, or cream.
Other French Variations:
It may surprise you to know that contrary to popular (outside of France) belief, there are several versions of brioche. Here are the more famous ones from different parts of France.
- Brioche tressée de Metz: a traditional braided version commonly consumed in Lorraine region
- Brioche Vendéenne: French braided brioche that must be consumed fresh. It is popular at Eastertime and at weddings.
- Brioche Saint Genix: A leavened brioche enriched with sugar-coated nuts from Lyon
- Brioche de Nanterre: Yeast-risen dough, enriched with butter and eggs and divided into eight portions and served with butter and jam
- Fallue: Traditional brioche from Normandy, served with a creamy rice pudding (teurgoule)
- Gâche Vendéenne: An oval shaped, golden crusted brioche associated with Vendée
- Pogne: Commonly associated with the Rhône-Alpes region, this brioche is prepared with a leavened, brioche-like dough flavored with orange blossom water. The recipe is believed to be from the Middle Ages and served at Easter.
Besides France, brioche is also popular in bordering countries. The Belgians have a version called Cougnou, which is yeasted dough shaped in the form of a swaddled baby that is enriched with raisins, chocolate chips, or pearl sugar. Equally, the Italians have the Sicilian Brioche Col Tuppo. This brioche can be enriched with orange or lemon rind, saffron, or apples and is accompanied by a sorbet(granita) or gelato.
Personally, I have also experimented with brioche as a sweet and savory using this recipe: Here are my variations:
- I have encased a sweet brioche bun with either a cherry, cranberry, or blueberry for my children to find after they bit into the bun.
- Brioche bread or buns can be made with other spices and herbs to make them savory. Over the years, I have tried making brioche with coriander seeds as an accompaniment for Indian soups or even as a pav or bread. (I reduced the amount of sugar I used by a third).
- Black or whole red peppercorns added to the brioche dough before baking them is ideal for vegetable soups.
- For formal dinners for friends and family, I have made brioche buns with poppy seeds, cumin seeds, caraway seeds and even ground chili once! The chili brioche turned out to be a big hit in the end!
Other bread recipes that you will love to try:
How to use this recipe to make sweet brioche:
- Sieve the flour. Dissolve the yeast in water. Wait for about five minutes for the yeast mixture to bubble.
2. Once the yeast mixture becomes frothy, add it to a fourth of the flour and make a small ball. Cut across the top of the ball so that the ball can rise.
3. Drop the small ball into a large bowl of hot water. The water must just be hot enough for you to dip your fingers in. The temperature must ideally be between 105-1100F.
4. Once the ball is double in size and has risen to the surface, it is ready to be folded into the dough later.
5. In the meantime, take the rest of the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, sugar, salt and the milk together with a fork.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the flour and combine to form a dough.
7. Knead the dough thoroughly until elastic. When you pull the dough apart, it should taper off to a thin ribbon that looks shiny and translucent. The dough will be sticky but it must be glossy at this point.
8. In another bowl or a stand mixer, cream the butter. Gradually work the butter into the dough.
9. After kneading the dough with the creamed butter, the dough at this stage should be malleable and glossy.
10. Drain the soaked sponge ball using a slotted spoon.
11. Carefully, cut the sponge and fold into the dough. Fold in very carefully ensuring that the sponge if thoroughly combined with the dough.
12. Knead the dough well into a large ball. Place in a greased bowl.
13. Sprinkle on top with flour. Cover with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.
14. When the dough has doubled in bulk, knock it down, pull from the sides to the center. Turn it over and sprinkle again with flour. Cover with a damp cloth and refrigerate overnight for 8 hours.
15. The following day, briefly knead the dough. Make small balls and place two per depression in the greased mini loaf tin. Let the brioche rise again for 20 minutes in a warm place. Brush with heavy cream mixed with salt or egg wash. Bake at 4250F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
1. Use lukewarm (tepid) milk and water. Bear in mind that yeast dies at above 1300F and is happiest around 980F.
2. Keep the ambient temperature at around/above 700F. A cold ambient room temperature does not aid in dough rising and the ideal temperature for this is around 750F to 780F. So I try placing the dough near a hot stove, a heated room, or turn on the oven for a couple of minutes on the lowest possible temperature and place the covered bowl in the oven. Keep in mind that if the temperature of the oven was on high, then the dough that is placed in it will rise dramatically and deflate quickly after baking.
