Easy Sourdough Brioche [enriched with butter + eggs]
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This easy sourdough brioche loaf is enriched with butter, milk and eggs. The dough is rich in buttery flavor, but soft and cotton candy like in the middle.
You can use sourdough brioche for to make a lovely breakfast loaf - but it's also perfect for creating brioche rolls and buns and even filling with chocolate or jam.
The leftover sourdough brioche bread makes the most amazing French Toast or Sourdough Bread Pudding! Plus, if you make a double batch of dough, you can make these sourdough brioche blueberry cheesecake tarts or even this sourdough chocolate star bread. You might also enjoy this sweet braided sourdough bread.
I've got lots of ideas to use sourdough brioche dough in this post.
What Type of Sourdough Starter Do You Need For Brioche?
You can use a regular sourdough starter to make sourdough brioche - so long as it is fed and bubbly. You do not need a stiff starter or to build a levain or leaven - this is unecessary.
Of course, like anything, you can do these things if you wish - but honestly, you won't see too much difference in the result.
If you want to try something a little different, you could use a chocolate sourdough starter.
The main thing to remember when making sourdough brioche is that you starter needs to be fed, happy and at its peak (doubled) before you add it to your dough.
How To Make Sourdough Brioche
Sourdough brioche dough is often made out to be super complicated.
In reality, it's quite easy to make. The kneading can be a little challenging, but once you've made it a few times, you'll get the hang of it.
I've also added lots of tips in the next segment to help you with the kneading aspect.
Here's how to make sourdough brioche:
- Warm the milk slightly and mix the sugar into the milk until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Now add the sourdough starter, eggs and flour to the milk and sugar and bring it together into a rough dough.
- Let the dough sit for around 30 minutes.
- Now add the butter and salt to the dough and knead it (preferably with a stand mixer) until it's smooth and elastic. This can take time (see notes below for tips on kneading).
- Once the dough has formed a window pane, cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment.
- When the dough has risen, divide the dough into equally weighted balls and use them to form a loaf in a tin (see notes on shaping).
- Allow the dough to proof and get nice and puffy.
- Once risen, brush with egg wash, bake in a moderate oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden.
- Brush with butter as soon as it's out of the oven.
Tips for Kneading Sourdough Brioche Dough
Kneading sourdough brioche dough can be overwhelming, especially if you aren't familiar with working with a butter rich dough.
I highly recommend using a stand mixer (I use a Thermomix). Using a stand mixer makes it much easier to incorporate the butter into this dough.
You can knead it by hand of course, but you'll need to bring your A game.
Much like sourdough hot cross bun dough, sourdough brioche dough will feel like it's never going to come together - like a big sticky mess!
You have to push through and trust that it will come together!
Whether you're using a stand mixer or kneading by hand - do not be tempted to add extra flour! This will make your baked bread tough and dry.
At any point if you feel the dough is getting too warm, pop it in the fridge. You don't need it to get cold - but just 10 minutes in the fridge can help to stop the dough getting too hot and sticky.
You can see how the dough behaves for me in the photo below. When I add the butter it looks like a big sticky mess that will never come together.
I keep the mixer going and after 8 to 10 minutes it eventually comes together and becomes beautiful and silky.
Do You Need A Window Pane When Making Sourdough Brioche?
You don't necessarily need a window pane when making sourdough brioche - however achieving this can demonstrate the brioche dough has formed a strong gluten network and is ready for fermentation.
To check for a window pane, wait until the dough has come together and you feel it is sufficiently mixed.
Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before you check for the window pane.
Take a piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers. You should be able to do this without it tearing. You should also see light through the dough.
I have demonstrated the window pane in the photo below.
Shaping Sourdough Brioche Dough
Brioche dough is quite versatile. There are many ways you can shape this dough, but the easiest is to create a loaf in a bread pan.
The easiest way to do this is to divide the dough into 100g balls of dough.
Shape each piece into a ball (they don't have to be perfect, they will even out in the proofing process).
Place the balls into a bread pan. Make sure they are snug and touching each other. As they rise they will form a loaf.
You can see process in the photo below.
The tin I have used is a 1 litre bread pan (it's this Jamie Oliver one). I love this pan for so many things! I actually have 2 I use them so often. It's also the perfect size for this sourdough banana bread.
