Classic French Butter Brioche (Brioche Pur Beurre)
Nothing screams a French breakfast like a classic Brioche on the table. But not just any brioche… If you ask me, it has to be a Classic French Butter Brioche – known in French as “Brioche pur Beurre”. This French bakery staple is a soft bread that is light, pillowy and enriched with lots of butter to create a taste and texture that is uniquely rich. Unlike other French brioches that can include milk or cream to create an unctuous crumb, this brioche – as its name suggests – is…
- Prep time
- 14 hr
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ½ cups (163g) eggs ( approx. 3 large eggs)
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (25g) sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 packet (8g) Quick-Rise/ Instant yeast
- ¾ cups (175g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp (15ml) milk, for brushing
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
- 2
Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer with a paddle attachment) , place the eggs (exactly 163g), and top with the flour and sugar. Add the salt on one side of the bowl, and the yeast on the other so they don’t touch (salt can kill/retard the yeast). Mix with a spatula (or hook attachment) for 10 minutes, until all combined into a sticky ball.
- 3
Step 2 - Add a quarter of the cold cubed butter and mix until well combined. You can use a bowl scraper to scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl. Make sure you knead until it is well combined and no bits of butter are visible. Continue adding the butter in small amounts kneading well between each addition. Use a scraper once again to unstick the dough from the bowl, and gather it into a rough sticky ball. The dough will seem quite wet and sticky - this is normal. Cover the bowl with a plastic film and let rise in a draft-free environment and at room temperature for 1hr30m-2hr, until the dough has doubled in size.
- 4
Step 3 - Transfer the bowl in the fridge and let rise overnight.
- 5
The next morning, take the bowl out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature for 1 hour. Grease and flour a 8.5x4.5x2.5-in loaf pan; set aside.
- 6
Step 4 - Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface. Divide it into 6 equal pieces. Tap some flour on your hands and shape each piece into a little ball. Place the 6 balls into the prepared pan, in 3 rows of 2. Cover the pan with a kitchen cloth and let rise for about 1 hour – the balls should almost double in size and be a bit “jiggly” when shaking the pan.
- 7
Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle.
- 8
Step 5 - In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg with 1 tbsp of milk. Brush the mixture generously onto the shaped brioche dough. Bake for 30 minutes, until the brioche is golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- 9
Transfer onto a cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.