3. The yeast and water mixture must bubble and then become frothy. If the yeast does not become frothy, then it probably expired.
4. Brioche dough is supposed to be sticky and can be hard to handle. I usually dust my hands with flour when handling the dough. Be careful! Adding extra flour to the dough will harden the bread. Unlike cooking, where you can somewhat safely experiment, baking is a more exact science. The measurements must be followed precisely.
5. Try not to densely pack the cup with flour. Gently shake the cup to remove the excess and use a knife to smooth the top of the measuring cup.
6. Baking sweet brioche using this recipe at home makes the whole house smell enticing that it is natural for you to want to slit the bun immediately after baking. Please resist this. Slicing the brioche while they are still internally hot will result in lumps or dense blobs.
7. While you can use a stand mixer to “automate” making the sweet brioche, I have found that hand motions aid in releasing the carbon dioxide from the yeast and gluten that forms when water is added to flour. I make only small batches for my family and kneading works well. But above all else, you must be patient when making brioche.
Shapes:
- Brioche can be braided into a loaf
- Knead into a regular loaf
- Made into a mini loaf consisting of two balls
- Knead into individual buns
- Traditional shape of making a ball with a smaller ball on top
How to store the sweet brioche:
Sweet homemade brioche that I make in small batches can be stored in an airtight box at room temperature for a week and refrigerated thereafter. But in tropical climate, they must be refrigerated in a box.
How to serve:
Brioche tastes great with coffee or tea for breakfast. They can be served with butter or jam.
For brioche loaf:
If you choose to double the quantity to make a loaf, then increase the butter from 4 ounces to 6 ounces. Follow the instructions and bake at 4000F for 50-60 minutes.
What to make with leftover sweet brioche?
In my family, we seldom have leftover brioche. But on the rare occasions that we do have leftover or end pieces I use it to make bread and butter pudding or other bread-based desserts.
Sweet Brioche Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bread flour
- ½ ounce active yeast
- 4-5 tbsp tepid water
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 tbsp whole milk
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream with large pinch of salt for brushing
Instructions
- Sieve the flour. Dissolve the yeast in water. Wait for about five minutes for the yeast mixture to bubble.
- Once the yeast mixture becomes frothy, add it to a fourth of the flour and make a small ball. Cut across the top of the ball so that the ball can rise.
- Drop the small ball into a large bowl of hot water. The water must just be hot enough for you to dip your fingers in. The temperature must ideally be between 105-1100F.
- Once the ball is double in size and has risen to the surface, it is ready to be folded into the dough later.
- In the meantime, take the rest of the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, sugar, salt and the milk together with a fork.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour and combine to form a dough.
- Knead the dough thoroughly until elastic. When you pull the dough apart, it should taper off to a thin ribbon that is translucent. The dough will be sticky but it must be shiny at this point.
- In another bowl or a stand mixer, cream the butter. Gradually work the butter into the dough.
- After kneading the dough with the creamed butter, the dough at this stage should be pliable and glossy.
- Drain the soaked sponge ball using a slotted spoon.
- Carefully, cut the sponge and fold into the dough. Fold in very carefully ensuring that the sponge if thoroughly combined with the dough.
- Knead the dough well into a large ball. Place in a greased bowl.
- Sprinkle on top with flour. Cover with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.
- When the dough has doubled in bulk, knock it down, pull from the sides to the center. Turn it over and sprinkle again with flour. Cover with a damp cloth and refrigerate overnight for 8 hours.
- The following day, briefly knead the dough. Make small balls and place two per depression in the greased mini loaf tin. Let the brioche rise again for 20 minutes in a warm place. Brush with heavy cream mixed with salt or egg wash. Bake at 4250F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Nutrition
this is such a delicious weekend recipe! my parents loved it when I made it for them. thank you Kanchan!
I love this brioche!
Thanks!