Sourdough Brioche

March 29, 2022 by Lisa 159 Comments

This sourdough brioche recipe is the softest, most delicious bread. An enriched dough made with butter, eggs, and milk – and naturally leavened with sourdough starter; this will become an absolute favorite around the table.

close up picture of delightfully fluffy and golden sourdough brioche in a stainless loaf pan and with another loaf in the background

I’m not sure why it took me so long to create this recipe. Everything about this sourdough brioche is delicious. It is so light, fluffy, and buttery.

This would be perfect to grace your Easter, brunch, or breakfast table. You can turn it into many yummy creations (see below for ideas).

When most people think of sourdough bread, they think of your traditional crusty loaf that is a little bit denser. I’ve even heard people claim that you cannot make a fluffy loaf of sourdough bread.

Well, I’m here to prove that wrong with this enriched bread.

It is light, fluffy, buttery, and everything good in the world baked into a marvelous loaf. Make that two loaves. Because two loaves are always better than one loaf, especially when you are taking the time to make such a wonderful creation as this.

overhead photo of two loaves of sourdough brioche in stainless loaf pans on a white countertop and white towel

Why you will love this recipe:

Seriously so light and fluffy. Have I mentioned that yet?

Healthier than traditional brioche, since the grains are fermented, making the nutrients in the grain more bioavailable.

Easier to digest. If you have a hard time digesting unfermented grains, this long-fermented recipe will have less gluten and will be easier to digest than regular bread.

Delicious. You cannot beat the taste of this enriched sourdough bread.

sourdough brioche sliced on a wire rack with another loaf in the background

Tips For Making Sourdough Brioche

This dough is a wet dough. Even if you are tempted to add more flour, don’t. Too much flour will give you a tougher bread rather than something light and fluffy.
If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose. It will not be quite as soft as using the mix of the two flours, but it will still be yummy. The bread flour also helps it rise more.
You may be able to make this dairy free by using a milk alternative and vegan butter. I have not personally tried it.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

close up photo of sourdough brioche in a stainless steel loaf pan on a white towel with another loaf in the background

Ingredients:

Sourdough starter – Active and bubbly. You really want to have a very active starter for this recipe so it has a really nice rise.

Bread flour – Bread flour gives this dough a much lighter and fluffier texture compared to using all-purpose.

Unbleached all-purpose flour – Freshly milled or store-bought.

Sugar – Preferably organic cane sugar.

Eggs

Salt – I always choose sea salt.

Milk – Preferably whole, but 2% should also work just fine.

Butter – Room temperature. Unsalted. It is important to be able to control the amount of salt added to any recipe.

overhead picture of two loaves of sourdough brioche on a wire rack on a white countertop

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer

Loaf pan

Bench scraper (optional, but handy)

Measuring cups and spoons

FAQ

sourdough brioche with a piece broken off revealing light and fluffy bread.

What makes a brioche different from most breads?

Brioche is an enriched bread, meaning it contains butter, eggs, and milk, making it richer. On the other hand, a “standard” bread usually just contains flour, water, yeast (commercial or sourdough starter), and salt.

Is brioche better for you than bread? Can brioche be healthy?

I’m sure lots of people have differing opinions on this. Since it contains milk, eggs, and butter, it has more fat in it. While many people are “scared” of fat, this recipe uses wholesome and healthy fats that are naturally occurring.

Brioche does contain sugar, which isn’t the healthiest, but it’s a pretty small amount; it’s also lower in fiber than, say, whole wheat sourdough bread.

Can you autolyse brioche?

While you technically can, there really isn’t a point to autolyse brioche because of the amount of kneading that happens in the beginning. It is counterintuitive and will reduce any benefit the autolyse would have accomplished.

What is the difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour?

The biggest difference between the two is that bread flour has a higher amount of protein than all-purpose flour, which helps it develop more gluten strands. It also gives it a chewier texture. That increased gluten can help the bread rise more.

Can you make this with einkorn flour?

I have not tried this. Baking with einkorn requires the liquid amounts to be adjusted, and you may have to reduce the amount of water.

How much is two sticks of butter?

Two sticks of butter equals 1 cup.

overhead photo of two loaves of sourdough brioche with a golden crust on a wire rack on a white countertop with a white towel in the back right corner

How To Make Sourdough Brioche

Feed starter at night before bed. This way when you wake up in the morning, it will be nice and bubbly.

Kneading Sourdough Brioche

In the morning, combine all ingredients in a mixer and knead until smooth and glossy. The dough will be very wet, but after 10-15 minutes in the stand mixer (or by hand), it will come together. Don’t add more flour even though it is tempting.

Cover with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or tight lid and place in a warm spot for 6-8 hours (or until doubled).

After the 6-8 hours, refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) so that dough is nice and stiff for shaping.

Shaping Brioche

sourdough brioche dough rolled into balls and placed in a parchment lined stainless loaf pan

Divide into two equal portions. I really like to use my bench scraper to do this.

Divide each half into eight, so that you have a total of 16 equal-sized pieces.

Roll into balls.

Add eight balls to a parchment-lined loaf pan. Repeat for the other eight in another loaf pan.

Cover and allow to rise until doubled, another 6-8 hours (or overnight).

Next day:

two stainless loaf pans with sourdough brioche dough that has risen and glazed with an egg wash on a white countertop. A white bowl with an egg wash and a pastry brush resting on the rim of the bowl sit to the let of the loaves.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Create an egg wash by beating an egg with water. Brush over the loaf. This gives it that beautiful color.

Bake 25 minutes until the brioche starts to turn golden.

a loaf of sourdough brioche on a wire rack with a slice cut out. Another loaf is in the background

Baking For Dinner

Feed starter before bed.

Mix up dough in the morning, per instructions above.

Allow it to do the first rise: 6-8 hours until doubled – covered with plastic wrap, tight lid, or damp towel.

Place the dough into the fridge until the next morning.

In the morning, divide and shape. Place into parchment-lined loaf pans.

Cover and allow to rise throughout the day, and bake for dinner.

the front of two loaves of sourdough brioche on a wire rack on a white countertop with a white towel in the background

Uses For Sourdough Brioche

You really can use brioche for just about anything you would use regular bread for:

Sandwiches
French toast
Hamburgers
Bread pudding
French toast casserole
Grilled cheese
Eggs in a basket
Strata – you can find my favorite sourdough strata here.

Find More Of My Favorite Sourdough Recipes:

If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.