June 3rd, 2008

how to make brioche the easy way

brioche 8

paris was the first place i had ever eaten a brioche, and up until yesterday, it was also the last place i had ever eaten one. the girl and i were staying on the border of the 6th and 14th arrondissements for a week, and since it was my first time in france (and i don’t speak french), brioches became one of the only things i felt comfortable ordering myself because we call it the same thing in the states.

brioche 3

we fell into the routine of visiting the cafe down the street from our hotel for a quick cup of coffee and a pastry before heading out to see pretty much every historic point in the city (on foot) and collapsing back in our hotel room 10 to 12 hours later. while i can’t claim that my brioches are anything near what i assume most french bakers can whip up in their sleep, biting into these soft flaky rolls shorty after i took them out of the oven instantly took me back that parisian cafe.

the recipe couldn’t be easier – there are no tricks or special techniques you need to know.

brioche 7

the only consideration you may need to take is having the dough prepared the night before so it can rest in the fridge overnight.

getting the unique brioche shape is a matter of pressing a tiny dough ball into a slightly larger dough ball. i don’t happen to have brioche molds so they don’t have the fancy ridges, but each one came out differently, each a special little golden brown explosion of flaky goodness.

the dough is full of egg and butter, which makes them soft and delicate, perfect for breakfast or dessert. there are brioche variations that have chocolate, cheese or jam baked right into the center of the roll. try brioche in bread pudding, serve it with ice cream, toast it and make sandwiches…

brioche 9

brioche 5

brioche
from Taste of Home’s Complete Guide to Baking. makes one dozen.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs

1. in a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, lemon peel and salt. in a saucepan, heat butter and milk to 120-130 F. add to dry ingredients and beat until moistened.

2. add four eggs and beat, add one cup flour and beat until smooth. stir in the remaining flour but do not knead. spoon dough into a greased bowl and cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

3. punch dough down, cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. cover and let rest for 15 mintues. cut 1/6 from the dough and set aside. divide the remaining dough into 12 equally sized balls and place into greased muffin cups. divide the 1/6 of the dough into 12 smaller balls. make an indentation in each larger dough ball and place a small ball into the indentation. cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

5. beat remaining egg and brush over rolls. bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. you may also want to put an oven proof bowl of water in the bottom of the oven to keep the brioches moist as they bake.



39 Comments for how to make brioche the easy way - why not leave some love?

  1. Beryl says:

    Pete you rock! I can’t wait to make these!

  2. Beautiful photos! I’m dying to try these.

  3. Cathie says:

    These look great! I loved the brioche in France as well, and I agree, very esay to order. I’m going to be attempting these. Thanks for the recipe!

  4. hadley says:

    do you dip your brioches in a bowl of coffee in the morning just like a frenchie? When I was in France, the recollection of that taste kept me warm on the cold trip to school every day.

  5. hadley says:

    in other words, i’m glad you put this recipe up, can’t wait to make it!

  6. Deborah says:

    I never thought to make these in muffin tins – what a great idea! I’ve only made brioche once, but I totally loved it!

  7. I LOVE brioche. Something about the butter makes the bread just rich and sexy. I love that you rocked these in the muffin tins! Work it out!

  8. [...] Easy Brioche at pete bakes [...]

  9. Jeni says:

    My fiance and I have a friend who just opened her own pastry shop 3 months ago. Every time we go, I have to try something different. Her name is Diane, and she makes the best breads, cookies, cakes, tortes, brownies- you name it, and it’s in her shop. Last week, she wanted us to try her new “brioche” recipe. I had never heard of this before, and I didn’t want to sound dumb in front of her, so I just said I loved brioche and hers tasted very good. I googled brioche when I got home, and the first thing I saw was your recipe. It looked amazing, so I tried it! I made your brioche, and it tasted soooo good. Thanks :)

  10. nell says:

    where can i purchase brioche by the loaf, i live in kansas city, mo, please let me know asap.

  11. Joe says:

    Made your brioche recipe Sunday for a football gathering to serve with a beef stew. It went very fast. I could have nade a double batch and they would have finished it. Thanks

  12. wal says:

    thanks for the brioche recipe…

  13. [...] easy brioche recipe pete bakes Posted by root 19 hours ago (http://www.peterandrewryan.com) Print email comment june 3rd 2008 12 comments for how to make brioche the easy way why not leave some love made your brioche recipe sunday for a football gathering to serve with a beef stew it went very fast powered by wordpress with barecity about recipe Discuss  |  Bury |  News | easy brioche recipe pete bakes [...]

  14. Cassid says:

    Oh, these look really cool, so I’m going to try to make them!Thanks for the instructions!And keep up your good work! :D

  15. vicks says:

    when you say FLOUR what KIND do you mean? all purpose or bread?

  16. Veriance says:

    This was a delicious recipe, definitely a keeper! thanks for sharing!

  17. Jenny says:

    mmm….can’t wait to make these tonight!

  18. Liz says:

    I used this recipe to make sticky buns. They are amazing!!! Awesome dough recipe. Thanks for posting it!

  19. [...] recreate. But as you can see from the pictures, I could use a little lesson in symmetry. Check out Pete Bakes if you want to see what they should have looked [...]

  20. Jennifer says:

    Try buying the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. There is a Brioche recipe in there and you can have these muffins every night if you want them. Mix the dough once and eat for days!

    http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com

  21. ainsley says:

    in sicily i used to go around the corner to the bakery every morning just for the fresh brioche… oh, i cant wait to try these!

  22. grace says:

    Making this for my mum for mothers day have to wake up about six thirty tommorow to cook the bread as we have to leave for a music festival thank you for this recipe

  23. I really enjoy what you post here, very fresh and intelligent. One issue though, I’m running Firefox on Fedora and some of your layout pieces are a little wonky. I know it’s not a popular setup, but it is still something to keep an eye on. Just tossing you a heads up.

  24. Anna says:

    Thank you Pete!

  25. Brandi says:

    That looks heavenly!

  26. Monica says:

    Wow! These look great! I’m gonna try and make this for my mom’s birthday, which is 3 days away.

  27. Omega says:

    I always eat a parmesean brioche with soup at work for lunch now Ill be able to make my own thanx!

  28. Samy says:

    I love you and yor brioche

  29. joyce says:

    these look amazing!! love the pictures! i must make this for my family!

  30. Ophelia says:

    I made your brioche. The flavor and appearance was nice, but it was a bit dry. What could I have done wrong?

  31. Kageprint says:

    Very tasty!
    Thank you for the recipe :)

  32. [...] brioche a lot. it's my favorite bread ever because it's easiest for me. i always use this recipe. and i have never had any problems with it, until this time. it was totally my fault. i was [...]

  33. Olly says:

    didn’t know I had this type of relationship with food!
    Had the brioche sandwich made with Branston pickle and provolone cheese.

    made me weak in the knees, freakin’ awesome!! can’t wait to try this recipe.

  34. [...] a lot. it’s my favorite bread ever because it’s easiest for me. i always use this recipe. and i have never had any problems with it, until this time. it was totally my fault. i was [...]

  35. kiki says:

    i baked my 12 little brioche this morning.. amazingly they do do resemble ur batch! they taste great with plum jam.. just heavenly pete! thanks heaps

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  37. Do you know how I avoid duplicate iCal alerts? (Apple support does not, so far…) I think b/c of iCloud calendar sharing among my husband and that i, I am getting two alerts for every event on the iMac and on the iPhone. almost everything is up to date and that i use a new MacBook Pro and the new iPhone 4s.

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