How To Make Buttery Brioche Dough

Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of brioche.

This bread defies reality. It contains so much butter that it should not be possible. But through some kind of magic, it is! And the result is amazing. I will show you how simple it is to make. The most important thing here is temperature. So, make sure that all the ingredients are stone cold before you even attempt it. This will be a recipe for the basic dough, which you can use to make buns or a loaf. Look in the Brioche section to find more awesome uses for this dough! This recipe makes around 1.1kg (2.4lb) of dough. If you want to make a smaller amount, then just halve the amount of ingredients in this recipe!

Watch the video down below to see detailed instructions.

Ingredients

500g (1.1lb) strong white bread flour, cold!

45g (1.6oz) cold water

250g (8.8oz) cold eggs

13g (0.45oz) salt

60g (2.1oz) sugar

8g (0.3oz) dry yeast or 3x the amount of fresh yeast

250g (8.8oz) cold, unsalted butter

To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

Method

1. Make sure your ingredients are completely cold. Place you flour, water, eggs, and butter in the fridge several hours before making the dough. If you do not do this, then your dough will warm up too much and overproof.
2. Press the butter with a rolling pin between parchment paper until it becomes pliable.
3. In your mixer add the water, salt, half of the sugar, yeast, eggs, and flour. Mix for around 6 minutes on second (low) speed.
4. Add the rest of the sugar and keep mixing for around 5 more minutes.
5. Start adding the butter in chunks. Now you can set a higher speed until the butter is incorporated into the dough and the dough starts coming off the sides of the bowl.
6. Once the dough has come together you can scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and lower the speed. Keep mixing for another 5 minutes.
7. As soon as the dough is looking smooth and becomes stretchy and glutenous you can remove it from the mixer. Desired dough temperature 24 – 25C (75 – 77F). If your dough is warmer, then reduce the first proof time.
8. Fold the dough into a ball, place in a bowl and proof for 1 hour.
9. Fold.
10. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
11. Fold.
12. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
13. Depending on whether you made the full amount given above now you can either fold the whole piece of dough once again or divide it into several pieces for different uses, shape them into balls, wrap in clingfilm.
14. Refrigerate the dough overnight.
15. The next day divide your dough into desired size, pre-shape, and rest on the table for 30 minutes.
16. Final shape into rounds and oblongs or whatever shape you fancy.
17. Final proof 1.5 – 2 hours. During the final hour of fermentation pre-heat your oven to 190C (375F) no fan.
18. Brush with egg and bake for around 20 – 25 minutes.

Let it cool down and enjoy!