Sourdough Brioche Bread

This Sourdough Brioche Bread recipe makes the best soft, fluffy, and buttery bread! Using the Yudane method, this sourdough brioche is extra tender and keeps the bread pillowy and fresh for days.

Inspired by Japanese Shokupan or Japanese Milk Bread, this sourdough brioche is an enriched bread made with eggs, milk, a little sugar, and butter. The brioche even has a shreddable, pull-apart texture like store-bought dinner rolls.

Sourdough Brioche is so light that it practically melts in your mouth just looking at it. The long fermentation from sourdough gives it a slight tang and is balanced by a slight sweetness and of course the buttery-ness of it all.

Brioche is great alone, with jam, as breakfast toast, or as French Toast. It’s a versatile and staple recipe in my house and I even use the dough to make my Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. It’s that good! Master this sourdough brioche recipe and a whole collection of enriched dough recipes will open before you!

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What is Brioche?

Brioche is a French bread that is highly enriched with eggs and butter. With its high butter content, brioche is in the same family of yeasted baked goods like croissants and puff pastry- viennoiserie.

Brioche can be a single loaf, braided, made as rolls, or as individual muffin-like servings. It’s versatile to serve on its own or to use the dough as a base for other recipes like babkas, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, or even sourdough hamburger buns.

What is Yudane?

Yudane is a Japanese method of mixing flour and boiling water together that creates an extremely soft bread. This simple roux gelatinizes the flour into a paste and has many benefits when trying to create an extra soft bread. The pre-cooked flour allows it to absorb more water, helps the dough rise taller, and makes it more shelf-stable.

Yudane is similar to Tangzhong (a Chinese method of pre-cooking flour on a stovetop into a slurry) and both translate into “roux” in their respective languages. Yudane is a 1:1 ratio of flour and water whereas Tangzhong is typically a 1:5 ratio.

For this Sourdough Brioche Bread recipe, I prefer the Yudane method because you can make it at the same time as your levain and let it cool while your levain rises.

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🛠 Tools Needed for Sourdough Brioche:

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed for Sourdough Brioche:

Click on the toggles below for more information, recommendations, and possible substitutes.

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👨‍🏫 Baker’s Percentage Table:

I include a baker’s percentage chart so you can easily scale a recipe up or down. With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the recipe is 100%. The other ingredients are noted in relation to the total weight of flour. This is why the percentages below will add up to over 100%. The King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated if you’re interested and would like to learn more.

Dough Ingredients	Weight	Percentage
Bread Flour	300 grams	100%
Sourdough Starter*	30 grams	10%
Water	88 grams	29.3%
Sea Salt	5 grams	1.7%
Granulated Sugar	27 grams	9%
Whole Milk, room temperature	59 grams	19.7%
Two Large Eggs**	114 grams	38%
Unsalted Butter, room temperature	113 grams (8 TBS/One stick)	37.7%

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Sourdough Brioche Recipe & Guide:

I’ve included a sample schedule alongside this sourdough brioche guide. As always, adjust as necessary to fit your own schedule, ambient temperature, and rate of fermentation.

1. Build the Levain: 9:00am

Mix together 30g sourdough starter, 30g bread flour, and 30g warm water in an empty jar.

Cover and let set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until bubbly and ripe. The levain should at least double in size during this time.

Note: Please refer to my guide on How To Make A Sourdough Starter if you do not have a sourdough starter and the FAQ section on that page where I explain the difference between a starter and a levain. Learn how to make a stronger sourdough starter with my sourdough starter tips guide.

I almost always use a specific levain for recipes. If you’d prefer to skip making a levain, just use about 80-90g ripe sourdough starter when you add the wet ingredients.

2. Make Yudane: 9:05am

Make your yudane for this sourdough brioche recipe at the same time as you make your levain (or at least 5 hours before you make the dough).

Place 58g bread flour in a small, heatproof bowl.

Boil 58g water in a tea kettle or on a stovetop. Immediately pour the boiling water on top of the flour.

