By Matt Adlard

By Matt Adlard

Brioche Bread Recipe

Straight from Matt's (@mattadlard) new cookbook, The Science of Baking, here is a delicious recipe on how to achieve the perfect, golden brioche bread.

 

"Handling enriched doughs is a skill that can be mastered easily. This dough takes time to rest, but your patience will be rewarded with rich, buttery brioche with a soft, smooth crumb."

  • Makes 2 loaves
  • Prep time 40 mins + 17 ½ - 18 hrs proofing, chilling, and cooling
  • Bake time 55 mins

What you will need

  • stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
  • plastic dough scraper
  • large bowl
  • cling film
  • bench scraper
  • kitchen scales
  • two 24 × 10 × 10cm loaf tins
  • bulldog clips
  • pastry brush
  • digital thermometer
  • wire rack

Ingredients

  • 390g eggs
  • 40g full-fat milk
  • 650g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 15g fine sea salt
  • 16g fresh yeast or 8g instant dry yeast
  • 65g caster sugar
  • 325g unsalted butter, at room temperature (16°C/60°F), cubed, plus softened butter for greasing
  • oil, for oiling
  • 1 egg, whisked, for egg wash

Method for Brioche Bread Recipe

  1. Add the eggs, milk, flour, salt, yeast, and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. During this time, you will need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl 4–5 times with a dough scraper. The dough should be more cohesive but not developed into a smooth consistency yet.

  2. With the mixer still on medium speed, add the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time. You can flatten the pieces slightly between your fingers so they are incorporated easily. This should take 4–5 minutes.
    Once all the butter is mixed in and you can’t see any lumps, knead the dough in the stand mixer for 30–60 seconds. Don’t mix it for too long as the dough may overheat. The dough should be glossy, smooth, and pass the windowpane test.

 

Method, continued

3.    Very lightly oil a work surface, a large bowl, and your hands. Scoop the dough out of the mixer with the help of a plastic dough scraper, and use your hands to shape it into a smooth boule (ball). Lift the dough into the oiled bowl, cover the bowl with cling film, and leave the dough to proof at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.

4.    After 11/2 hours, very lightly flour the work surface and the top of the dough, then use a dough scraper to scoop the dough, smooth-side down, onto the work surface. With lightly floured hands, gently flatten the dough, then fold it in on itself, flipping it over and smoothing it into a boule again. Lift the dough back into the oiled bowl and very lightly rub some oil over the top of the dough. Cover the top of the dough directly with cling film, as well as a sheet of cling film tightly wrapped over the bowl. Chill in the fridge for 12 hours.

5.    The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and scoop it out of the bowl, smooth-side down, onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into 12 x 95g portions.

6.    With lightly floured hands, place a portion of the dough, smooth-side down, on a very lightly floured surface and gently flatten it slightly. Fold the outer edges of the dough towards the centre so they all meet, then flip the dough over so the smooth side is now facing up.

7.    Lightly flour the palms of your hands and cup it over the dough, creating a C shape. Moving your hand quickly in a circular motion, roll the dough to create tension and form the dough into a tight, smooth ball. Repeat this with the remaining dough balls.

8.    Lightly grease two 24 × 10 × 10cm loaf tins with butter and line them very neatly with baking parchment, using bulldog clips to keep the paper in place. Place the dough balls into the tins, six per tin, in two rows of three, offsetting them slightly in a honeycomb-like pattern. Cover the tins with cling film and leave to proof at room temperature for 3–3 ½  hours. The balls should double in size and rise about halfway up the sides of the tins.

9.    When the brioche has nearly finished proofing, preheat the oven to 145°C (125°C fan/295°F/Gas 1). This is a low temperature, but it results in a more controlled bake and a softer texture. Once proofed, remove the clips and bake for 45 minutes until the dough has risen just above the tins and is golden.

10.    Working quickly, open the oven door and quickly brush egg wash over the top of the dough, then close the door and bake for a further 10 minutes. The internal temperature of the dough should read above 90°C (195°F) when a digital thermometer is inserted into the centre. Immediately remove the brioche loaves from the tins onto a wire rack and leave to cool for 1 hour before serving.

Images by © Matthew Hague 2026
Extracted from The Science of Baking by Matt Adlard (DK, £25)