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
What delicious looking bread! I'm doing this for the first time- living in a very humid country. Is it possible for the rolls to have risen enough in about three hours? Or should I really wait until the morning to bake?
This turned out amazing! The dough was amazing to work with, I actually made a loaf using the 6 balls of dough technique and a Nutella filled babka. My only question is, once I brushed the loaf it became super flat, the babka remained nice and puffed, but my rounded top went flat, so I don’t know what I did wrong or how to prevent that. In all 5 stars cause it was not their mistake but mine and everything turned out great! Thank you!
Love this brioche recipe! It was a cold day and so it did take longer to rise but I had read your tips and just lengthened the rise time. Wish I could post a pic! It is a beautiful loaf!
If using a kitchen aid stand mixer should I use the dough hook attachment from start to finish?
You'll first use the paddle to mix the ingredients, then use the hook once the ingredients have made a dough. This post may help with how to use a stand mixer with sourdough. 🙂
How long does the first bulk fermentation take? Can I make it in the evening and let it bulk overnight?
Should the butter be cold, softened, cubed, etc?
I'm sorry if this has already been asked.
Which rise should take the majority of the time, the initial bulk fermentation in the bowl, or the second rise in the loaf pan (I know it's dependent on your starter and temperature, but how long did/do these steps usually take you (each)? I'm pretty new to SD so need to be talked to like I'm dumb, but nice.
I really liked working with this recipe. I underbaked the brioches, which made me laughed at myself..I had a humbling minute with myself. I baked it 30 minutes but it wasn't as brown as the pictures. The outside part were cooked and were really good! Going to bake it again! It rose beautifully and it was a joy to work with this silky dough!
Is your nutritional list, correct?
First time trying brioche! Do I proof in the fridge overnight or leave on the counter? And how long should I bulk ferment? My dough temp 80 degrees. Normal sourdough I usually bulk ferment 5.5-6 hours then cold proof overnight. Would it be the same method?
I have made this recipe many times for the family. I have a dairy intolerance so I have used goats milk and it’s just the same. But now an odd question, I have kefir, it’s thicker than milk. Do you think that would work? It’s also fermented and was wanting to try a twist but don’t want to waste my ingredients so I just thought with all your baking knowledge you would know….maybe…. (Im out of goats milk and live rurally so I don’t want to have to make a trip to the store)
Thank you so much!!!! YOU are my go to for all my sourdough recipes !!!
lots of mistakes, but, my 1 st SOURDOUGH loaf - brioche! Thank you! We'll do taste tonight, hope my 2 week old starter has given it some flavor!
If no mixer, can do by hand?
You can knead by hand. It's just easier with a mixer.
I made the sourdough brioche loaf for the first time with your recipe. I love the texture of the bread! It’s way better than the sandwich bread I have sitting in the freezer. It has an even texture throughout and it’s easy to slice. I can’t wait to try tomorrow! I’d add a picture if I knew how to.
Thank so much for this delicious recipe!!! I made the read a couple of days ago and we had it as thick sliced French toast. It was so good! I made a couple of changes: used 10g less sugar in dough and I used 2% milk. Instead of forming the little balls of dough, I formed it as a regular loaf and used a metal loaf pan. It took overnight for the first rise and a few hours to rise once in the loaf pan. Thanks again!
Why use g as a measurement? Why not pounds and ounces/cups and spoons?
Because using grams is accurate and so much easier! Read this 🙂
Can I use sourdough discard?
We love the flavor and structure of this bread! I've made it as buns several times, and tried the loaf once. Complications have arisen from baking at a mile altitude - the loaf sank a bit and was underdone in the middle. I've been baking at 375 C, and still barely get the tops to brown even with a milk/yolk egg wash.
Hoped you might have a suggestion for ingredients adjustments at altitude?
Thanks a bunch!
Danny
Hi Danny, This post on baking sourdough at a high altitude should help!
How long is the typical preferment stage?
Can I make this the night before
How long do I bulk ferment it, if I leave it on the countertop overnight?
You can leave it on the countertop overnight, just be sure that it's not too warm. The timing really depends and as this is an enriched dough, the bulk fermentation will take a lot longer than a leaner dough. It wouldn't be unusual for it to take 12 hours.
Hi! Can I make this with regular unbleached flour or does it have to be bread flour?
You can make it with AP flour, you might just need to reduce the hydration just a little 🙂
Can you make this without a stand mixer ?
Yes, you can mix/knead by hand. 🙂
What should internal temperature be when finished baking? Thank you! Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Lynn - I don't use internal temperature to check doneness. You can read about why that is here.
can you substitute half & half or heavy whipping cream for the whole milk?
I have tried several sourdough brioche breads.
This one has turned out the best. Very pleased. Also, my house smells fantastic 😻
This was the butteriest bread I've ever eaten absolutely lovely. Just wondering, what is the internal temperature to be cook through .
Hi Tera, Kate doesn't use internal temperature to determine when the bread is done. There are a few reasons why, which you can read about here, along with what she does instead. 🙂
What should be the final internal temperature to know when it’s done my oven is finicky
Can I omit the sugar?
OR sub honey/maple syrup? What would be the measurement for honey/maple syrup?
I don't recommend this with sourdough brioche, no. The sugar forms part of the structure of the bread 🙂
The recipe doesn't say how long the first rise is. Is it 8-12 hours like my sourdough bread recipe?
I don't tend to advise time because it will depend on the strength of your sourdough starter and the temperature of your home. In this case it will be a long ferment because it's a lower hydration, enriched dough so yes bank on 8 to 12 hours 🙂