This easy 7-ingredient homemade French brioche bread is puffy, tender and delicious. Perfect for breakfast, topped with your favorite jam!
Imagine a warm bread loaf, just taken from the oven, crusty from the outside and soft from the inside. Tender and rich crumb, incredibly puffy and airy texture, delicate taste and mouthwatering yeast bread aroma. This is French brioche bread, that I’ve just baked for breakfast. I top it with fresh ricotta cheese and homemade blueberry jam with a hint of thyme and nutmeg (recipe on the blog soon!), pour myself a cup of café au lait and imagine that I’m in a petit café somewhere in Paris enjoying the most delicious French breakfast one could have.
French brioche is as rich as cake and makes the best French toasts in the world. But today I’m sharing a recipe of homemade French brioche bread loaf, which is probably the best breakfast bread ever invented. Top it with butter and your favorite jam (what about sugar free wild plum jam spiced with cloves and anise?). If you feel like you want a savory breakfast, go ahead and spread soft cheese on it. Or maybe you prefer Sicilian pesto and a slice of Gouda cheese? All the options are great.
Besides, it’s one of the easiest yeast breads I’ve ever baked (along with this super easy German spelt bread). Even if you don’t have a lot of experience in baking, this simple recipe will be easy for you. All you need is 7 ingredients you probably already have at home and a bit of time and inspiration.
How to Bake French Brioche Bread
1. The Dough
As all yeast-based breads, French brioche dough needs time to rise. You won’t spend more that 20 minutes, actively working with the dough. The rest of the time will be either waiting for it to rise or baking.
Start by placing butter in a big owl and melting it in a microwave. Mix it with eggs, sugar and salt. Next step is to warm the milk in a separate bowl and dissolve the fresh yeast in it. Then it’s time to mix it all together and add flour, kneading until the dough is elastic and smooth.
2. Rising
Now we can leave it to rest for at least 40 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel, until it doubles in size. For the faster result, preheat your oven to 50 °C (120 °F) or whatever is the minimum temperature setting in you oven, and put the dough there to rise. In the meantime, prepare the loaf form or bread pan. I used a simple nonstick 11 by 25 cm (5 by 10 inch) bread pan. Then grease it with butter and sift a bit of flour on it.
When your French brioche dough is nice and big, divide it into 10 balls. They should be approximately the size of a tennis ball or smaller. Place them into the bread form in one layer, side by side, pressing a bit, so that they all fit in the form. Leave them for 20 minutes to rise, covered with a kitchen towel.
3. Baking
Preheat the convention oven to 160 °C (320 °F) or a regular oven to 190 °C (370 °F). If it’s confusing, check this video that explains the difference between a regular (conventional) oven and a convention oven.
For the nice crust, brush your French brioche with a mixture of milk and egg yolk before baking. Then bake for about 40 minutes in the middle section of a convention oven, until it’s golden brown.
Check the recipe below for precise instructions and bake your own French brioche!
Homemade French Brioche Bread
Ingredients
- 150 grams or 5.2 oz butter + more for greasing the pan
- 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk for brushing the loaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 125 ml milk +1 tablespoon for brushing the loaf
- 25 grams or 0.9 oz fresh yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
- 500 grams all purpose flour + more for working
Instructions
- DOUGH: In a big bowl, melt butter in a microwave and mix it with eggs, sugar and salt. Warm the milk in a separate bowl and dissolve the yeast in it. Mix it all together and add flour, kneading until the dough is elastic and smooth.
- RISING: Leave the dough to rest for at least 40 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel, until it doubles in size. Prepare the nonstick 11 by 25 cm (5 by 10 inch) bread pan or loaf form. Grease it with butter and sift a bit of flour on it. When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 10 balls. They should be approximately the size of a tennis ball or smaller. Place them into the bread form in one layer, side by side, pressing a bit, so that they all fit in the form. Leave them for 20 minutes to rise, covered with a kitchen towel.
- BAKING: Preheat the convention oven to 160 °C (320 °F) or a regular oven to 190 °C (370 °F). For the nice crust, brush your French brioche with a mixture of milk and egg yolk before baking. Bake for about 40 minutes in the middle section of a convention oven, until it's golden brown. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
French brioche bread makes the best ever French toast!
What is your favorite breakfast bread? Leave a comment below!
Best,
Elena
