Simple Brioche Loaf

This Brioche recipe is not one of my own, but it is a recipe that I have fallen in love with. Bonnie Ohara who is the owner of Alchemy Bread co, wrote this recipe. She owns and operates her cute little bakery out in Modesto, CA and I highly recommend her book "Bread Baking for Beginners".

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*All measurements have been weighed on a metric bakers scale.

Ingredients

(Makes 2 loaves)

• 156 grams of whole milk

• 256 grams of whole eggs

• 72 grams of sugar

• 6 grams of instant yeast

• 180 grams of very soft butter (Not melted)

• 600 of all-purpose Flour

• 12 grams of salt

• 1 egg + few Tbs of water for egg wash

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Method

Start out by weighing all your ingredients out in separate bowls. The butter should be really soft and pliable as we will be hand mixing the dough later. I do recommend that the milk and eggs be at room temperature. In a large mixing bowl, combine your butter, milk, eggs, sugar, and yeast with a whisk. Once your wet ingredients have been mixed, add your flour and salt on top and combine everything together with your hands. It will be a fairly sticky dough but things will come together once the dough sits.

Once everything has been combined, rest your dough for 30 min, After 30 min, turn out your dough on a very well floured surface, and knead your dough for 5-10 min to develop gluten. Once you are done kneading the dough, it should hold a much better shape and is ready for the rising stage. Cover the dough and let it rise for 2 hours.

Once your dough has risen, you are ready to shape your dough. Carefully divide your dough into two equal portions. Shape each loaf into a nicely shaped rectangle. Be sure to not deflate the dough. Once your loaves are shaped, place them into two greased loaf pans.

Once your loaves have been place in the loaf pans, we want to let them proof in the pan for another 2 hours. If your dough rises above the edges of your pan, let it! This is a good thing!

After two hours have passed, you should be ready to bake. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Take your egg-wash and gently brush the wash on the tops of your loaves. Then bake your loaves for about 35-40 min or until nicely golden.

Once your breads are done, let them rest in the pan for about 10-15 min before you take them out. I would let them rest a full hour once they are out of the pan, before slicing into them. Then it is as simple as enjoying these amazing Brioche loaves. I highly recommend using this recipe for bread pudding!