With a silicone spatula, mix together the flour and boiling water until the flour is gelatinized, thoroughly mixed, and it forms a thick paste.

Set aside to cool. This is your yudane!

Note: Typically, yudane sits for at least 8 hours or overnight before adding to your dough. For this recipe though, I find making it at the same time as your levain is easier and works just as well.

3. Mix Together Sourdough Brioche Bread Ingredients: 2:00pm

Once the levain is ripe, add the following ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer:

• 212 grams bread flour
• 27 grams granulated sugar
• 5 grams salt
• 59 grams whole milk at room temperature
• All of the ripe levain (or about 80-90 grams sourdough starter)
• All of the cooled yudane (about 116 grams total)
• Two large eggs

Set aside 113g unsalted butter (one stick) to come to room temperature while you begin mixing.

With the dough hook attached and the stand mixer on low speed, begin mixing the dough together.

At first, the dough will be dry until the flour starts to get hydrated. After a few minutes, the dough will be wet and shaggy.

Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for about five more minutes. When done, the dough should be smoother, more cohesive and mostly clearing the sides of the bowl.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

4. Add Butter and Mix: 2:10pm

When making most enriched breads using butter like this brioche, it’s very important that the butter be softened at room temperature (68-70ºF). Room temperature butter will incorporate best into the dough. You’ll know the butter is soft enough when it leaves a slight impression or indentation if you press on it with your finger.

Slice the 113 grams (one stick, or 8 TBS) of room temperature unsalted butter into at least eight pieces.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time until it is fully incorporated into the dough. Let the dough mix at least a minute or two before adding in the next piece of butter.

As you’re mixing, the dough should scrape the butter against the sides of the mixing bowl.

Adding the butter should take at least 10 minutes in total. During this time, the dough will be developing more gluten which is essential in this highly enriched recipe so the brioche will rise properly.

Once the butter is added, continue mixing for about five or so minutes or until the dough is silky smooth, does not stick to your finger, easily slides off the dough hook, and passes the windowpane test.

What is the windowpane test?

The windowpane test is a useful tool to know if enough gluten has been developed in a dough.

To perform the windowpane test, gently pull up a small portion of the dough between your fingers. If the dough quickly tears, it has not developed enough gluten (first photo below). Mix the dough a few more minutes at a time.

The dough passes the windowpane test if you’re able to stretch it into a thin, translucent film that light could pass through without breaking (second photo below).

Why do you add butter last when making enriched breads?

Fat like butter or oil inhibits initial gluten development in dough. Mixing the dough before adding in the fat will help the dough develop and maintain its gluten network. This is why enriched bread recipes like brioche have you add butter at the end of mixing.

5. Bulk Fermentation: 2:30pm-6:30pm (about 5 hours at 78ºF)

Transfer the dough to a medium mixing bowl, gather into a round, cover, and place in a warm location to proof for bulk fermentation. My Brød & Taylor proofer works perfectly for this.

Stretch & Fold: 3:30pm

After one hour, perform a series of stretch and folds in the dough.

Simply pull up a portion of the dough in four different sections and fold it down onto itself.

The stretch & fold will help the strengthen the dough and gather it a little better in the bowl during bulk fermentation (first proof).

If you notice the dough is still very slack after another hour, feel free to add an additional stretch & fold.

Proof the dough about 5 hours total at 78ºF until it is about doubled, domed, you see a few bubbles on top, and is even smoother.

Notes:

• Because this is an enriched dough, it can take longer to proof. Ideally, the dough is placed in a warm & humid environment like a bread proofer or in an oven with the light turned on. 75-80ºF is the ideal temperature range for sourdough yeasts. If cooler, the dough will take longer to proof. If warmer, it will proof faster.
• Unlike My Everyday Sourdough Bread recipe, this dough is unlikely to overproof unless left in a warm environment for hours longer than called for (in which case the dough can spoil). You will degas the dough the next day, so getting this first proof exactly correct is less critical than making an artisan-style sourdough bread.

6. Cold Overnight Proof: 6:30pm

There are many benefits of chilling this dough overnight.

