Pain Brioché

Ingredients

• 500 g Type 55 flour
• 90 g whole eggs, beaten, approximately 2 large eggs (15–20% of flour weight)
• 75 ml whole milk, at room temperature (15% of flour weight)
• 100 g unsalted butter, softened, not melted (20% of flour weight)
• 45 g caster sugar, (9% of flour weight)
• 9 g fine salt, (1.8% of flour weight)
• 18 g fresh yeast, crumbled (3.6% of flour weight)
• For the egg wash
• 2 eggs, beaten

Method

1. 1
   Place the flour, beaten eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and crumbled fresh yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, keeping the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Mix at first speed for 5–6 minutes until the dough coheres and passes initial gluten development — it will clear the sides of the bowl and feel firm and slightly rough.
2. 2
   With the mixer still at first speed, add the softened butter in 3–4 portions, waiting for each addition to be fully absorbed before adding the next. Once all butter is incorporated, increase to second speed and mix for 3–4 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the dough must become smooth, elastic, and pull cleanly from the bowl — slightly tacky but not sticky, with a silky, supple texture. Butter added before gluten has developed, or butter that is melted rather than softened, will break the emulsion and cannot be recovered.
3. 3
   Transfer the dough to a lightly floured container. Bulk ferment at 26°C for 1 hour. Perform one gentle fold — stretch and fold the dough over itself four times — then cover and retard at 4°C for 8–12 hours. The cold rest firms the butter and makes the dough dramatically easier to handle; do not skip it. The dough should have risen modestly and feel cool and firm to the hand.
4. 4
   Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide and shape into the desired form — boule, bâtard, or moulded in a loaf tin. Apply the first coat of egg wash immediately after shaping. Proof at 27°C for 90–120 minutes. The dough is ready when it has nearly doubled and a finger pressed lightly into the surface leaves an impression that springs back slowly.
5. 5
   Heat the oven to 180–190°C. The lower temperature is deliberate: the sugar and butter content accelerates Maillard browning, and a lean-bread temperature will burn the crust before the crumb is set. Apply the second coat of egg wash just before loading. Bake for 25–35 minutes depending on loaf size. The loaf is done when the crust is an even, deep mahogany and the underside sounds hollow when tapped.
6. 6
   Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. The finished pain brioché should have an even, fine crumb, a thin glossy crust, and an aroma of butter without being overtly rich.