Brioche Dough: Sheet Pan Quantity

Brioche is a classic French bread that is enriched with butter and eggs, giving it a croissant-like flavour and a soft crumb. It is a time-consuming process to make, taking around 8 hours from start to finish, but the end result is worth the time investment. The key to a good brioche is using a lot of butter—the more butter, the richer and more buttery the flavour. The dough also needs to be kneaded for a long time—around 35 minutes using a stand mixer or 5 minutes in a food processor—as the high amount of butter inhibits the formation of gluten.

The amount of butter in brioche dough is significantly more than in most bread recipes

Brioche is a type of French bread that is considered a Viennoiserie—a cross between pastry and bread. It is an enriched dough, containing a high proportion of butter and eggs, which gives it a rich, soft, and buttery texture. The amount of butter in brioche dough is significantly more than in most bread recipes, and this has a notable impact on the characteristics of the final product.

The addition of butter to bread dough affects the development of gluten, the protein network that gives structure to the bread. In brioche, the high fat content interferes with the formation of gluten, resulting in a softer and more tender crumb. This is in contrast to lean breads like baguettes, which have a crusty, dry crust due to their lower fat content. The fat in brioche, particularly solid fats like butter, also slows down staling, keeping the bread softer and fresher for longer.

The amount of butter in brioche dough can vary, typically ranging from 30% to 70% of the flour weight. This high proportion of butter can make brioche a challenging dough to work with, as it affects the temperature and consistency of the dough. It is important to keep the ingredients cold, especially when mixing by hand, to prevent the butter from melting and making the dough greasy. The butter should be at a cool room temperature, pliable but still cold, to ensure it blends properly into the dough.

When adding butter to brioche dough, it is typically incorporated gradually, a piece at a time, after the dough has been kneaded and gained some strength and elasticity. This helps ensure that the butter is fully incorporated and results in a smooth, soft, and somewhat sticky dough. While it is possible to add melted butter at the beginning of mixing, as with other bread doughs, this can make the dough very loose and sticky, and proper gluten development may be more difficult to achieve.

The high butter content in brioche dough is a defining characteristic, contributing to its rich, tender texture and flavour. However, it requires careful handling and temperature control during the mixing and kneading process to ensure a successful final product.

Brioche dough is an enriched dough, requiring longer kneading than regular bread dough

The key to successful brioche is in the kneading. The dough needs to be kneaded for much longer than regular bread dough to develop the gluten and create elasticity. This can take up to 30 minutes, depending on the speed of the mixer and other factors. The dough is kneaded in two stages. First, the ingredients are combined and kneaded without butter to build up the gluten network. Once a smooth, elastic dough is achieved, the butter is slowly incorporated. The butter disrupts the gluten network, so the dough needs to be kneaded again to build back its strength. This second stage of kneading can take much longer than the first and should continue until the dough can be stretched thinly without tearing.

To know when the dough has been kneaded enough, you can perform the windowpane test. Pull off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If the dough tears apart immediately, it needs more kneading. If it stretches thinly without tearing, it is ready.

The dough should be soft but firm enough to handle without sticking to your hands

When making brioche, it's important to get the right consistency for your dough. The dough should be soft but firm enough to handle without sticking to your hands. Here are some tips to achieve this:

• Use the right type of flour: Choose a flour specifically produced for bread baking, preferably with a protein content of 12% or higher. This will help build strength in the dough, making it easier to handle.
• Avoid adding too much liquid: Adding too much water or other liquids can make the dough sticky and difficult to manage.
• Use a dough scraper: Invest in a bench/dough scraper to help remove the dough from your hands and work surface during kneading.
• Be patient with kneading: In the beginning, the dough will be sticky, but as you knead it, the gluten will develop, and it will become less sticky and more smooth. Give it about 10 solid minutes of kneading before deciding if it's too sticky.
• Avoid adding too much flour: While a small amount of flour on your hands can help with stickiness, adding too much can make the dough too dry and dense.
• Keep your ingredients cold: Chilling your ingredients (except for the butter) before mixing can help keep the dough at a lower temperature, preventing the butter from melting and making it easier to work with.
• Choose the right yeast: Use instant yeast or SAF Gold Instant Yeast, which is specifically formulated for doughs with higher sugar content.
• Use a stand mixer: Kneading brioche dough by hand can be challenging and time-consuming. Using a stand mixer will help develop the dough properly and build sufficient strength to hold the butter.
• Cold proof your dough: Chilling the dough overnight slows down fermentation, making the dough easier to shape and handle, and also develops more flavour.

The dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test

The windowpane test is a simple way to check if your brioche dough is ready. It is a good test to use when you are new to bread-making and are unsure about the readiness of your dough. It is also useful when you are using a new recipe or substituting a different flour.

To perform the windowpane test, take a small piece of dough and flatten it into a circle or square. Then, gently stretch the dough by pulling on opposite ends. The dough will become thinner and thinner until it eventually tears. If the dough tears almost immediately, it needs more kneading. If you can stretch the dough until it is a thin, translucent membrane without it tearing, then the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to rise.

When the dough is ready, it will be smooth, shiny, and soft. It will be very soft and tacky to the touch but shouldn't stick to your fingertips. It should also be able to be lifted off the bowl without breaking when picked up with a dough hook.

The windowpane test is especially important for enriched doughs like brioche, which contain butter, sugar, and eggs. These ingredients weaken the dough, so a longer mixing time is needed. Without sufficient kneading, the dough may leak butter, resulting in dense bread.

Once your brioche dough passes the windowpane test, you can shape it into a loaf or buns and let it rise before baking.

The internal temperature of cooked brioche is slightly lower than most breads

Brioche is a type of French bread that is enriched with butter and eggs, resulting in a soft, buttery texture and a unique flavour. The internal temperature of cooked brioche is typically around 180-190°F, which is slightly lower than the target temperature for most other breads, which is around 190-205°F. This is because brioche is an enriched dough, meaning it has a higher fat content.

The reason for the lower internal temperature is that fat, such as butter, acts as an insulator and prevents the brioche from cooking as quickly as leaner doughs. This also results in a softer, more tender crumb. The high fat content also gives brioche a longer shelf life than most breads, as the fat slows down staling.

To ensure that your brioche is cooked through, it is important to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. The ideal temperature range for brioche is slightly lower than that of most breads, as mentioned, and it is easy to underbake brioche since it browns quickly. Therefore, it is crucial to rely on the internal temperature, rather than the colour of the crust, to determine doneness.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the internal temperature of brioche will continue to rise slightly after it has been removed from the oven. This is known as "carry-over cooking" and is due to the residual heat within the brioche continuing to cook it even after it has been taken out of the oven. Therefore, it is advisable to remove brioche from the oven when the internal temperature reaches around 175-180°F, as it will continue to rise a few degrees during the carry-over cooking process.

Frequently asked questions