First, the cold proof, or retard, slows down fermentation and gives the sourdough brioche bread a more complex flavor.

Secondly, rolling out chilled dough is much easier than rolling out room temperature dough.

Lastly, proofing it overnight allows you bake it at a later time that best fits your schedule.

With the dough covered, place in a cold refrigerator for an overnight proof and up to two days.

Note: If proofing for longer than overnight, keep your dough in the coldest part of your refrigerator. The coldest part of a refrigerator is is typically a bottom back corner.

7. Divide and Shape Sourdough Brioche Dough: Next day at 9:00am

Prep Pan

Butter or spray your bread loaf pan with a nonstick cooking spray. If you’re using the 9″ USA Pullman Pan that I recommend, you don’t need to butter the pan as it will not stick.

Degas Dough

Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator, punch it down with your hand to degas it (fun!).

Divide Dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. It should be easy to remove from the bowl, but use a bowl scraper to get any remaining bits if needed.

Using a knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into four equally sized pieces. They should be around 170-175g each.

Shape Dough

Working on a floured surface and with one portion at a time, pat the brioche dough into a small rectangle (about 3″x5″).

Roll up the dough, starting from the short side nearest you, into a cylinder (like you’re rolling a mini cinnamon bun roll).

Place seam side down in the prepared bread loaf pan and repeat with the remaining three pieces.

The pieces should fit evenly and snugly into the pan.

8. Final Proof: 9:15am (about 5 hours at 78ºF)

Cover the loaf pan and place in a warm location for its final proof like a bread proofer or an oven with the light turned on.

At 78ºF, proofing typically takes about 5 hours for this sourdough brioche dough. It can be a little sluggish because of the high amount of butter in the dough and has taken about 30 minutes or more to proof before for me.

At the end of proofing, the dough should be doubled and feel full of air. If you take a floured finger and gently poke it, it should leave a slight indentation.

In my tall-sided 9″ USA Pullman Pan (4″ height), the dough rises about 1″ below the rim. In a shorter side, typical bread loaf pan, it might rise about an inch over the rim.

9. Bake: 2:15pm

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

When the oven is preheated, beat an egg and a splash of water together in a small bowl to create an egg wash.

Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the proofed brioche with a light egg wash.

Once the oven is preheated, place the bread loaf pan in the oven and immediately turn down the oven temperature to 350ºF.

Preheating the oven to 400ºF will give the bread a better oven spring/initial rise. 400ºF is a little too hot though to bake brioche, so that’s why I call to lower the temperature to 350ºF. I found this process gave the best results for me without getting the crust too dark!

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top of the dough is golden brown. The internal temperature should read 195-205ºF when done if using an instant read thermometer.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out of the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack- at least an hour.

There is high moisture content in this soft sourdough brioche bread and the steam from the loaf can get trapped in the pan if left to cool completely in the pan. This steam can make the exterior of the dough a little soggy or cause the dough to shrink a lot (some shrinkage is normal though). That’s why I call to completely cool the loaf out of the loaf pan.

Pull apart or slice and enjoy!

How to Serve Sourdough Brioche Bread:

This sourdough brioche is so light and has so much rich flavor, that I prefer to eat it day of on its own or just with a simple berry jam. It really is the best sourdough brioche!

After the second day, it’s excellent buttery toast or even French Toast. Sign up for my newsletter to receive my Sourdough Challah French Toast recipe which you could easily substitute this brioche bread for!

How to Store Sourdough Brioche Bread:

Because of the high amount of butter, eggs, and milk in this recipe, enriched doughs can stay quite soft for a few days if stored properly. By using the yudane method too, this sourdough brioche bread can last up to five days!

As most breads, sourdough brioche is best day of. After slicing, it can keep wrapped at room temperature for up to five days. Sliced side down is the best way to keep most breads to prevent additional moisture from escaping. Reheat slices or toast slightly to soften the brioche.

This sourdough brioche also freezes well. Slice the entire loaf and store in a freezer safe bag for at least a couple months.

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Sourdough Brioche Bread FAQs:

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