Irresistibly Easy Brioche Loaf

Ingredients:

• Bread Flour– I use bread flour as opposed to all-purpose flour for bread recipes simply for the fact that is has a higher protein content (about 13% compared to 8-10% for most commercial all-purpose flour). This will make gluten development (the thing that makes your bread chewy), so much faster and achievable. Note that there are two different measurements of bread flour in this recipe. The first is for the sponge, or a method of mixing the yeast and water for extra fermentation aka flavor. Second is for the bulk of the dough.
• Active Dry Yeast– For this recipe you can also use Instant Yeast. My go to for yeast is Red Star®.
• WARM Water– Not hot. not cold. WARM ideally you’d want it between 90-100° F, but as long as you can feel some warmth to the water you should be good.
• Sugar– Granulated sugar is best for this. You can also use brown sugar if you wanted a darker bread although I have never tried it personally.
• Kosher Salt-This course salt is best for baking as it additive free.
• Eggs– I always use large eggs, at room temperature. I also use 1 Large egg for the egg wash on the loaf before baking.
• Unsalted Butter– If you don’t have unsalted butter that is totally fine. You will need to adjust the salt in the overall dough recipe by only using 1 tsp instead of 1 1/4 tsp.

Equipment:

• Set of Measuring Cups & Spoons OR Digital Kitchen Scale if using metric
• Stand Mixer– This recipe can be tough without a stand mixer to be honest. You really want to a good gluten development for a soft texture. Hand mixing is not really recommended.
• Close-able container– A container will be needed for letting the dough ferment in the fridge for up to 6 hours and up to 24 for better yeast flavor. I’d also recommend one that is twice the size of the dough as it will expand!
• 9″X4″ Loaf Pan– For baking this glorious bread!
• Vegetable or Coconut Pan Spray– A thorough coating of this spray will ensure that your loaf will come out of the pan wonderfully.
• Cooling Rack– About 15-20 minutes after pulling out of the oven, it is best to let the dough out of the pan to finish cooling.

• This recipe is a lot easier (as most bread recipes are) with a stand mixer, but can be achieved mixing by hand! That’s how it was done before there were machines remember? Since this is a fatty dough it can be a little bit sticky but, once it has rested for at least 2 hours, it will be ready to work with and MUCH easier trust me! I have listed in the notes to the recipe how to divide this dough. I go by weight having a kitchen scale is very helpful when it comes to dividing. Another suggestion for this dough is to work quickly, as it can get soft and miserable to work with after too long.
• Baking From Frozen: Take the rolls from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge for at least 4 hours before baking. Pull from the fridge and place on to parchment lined sheet tray proof and bake as directed above!
• My cheater way to proof at home is to place the dough, covered in a shower cap or plastic wrap, into the oven with JUST the light on. This produces enough heat to help the dough rise but not tooooo hot.
• While the dough is still warm, you can double wrap in plastic or place in a plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to one month for later use.
• The easiest way to divide the dough is by using a kitchen scale, to portion them to 100g or about 2 ounces.

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