Fluffy Sourdough Brioche Bread – Sourdough Brandon

Name: Sourdough Brioche Bread
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1665 min
Ingredients: 30 grams Sourdough Starter; 30 grams Bread Flour; 30 grams Warm Water; 58 grams Bread Flour; 58 grams Boiling Water; 212 grams Bread Flour; 27 grams Granulated Sugar; 5 grams Sea Salt; Levain (see above, or use 90g of active sourdough starter); Yudane (see above); 59 grams Whole Milk (room temperature); 2 Eggs; 113 grams Unsalted Butter (1 stick or 8 TBS, room temperature); 1 Egg; 1 tsp Water

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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.

Mixed yudane in bowl with spatula — Mixed Yudane

🛠 Tools Needed for Sourdough Brioche:

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

Baking Scale

I always list ingredients by weight in grams because it is the most accurate way to measure ingredients. Use a scale and your baking will immediately be better! I love my Escali baking scale and use it every day. The batteries last a long time, it’s accurate, and it comes in many different colors.

Stand Mixer

Invest in a high-quality stand mixer and it will last a very long time. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer all the time for baking projects.

To develop enough gluten and thoroughly mix in the softened butter for this recipe, a stand mixer with a bread hook will do that job for you. Making brioche by hand will take an extremely long time to properly knead by hand and I would not recommend making this recipe without a stand mixer.

The Artisan KitchenAid is the one I use because its motor is strong enough for all of my baking projects, the bowl has a handle (the classic does not), comes in an array of colors, and looks great on any kitchen counter.

Bread Loaf Pan

This 9″ USA Pullman Pan is my absolute favorite bread pan for this sourdough brioche. The USA Pan brand is heavy gauge quality steel, nonstick, and made in the United States of course. This pullman pan has tall, straight sides which I love for brioche recipes and milk breads.

A 9×5″ bread loaf pan also works here. I wouldn’t use a smaller bread loaf pan for this recipe because it might overfill the pan.

Pastry Brush

This sourdough brioche gets an egg wash to give it a slight shine. This Oxo pastry brush is very good. You could also use an unused paint brush if you don’t have or want to buy a pastry brush right now.

Optional but helpful: Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer

This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing. It folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, and can even be used as a slow cooker.

Overhead of bread loaf pan and proofed dough in mixing bowl — USA Pullman Pan and proofed brioche dough

🛒 Ingredients Needed for Sourdough Brioche:

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

Bread Flour

Brioche requires a lot of gluten strength in order to rise properly. I use King Arthur Bread Flour here because of its 12.7% protein content and is the best quality bread flour typically found in grocery stores in New England. Another high-quality and high-protein content bread flour would work as well.

Sourdough Starter

Don’t have a sourdough starter? Be sure to follow my How to Make a Sourdough Starter guide to learn how to make and maintain your own in just a week.

Granulated Sugar
Sea Salt
Whole Milk
Eggs
Unsalted Butter

Ingredients for sourdough brioche including levain, milk, eggs, yudane, sugar, flour, salt, and butter — Ingredients for sourdough brioche

👨‍🏫 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%

*Note: 30g of flour, 30g of water, and the 30g starter are for the levain.
If you do not want to build a levain, use about 90g of sourdough starter instead.
**Another egg is used for egg wash

👨‍🍳 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.

Jar of bubbly and ripe levain or sourdough starter — Ripe levain for sourdough brioche

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.

Flour and water ingredients for yudane — Yudane ingredients: Flour and water

Pouring boiling water into flour bowl for yudane — Yudane ingredients: Flour and water

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

Mixing yudane flour and boiling water in bowl with spatula — Mixing Yudane

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.

Pouring levain or sourdough starter from jar into stand mixer bowl — Pouring levain into bowl of brioche ingredients

Brioche ingredients in stand mixer bowl before mixing including eggs — Pouring levain into bowl of brioche ingredients

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.

Brioche dough ingredients just starting to mix in stand mixer — Beginning to mix brioche dough

Brioche dough on dough hook after a few minutes of mixing — Beginning to mix brioche dough

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.

Brioche dough in mixing bowl clearing sides of bowl — Brioche dough mostly clearing sides of bowl

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.

Stick of softened butter unwrapped with butter knife — Slicing softened butter

Slab of softened butter on butter knife over stand mixer — Slicing softened butter

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.

Silky brioche dough on dough hook at end of mixing — Silky brioche dough on dough hook at the end of mixing

Brioche dough at end of mixing — Silky brioche dough on dough hook at the end of mixing

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).

Hand pulling brioche dough and starting to tear- does not pass windowpane test — Brioche dough tearing and does not pass windowpane test

Hand pulling sourdough brioche dough for windowpane test — Brioche dough tearing and does not pass windowpane test

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.

Mixing bowl of brioche dough at start of proof in Brod & Taylor proofing box — Brioche dough in Brød & Taylor proofer

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.

Stretch and fold of sourdough brioche dough in mixing bowl — Stretch and fold of sourdough brioche dough

Stretch and fold sourdough brioche dough in bowl — Stretch and fold of sourdough brioche dough

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.