Why Is Brioche Yellow?
Sourdough brioche is a rich dough made from butter, eggs and milk, along with flour and sugar.
The color of your dough will depend largely on the type of eggs and butter you use.
If you use free range, orange yolked eggs, you're more likely to get a darker color.
I have actually used homemade butter and free range eggs in my dough - and it's still not as yellow as some brioche doughs. It still has the rich taste however.
How To Use Sourdough Brioche Dough?
Most of the time, I use this sourdough brioche dough as a simple breakfast loaf - it makes the most perfect toast to go with bacon and eggs!
But, if I have some dough leftover - or I'm feeling a little creative - I also love to do the following:
- Divide the dough into 50g pieces and add small piece of chocolate or nutella to the centre. Bake and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before enjoying! Seriously so good! They are very similar to these baked sourdough brioche chocolate donut balls.
- Plait the dough into small plaited sourdough brioche rolls - these are elegant little morsels perfect on their own or even lovelier spread with butter and jam. I've used 50g portions of dough in the photo below. You can see how I've made plaited sourdough brioche buns here.
- Divide into 100g portions and make sourdough brioche burger buns (similar to these sourdough discard hamburger buns).
- Why not add chocolate chips to your dough and make sourdough chocolate chip brioche. You'll learn how to make this recipe into rolls or a loaf.
Sourdough Brioche Loaf
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 100 g Sourdough Starter fed and bubbly
- 540 g Bread Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 120 g Salted Butter soft
- 200 g Milk whole milk
- 50 g Sugar
- 10 g Salt
Toppings
- 1 Egg plus 1 tablespoon water to use as egg wash
- Butter extra for brushing after baked
Instructions
- Warm milk to around 37C (you don't want it to be cold, but not too warm either). Add the milk and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix until the sugar is dissolved.
- Now add the sourdough starter, flour and eggs to the bowl. Mix into a rough dough and let it sit for around 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has sat for a little while, add the butter and salt and use the stand mixer to knead it really well. You want the butter to mix all the way through and the dough to become very soft and elastic.Depending on the type of mixer you use, this could take 3 minutes, it could take 20 minutes (see notes in the article above).
- Once the dough is silky and elastic (it can be slightly sticky) it should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough into a large bowl for bulk fermentation. Cover with plastic and set aside.
- Once the dough has risen a bit (it doesn't have to double, 50% rise is ok in this instance) you'll need to shape the brioche dough.
- Turn the dough onto the counter and divide into equally weighted balls of dough.
- Use the instructions in the post above for shaping (you can choose to shape as a loaf or into individual rolls).
- Once shaped, allow the dough to proof and get nice and puffy. This can take quite a while due to the butter, milk and eggs.
- Once the dough is puffy, it's time to bake!
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- While the oven is preheating, mix an egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the dough generously with this egg wash.
- Bake the sourdough brioche at 180C/350F for around 30 minutes. This loaf will burn easily so keep an eye on it. If the top of the loaf starts to get to dark, cover the loaf with foil and turn the oven down to 160C to allow it to cook through without burning.
- Once the loaf is out of the oven, brush with lashings of butter while still in the pan. Cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition
Can I use half the sugar, a quarter cup seems like a lot.
Or better yet can I omit the sugar?
Turned out super good. Loved watching the dough come together in my stand mixer. Then making the balls was so nice ro handle such a silky dough.
Can I use yeast in this so that I don't have to wait so long to bake? I am in a time crunch but I want to use my discard.
Yes you can, you can just add the same amount of sourdough discard as sourdough starter and add 7g of yeast to make it rise faster.
What if you dont have a stand mixer? Can this recipe be made by kneading the dough by hand?
Hi, for the mixer what attachments do I use to make the dough?
Any suggestions on how to make this egg free? Would love to give it a try but I can't eat eggs 😊
This looks delicious! Is it possible to make it in a braided shape, then bake it in a loaf pan?
yes absolutely you can - it's a really nice dough to work with 🙂
In my experience making this bread a couple times, it has never been done after 30 minutes in the oven. Closer to an hour.
When do we add the salt? I don’t see it on the recipe
it's listed in step 3 🙂
My Brioche Sourdough was a bit crumbly, does it need more butter or milk?
