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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Tools you may need:
Bench scraper (optional, but handy)
Measuring cups and spoons
FAQ
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.
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
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:
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.
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.
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:
- Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
- Einkorn Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
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.
Sourdough Brioche
Ingredients
- 1 cup active sourdough starter active and bubbly 227 g
- 3 cups bread flour 420 g
- 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour 70 g
- 1/4 cup sugar 48 g
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 8 g
- 1/2 cup milk 122 g
- 2 sticks butter room temp 226 g
Eggwash
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Feed starter at night before bed. This way when you wake up in the morning, it will be nice and bubbly.
- 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).
- Refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) so that dough is nice and stiff for shaping.
- 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).
- 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.
Notes
- 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.
Monica says
How long can I leave the other bread dough in the fridge? I don’t wanna bake two.
Lisa Bass says
Up to 5 days!
Jill says
Have you ever made this recipe using freshly milled grain? If so, I’m curious what type of wheat you use. I love your blog, YouTube channel, and podcast. I’ve learned so much from you! God bless you
-Jill
Lisa Bass says
Sometimes I will just use a whole wheat that is freshly milled! I like anything from Azure Standard!
CASSIE WRIGHT says
For all those having trouble with the shaping, I hope you’re all not skipping the refrigeration step! The butter solidifies in the fridge and makes shaping a breeze! It’s a VERY wet dough because it’s such an enriched dough. Don’t skip the fridge
Anonymous says
How did you measure your flour? I think that’s the problem.
McKenzie McGlashan- Hamby says
Hi Lisa, I have this dough in the fridge right now- getting ready to shape! My question is whether or not it’s safe to eat after sitting out for 8 hours yesterday because of the milk and eggs. I’m using pasteurized but forgot that your milk and eggs are raw! Does that make a difference for food safety?
Lisa Bass says
It shouldn’t make too much of a difference! 8 hours isn’t all that long in the scheme of things.
Brandy says
I tried this recipe twice. The first time was a huge fail bc the 15-20 of kneading with my kitchen aid was not enough. I decided to give it another try after reading more comments saying it took a lot more time for it to form into dough. It took over an hour for my mixer to get it into dough.
I really do enjoy your recipes and promise I follow the directions lol. Not sure how/why your dough only took 15-20 mins to come together.
Lisa Bass says
Sometimes it can depend on the motor in your Kitchen Aid. I have the highest powered Kitchen Aid mixer. If you have the base model, the motor may be a little slower.
Katherine Hearn says
I just tried this recipe, following the directions exactly ( except my butter was salted) and it did not come out at all. The dough was like others have said more like a batter. I mixed it a total of 20 minutes in my kitchen aid hoping it would finally pull together. Shaping it in to rolls was a mess. Ended up having to bake them for 35 minutes and even then it didn’t really brown. They taste good, but they taste and have the texture of a sourdough biscuit, not like a bread at all. I suspect the butter needed to be added later in the process because adding it in the beginning just stops all gluten chain production. No matter what I still enjoyed the process.
Lisa Bass says
I’m sorry you had these troubles.
Tina Collins says
How do you measure your flour for tge brioche bread dough. I normally scoop flour into the measuring cup with a spoon then level it off rather than scooping tge measuring cup into the flour and leveling it off. I mixed my dough for over 20 minutes and yes it was wet as you said it would be, but it was extremely loose like batter. I didn’t add more flour as your recipe stated, but is it supposed to be that loose rather than “coming together”?
Lisa Bass says
It will eventually come together. It is a wetter dough though.
Vanessa says
Hello!
I’m 2 weeks into sourdough and just made these today. Wowza!! Sooo good and will be PHENOM when I get them
Just right. A couple problems I had: 1) I forgot the egg wash so that’s entirely on me. I was just too excited to get them in!
2) I baked them at 425 for 20 min and it was JUST done, but the top was a bit dark. Actually the corner pieces were great, but the interior pieces were *just* done. Could have probably done with another minute or two.
Is the darkness that bc of the lacking egg wash,
Or something I need to adjust with cooking temp? I don’t have an oven thermometer yet, should get one. What steps would you take to remedy this in my situation? They were more brown, than golden/golden brown on top. I want to perfect these bc the taste is just 🤤💯 thank you!!
Lisa Bass says
If your oven is producing those results, you could try lowering them temp and cooking for a bit longer.
Katie says
Wow, this is marvelous!
I’ve been making sourdough bread for years now, and this is one of the most exciting sourdough recipes ever. The fact that it has the sourdough taste combined with such an amazing brioche texture is a win-win situation for sure. I had to explain to my husband that this is a treat, and I probably shouldn’t make this every week! We both loved it, and since there are only two of us (until June!) the extra loaf made a great gift for some neighbors.
This is the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried, but I will definitely be coming back for more.
Lisa Bass says
Thanks for your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Krystal says
I’ve made yeast brioche before many times, this is my first sourdough bread but the dough wouldn’t come together even after mixing with the dough hook for more than 20 mins. I was tempted to add more flour but I wanted to see what the process would look like. It was very sticky and unmanageable I could not make dough balls come together I had to scoop them and make some sort of shape.
Lisa Bass says
Sometimes letting the dough rest for 10-15 minutes will help the gluten structure to develop.
Yelena Ross says
So excited to make this! My son is obsessed with brioche! Just wondering how well it freezes??
Lisa Bass says
It freezes pretty well!