Brioche dough in mixing bowl at start of proofing — Brioche dough in mixing bowl at start of bulk fermentation

Proofed brioche dough in bowl — Brioche dough in mixing bowl at start of bulk fermentation

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.

Overhead of proofed brioche dough in mixing bowl

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.

Hand punching down proofed sourdough brioche dough in bowl — Punching down and degassing dough

Divided four pieces of sourdough brioche dough on table with flour — Punching down and degassing dough

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.

Overhead angle of brioche dough in pan at start of proof

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.

Overhead sourdough brioche dough at start of proof in loaf pan — Overhead start of proof brioche

Overhead of proofed sourdough brioche in pan — Overhead start of proof brioche

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.

Brushing egg wash onto proofed brioche dough in pan — Brushing egg wash on proofed sourdough brioche dough

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.

Overhead angle sourdough brioche in pan — Overhead of sourdough brioche cooling in pan

Upclose portrait of sourdough brioche in pan — Overhead of sourdough brioche cooling in pan

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!

Overhead angle pulling apart sourdough brioche — Pulling apart sourdough brioche

Crumbshot of a slice of tall sourdough brioche — Pulling apart sourdough brioche

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.

Crumbshots of three sourdough brioche lined up — Crumbshots of three sourdough brioches

Sourdough Brioche Bread FAQs:

Can I double this recipe?

This recipe makes one brioche loaf. You’re welcome to double this recipe! Simply double the amount of ingredients, and divide the dough into eight pieces instead of four. Follow the rest of the recipe the same

Why do you use the yudane method here?

I use yudane to make the brioche extra soft and give it a pull-apart texture. Yudane also helps the bread keep longer. You could use tangzhong but I find yudane to be a little easier and saves needing to wash a pot during the process.

Why did my brioche shrink or collapse?

For breads this light, it’s normal for the bread to shrink slightly when cooling. Be sure to let the bread cool out of its pan so it doesn’t shrink more. It shouldn’t affect the flavor though.

The dough could have also overproofed. Overproofed breads can expand very fast in the oven but quickly run out of gas (food/yeasts to eat) and then deflate at a certain point in the oven or when cooling. Next time, end proofing a little earlier.

Could I shape this brioche bread differently?

Sure! Brioche can be shaped in many ways. I happen to like the milk bread style rolled up in a tall loaf pan. The brioche could be divided in two and braided together in the pan. You could also split the dough into 8 equal sized spheres and place the rounds into the loaf pan.

My butter is too cold or warm?

If your butter is too warm or cold, it will have a hard time incorporating into the dough. It’s important that the butter be at room temperature or at the temperature where you can lightly press with your finger and it will leave an impression.

If you need to slightly warm butter, you can zap in the microwave for five seconds at a time so it doesn’t melt. Too warm? Throw into the freezer for a couple minutes at a time.

Hand pulling apart and shredding a piece of sourdough brioche bread — Shredding apart sourdough brioche bread

Other Recipes You May Enjoy:

Stack of sourdough buttermilk pancakes on a plate with maple syrup with a large container of homemade sourdough pancake mix in the background with a flour scoop.

76 thoughts on “Sourdough Brioche Bread”

Stacy says:

May 15, 2025 at 10:12 pm

Hi! I would love to try one of your brioche recipes. What’s the difference between this recipe and your sourdough brioche hamburger buns? Can I use this recipe for burger buns? Does it make a difference? And if so, how do they differ?

1. sourdoughbrandon says:
  
  May 16, 2025 at 7:31 am
  
  Hi Stacy, yes, they’re both excellent! The brioche bread uses the yudane method, which makes for a tall, fluffy loaf that’s like a buttery version of Japanese milk bread. The brioche hamburger buns are more traditional brioche, but a little more sturdy for all of your favorite hamburger toppings. You can use this brioche bread recipe to make buns too by dividing the dough up and shaping into rounds (I’d probably lower the sugar a bit). You can try both and see if you like one more than the other!
  
  1. Stacy says:
    
    May 16, 2025 at 10:01 am
    
    Thank you!! I will definitely try it.
    
Bea says:

April 22, 2025 at 2:27 pm

Hi Brandon! I have made this recipe once and it was PERFECT!! However, I am trying to make it again, by doubling the ingredient amounts and the dough is too runny! What could I do to improve it? I have put it in the fridge for some minutes so it cools down and maybe the butter makes it firmer. Should I add a bit more flour? it is way too runny to stretch and fold at this stage…
Thanks a lot beforehand!!

1. sourdoughbrandon says:
  
  April 25, 2025 at 5:43 pm
  
  Hi Bea, I think the fridge will firm up the butter. You can add a bit more flour too, but doubling the recipe shouldn’t be much different than the normal recipe!
  
Annette Auten says:

April 4, 2025 at 11:27 pm

This is a beautiful bread, my first time making a brioche. What knife do you suggest slicing with since the bread is so soft? I used a serrated one I have but I could definitely use help with something different as it wanted to squich it down.

1. sourdoughbrandon says:
  
  April 5, 2025 at 1:34 pm
  
  Thank you for making and glad you enjoyed! If your serrated knife is sharp, it shouldn’t squish it down, so it may need to be sharpened as that’s what I use for all of my breads.