Absolutely amazing dough, the amounts of the ingedrients match perfectly. The dough is really smooth and silky, and perfekt to handle. I made an Orange jam filled Brioche and a chocolate and cinnamon filled babka. Will definitely make it again.
Can i make this and pop it in the fridge to make the next day?
Can you place buns in fridge to bake in the morning?
Bake until internal temperature of 190 degrees.
how long is the bulk fermentation ? can you put the shaped dough balls into the fridge for overnight proofing?
I baked these at 350 for 30 mins and it was not at all ready. It had risen so beautifully up until this point and I pulled it out at around 35 mins. It was still doughy in the center so I put it back in the oven for another 25 mins. It baked through but turned out to be more on the dense side. I think taking them out of the oven and checking for doneness in the middle hurt the rising process. I was so sad that I checked it and didn't go with my gut feeling to just keep baking them. 350 is a lower temp and 30 mins is not enough time to bake a bread at this temp.
Will this recipe work if my starter is 50% whole wheat and 50% bread flour?
I haven't tried it with that blend of flour I'm sorry - I only use bread flour for brioche 🙂
Planning to use only bread flour as well but my sourdough starter is a mix. Is that ok?
Would it work to melt the butter and it it with the liquids?
Finished bread seemed a bit dry. Not sure how to correct.
Suggestions please!
Came out perfect! And made the BEST french toast the next day.
Yes! My starter is 100% whole wheat and worked perfectly fine. I haven’t ever had troubles with my whole-wheat starter in recipes. The hassle comes in when you try and swap out some of the suggested weight of bread flour for whole wheat
I can’t wait to try this one! Any tips for using nondairy milk? Will it alter the recipe too much?
Can u do this using gluten free flours?
yes x
Can you share what your starter ratios are? Mine is AP flour 1:1:1. Thank you!
I generally use 1:1:1 if I want to bake fairly soon. I use a larger ratio if feeding before bed so my starter is ready in the morning, so like 1:3:3 🙂
Hi, the recipe doesn't say roughly how long the first and second fermentations would be, although it says overall fermentation time is 12 hours. Can you suggest how long to allow for those stages please?
Hi.so the dough doesn't have to be refrigerated before bake? And can I use coconut oil instead of butter? Thanks
Do you have specific thermomix instructions? Thanks
Do you think I could put loaf tin into my DO to bake ? So may not burn on top so easily?
Can this go in the fridge and bake in the morning.?
Can I proof the balls overnight in the fridge and bake the following morning?
Do you do a cold proof for the brioche once it’s already risen and been shaped and in the pan? How long is too long for this step?
Can you do a cold proof prior to baking for a longer total fermentation time?
Made this today but not exactly. I left it slow rise in my fridge overnight. It came out pretty good. Nice texture and flavor. I used 1/2 C 2% milk and 1/2 C buttermilk. I made one loaf by forming the balls in a pan. And also cinnamon rolls and a small loaf of cinnamon raisin swirl bread. The cinnamon rolls disappeared fast….
I have just found your site- it is wonderful! Am I understanding correctly that the bulk ferment happens at room temperature for 12 hours? Is the proof also at room temp? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Step 8 says "This can take quite a while due to the butter, milk and eggs." Can we advise what we mean by "quite a while?" Wondering if that means 2 hours or 10 hours. I know we shouldn't watch the clock and should watch the dough but wonder what type of slow proof eggs/butter cause... Also, if you wanted to refrigerate the dough, is it best to do before the shaping? Or after but before the puffy rise step?
PS, I've made this recipe a handful of times over the last month and whatever I do or don't do "right" it still tastes wonderful! Thank you for sharing your creations!
How do I go about making this half recipe?
I tried this today, and it turned out perfectly! Mine is a little more dense than yours, but it's delicious! I let it rise about 17 hours until it was almost as high as the sides of the loaf pan before baking it, and then it rose in the oven to a nice, rounded top. We were too impatient to let it rise any longer, haha!
Did you shape it before you let it rise 17 hours?
Do I do the long proof in the fridge or outside?
Had to look up "lashings of butter".
What is the timing and steps if you use the Thermomix to mix the brioche dough? Thanks.