Brioche

Brioche Parisienne Recipe

Name: Brioche Parisienne Recipe
Ingredients: 250 g All-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups); 40 g Sugar (3 1/4 tablespoons); 1 pinch of Salt; 3 g Dry yeast (1 teaspoon); 2 Eggs (room temperature, size M) (2 large eggs); 100 g Butter (softened) (1/2 cup); 2 tablespoons lukewarm Milk; 1 Egg yolk for brushing

Brioche Parisienne (Brioche à Tête), a highlight of French baking, is loved for its soft, buttery texture and elegant shape. Perfect for a luxurious...

Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

250 g All-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
40 g Sugar (3 1/4 tablespoons)
1 pinch of Salt
3 g Dry yeast (1 teaspoon)
2 Eggs (room temperature, size M) (2 large eggs)
100 g Butter (softened) (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons lukewarm Milk
1 Egg yolk for brushing

Directions

1
Sift the flour into a bowl and create a well in the center. Put the dry yeast into the well, add one teaspoon of sugar and the lukewarm milk. Stir and let it foam for a short time.
2
Add the eggs into the well and knead everything together until a smooth dough forms.
3
Gradually incorporate the softened butter, kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
4
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in volume.
5
Divide the dough into 45 equal pieces, each weighing about 12 g. Form each brioche by placing 4 dough balls as the base in a greased muffin tin, and then add one more ball in the center to form a flower-like shape.
6
Let the shaped brioches rise for another 45 minutes, covered.
7
Brush the brioches with the egg yolk and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) (conventional heat) for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
8
After baking, brush the brioches with a little melted butter and let them cool. Whether warm or cold – these brioches are a treat! Bon appétit!

Video

Brioche Parisienne Questions

My dough is sticky and won't come together after adding the butter - did I ruin it?

A brioche dough with 100 g butter to 250 g flour is meant to feel slack and tacky, so don't panic and don't rescue it with extra flour. Add the softened butter gradually as the recipe says, kneading each addition in fully before the next, and keep going until the dough turns smooth and elastic. If it still smears, chill it for 20-30 minutes and knead again - cold butter firms up and the dough pulls together.

Can I swap the dry yeast for fresh yeast, or use milk alternatives?

Yes - the 3 g of dry yeast can be replaced with about 9 g of fresh yeast, crumbled into the well with the teaspoon of sugar and the lukewarm milk exactly as described. For the 2 tablespoons of milk, any plant drink works since the amount is small and the richness comes from the eggs and butter. The butter itself is harder to substitute: it carries the flavour and the tender crumb, so a firm block-style vegan butter is the only swap worth making.

How do I store the brioches and bring them back to life the next day?

Keep them at room temperature in a bread box or a paper bag rather than the fridge, which dries an egg-and-butter dough out fast. They're at their best on baking day, so for anything beyond that freeze them once fully cooled and warm them straight from frozen in a 180°C (350°F) oven for a few minutes. The brush of melted butter after baking also helps keep the crust soft.

Can I prepare the dough the night before?

Yes, and it's the friendliest way to bake these for breakfast. Instead of the 1-hour rise at room temperature, cover the kneaded dough and let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight - the cold dough is also far easier to divide into the 45 small 12 g pieces and roll smooth. Next morning, shape the brioches in the greased muffin tin, let them do their second rise of about 45 minutes (a little longer if the dough is still cold), then brush with egg yolk and bake.

Why do my topknots slide off or sink into the brioche while baking?

The classic culprit is a top ball that's just resting on the base instead of being anchored into it - press it down firmly into the centre of the four base balls so it sits in a proper dip. Also brush the egg yolk carefully over the top rather than letting it pool where the ball meets the base, since egg wash running into that seam works like glue in the wrong place and can push the head sideways. Finally, don't overproof the second rise: after roughly 45 minutes the shaped brioches should still feel springy, not slack and puffy.