Brioche

by Eddy Van Damme on November 30, 2010

Brioche with candied Buddha hand toasted hazelnuts

Good quality butter, a few ordinary ingredients and close attention to detail can make a most extraordinary brioche. The brioche I feature here is made with a sponge and therefore may not be as convenient to prepare, compared to a brioche where the dough is matured overnight in a refrigerator.

The mild lemony flavor of Candied Buddha hand in brioche is quite wonderful as it pairs with the butter flavor real well. Certainly Buddha hand can be expensive or hard to find in some countries and therefore may have to be replaced with other fruits.

Getting it all together!

Allow nearly seven hours from start to finish for this particular brioche. The fermentation can be rather slow in the beginning but do not increase the amount of yeast. Make sure you do allow the time required for the sponge to develop. A sponge is essential and ensures proper yeast activity in a very rich (Butter and eggs) environment.

Brioche with candied Buddha hand

Yield: 6 loaves

For the sponge:

10 oz Water 300 g
0.5 oz Instant yeast 15 g
9 oz Eggs 270 g
1oz Extra fine granulated sugar 30 g
12 oz Bread flour 360 g
  1. Bring the water to 100°F (37°C). Whisk in the yeast and the eggs. Add the sugar and flour and combine until no lumps remain.
  2. Cover and set aside in a warm place until doubled, about 90-120 minutes.

Main dough ingredients:

0.5 oz Instant yeast 15 g
10 oz Eggs 300 g
2 lb 8 oz Bread flour 1200 g
5 oz Extra fine granulated sugar 150 g
3 oz Invert sugar 90 g
1 oz Salt 30 g
1 lb 6 oz Unsalted butter, soft 660 g
12 oz Candied Buddha hand, drained 360 g
12 oz Hazelnuts, toasted 360 g
2 oz Extra fine granulated sugar 60 g
  1. To the fermented sponge add the instant yeast and eggs and combine well. Add the bread flour, sugar, invert sugar and salt and mix using a dough hook until the dough is elastic and forms a window.
  2. Add the soft butter in 4-5 increments on low speed, waiting for the previous added amount to be fully incorporated. Ensure that the dough does NOT exceed 78°F (26°C).
  3. Add the candied Buddha hand and nuts and mix until just distributed.
  4. Cover with plastic and allow the dough to ferment until doubled, about 60-80 minutes. Punch the dough and rest for 10 minutes.
  5. For large Brioche molds weigh into 1 lb 4 oz (600 g) pieces for the loaves and 1.5 oz (45 g) for the center part. Make round.
  6. Place in well buttered brioche pans and make a deep hole in the center. Place the small round in the hole. Place in a proof box until the loaves have 70% increased in size, about 60-80 minutes.
  7. Brush with egg wash and bake in a 375°F (190°C) oven until thoroughly baked, about 42 minutes. Brioche will always obtain a dark crust, if a lighter crust is desired cover with aluminum foil near the end of baking.

Article Name: How to make brioche.

36 comments on “Brioche

  1. Dat ziet er lekker uit.
    Mijn gasten gaan daar volgende week van genieten.
    Dank voor het recept.

    mvg

  2. Eddy Van Damme on said:

    Your welcome!
    All the best for the new year,
    Eddy

  3. Diana Wallace on said:

    I love this bread!! Taste fantastic everytime!! Great job as always Eddy!!

  4. Chef Eddy,
    My favorite bread I used it for my Salmon Burger and Akaushi Burger.
    Always proud to be your student..

  5. Ren Canlas-Rivera on said:

    hello Cheff Eddy!!!

    Remember mwa? I loved being in your classes in HCC!! I am so glad you are doing so well.

    <3 Ren.

  6. Tilly Sherwood on said:

    What exactly does a sponge do? Does it help create the big airy bubbles in the bread like in a ciabatta? If you do not have a proof box what is another alternative?

  7. Eddy Van Damme on said:

    Hi Tilly,
    The sponge in a Brioche helps with yeast activity. Brioche is very high in fat (Butter and egg yolks) and this makes it a difficult enviroment for the yeast to be active. The sponge is full of yeast activity and will therefore ensure that the brioche will rise properly.
    My best,
    Eddy

  8. hai vonguyen on said:

    The next time I make brioche I will use the buddha hands for sure. I am sure this bread has a great citrus taste.

  9. Mayah Cash on said:

    what other fruits pair well wit this?

  10. Mayah Cash on said:

    What friuts will be good to replace the Buddha?

  11. Victoria Bishop on said:

    Is there a big difference in the brioche prepared with sponge and the one when the dough is matured over night?

  12. Marisa Esqueda on said:

    I love the way this bread look.. It would be good with a jam or a fruit.

  13. Mayra Bernabe on said:

    This recipe is really interesting they way you use sponge instead of a matured dough. The sponge seems a great way to keep the dough rising with all the yeast incorporated next time I will make this version

  14. arrion on said:

    i love this bread it would go nice on a turkey sandwich.

  15. Demetrias Edwards-Destin on said:

    Bread is one of my weaknesses,I enjoy fresh bread and this looks perfect, I know I will enjoy preparing too but only eating a small portion

  16. So soft, and so rich! Probably the best bread I’ve ever had-a very wonderful and delicious bread!

  17. kostas on said:

    hi chef. iam a greek pastry student and i want to thanks you a lot for these delicious recipes.For two years i am working on greek brioche recipe called tsoureki (something like challah) and your recipe helps me a lot.i just wondered if you can suggest me a way to make a dough with threads inside it.have to add more gluten in the dough or put it in the refrigeration for 24 hours.whats your opinion about using invert sugar more than 90 gr.

  18. Tilly Sherwood on said:

    I really enjoyed taking breads with you this past semester. Besides the jalapeño cheese bread this was my all time favorite. I also appreciated that you gave us two variations on shaping the dough.
    Tilly

  19. Shanequa Denley on said:

    Chef,
    I used this recipe fo ra braed pudding and it came out wonderful!! Everyone keep saying how good and buttery, it was. I was wondering would it help if I would have soaked them in a little butter and make them into crutons?

  20. Trish on said:

    This is one of my favorite breads.

  21. Tilly Sherwood on said:

    We taught a croissant class at work recently and we used the left over croissant scraps to make brioche, it was great!!

  22. Carol Weber Abarca on said:

    We have done a brioche in class, but not this recipe. Sounds very interesting. I can’t wait to try. Thanks for all the variations you give us Chef Eddy!

  23. I never heard of Buddha hand…can you elaborate? Is it a fruit? Where can I buy some?

  24. vincent parker on said:

    this was my fist time baking you made it easy to follow your direction in making this brioche

  25. Mercy Boynton on said:

    I guess I have to try tis brioche as well, though I’m not sure where I can purchase some Buddha hand in Houston.

  26. Amy Taylor on said:

    I enjoyed working with this bread because it is so fragile and I felt afraid of fragile doughs before working with this one. Also, I made the most amazing french toast with my brioche at home!

  27. Onishi on said:

    Great recipe!

  28. Jessica Santos on said:

    Hello Chef Eddy,
    Butter on bread is always a treat.
    I certanily enjoy the way the crust and sponge just complimant each other.

  29. Fatima Biskar on said:

    Hello Chef,
    The Brioche on the book was awesome. Thanks for la recette. I have a question about the crust of the brioche i saw in the photo that its dark brown and looks tick. I always thought that that kind of bread s crust suppose to be light not tick and brown as artisan breads? is that true?

  30. Richard Martinez on said:

    This bread was a hit at home. My father in-law knew what bread I had just by the smell.

  31. Peter Tham on said:

    I believe i have seen Buddha Hand in most grocery stores in Houston such as Kroger, HEB & Randalls. Google it, have a good look on how it looks and you will recognize it when you go to the grocery store next time… its yellow and look like a mutated lemon with finger-like shape, thus the hand 😉

  32. Mary Lorraine Matiling on said:

    Another great bread we made in class. I have never heard of or seen candied Buddha before but after looking it up, it’s quite interesting! You mentioned that is has a mild lemony flavor. Can you substitute it with lemon for the taste?

  33. This was one of my favorite bread we made in bread and rolls class. It was so good and buttery, but yet it was still firm. I made this as French toast and it was amazing!

  34. lydia hermandez on said:

    wow! what a creative way to give the brioche a twist, not that it needs it. i think brioche is the best bread, it is so versatile.

  35. John Foisy on said:

    I think changing the 5 oz. of fine granulated sugar for agave might be a good change.

  36. FU-YING WU on said:

    This looks to be a sweeter brioche with fruit bits inside. I plan to try this out with no extra ingredients inside, just the brioche itself, and use it to sandwich lobster rolls.

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