Light Brioche
Total time: About 36 hours. Active time: 45-60 minutes.
Want the softest bread ever, that doesn’t contain 50% butter or taste slightly like eggs? Then this recipe is IT! A lighter version of brioche, but not quite milk bread. And it’s not sour at all!
Light Brioche Recipe:
Sweet Stiff Starter:
10g starter
30g water
60g bread flour
20g sugar
Method: Mix all ingredients together well. Knead for 5 minutes until it starts to smooth out. Ferment at 78-80 degrees minimum (this will work for an overnight fermentation, do this right before bed. If you can, use your oven with the light on but oven off, or invest in a proofer, my #1 favorite tool that I use daily. If you plan on using the starter sooner, you can use the proofer at 85 degrees.)
The sweet stiff starter needs to rise at a warm temperature, and needs at minimum a 30% sugar to flour ratio. Why? Because a warmer temperature encourages yeast growth and not bacteria growth. Bacteria growth is what makes the acidic flavor stronger and for a sweeter and enriched dough, I prefer it less sour. If you don’t mind a more sour final bread, you can ferment your sweet starter at a colder temperature. The sugar in the dough also helps feed the yeast and will help curb the sourness. There is a very science based and in depth blog on Wordloaf’s website here, where Andrew describes Ian Lowe’s process for a sourdough brioche. It is very informative and I highly suggest you read it. I have long supported Andrew (@wordloaf)’s blog and if you subscribe to any baking blog, this one should be it.
Please look at the image above to reference how much your starter should grow. You can also see this Instagram video on my page that shows you what it looks like internally. It’s really cool!
Final Dough:
All the sweet stiff starter
260 bread flour
130g milk
45g granulated sugar
1 egg
5g salt
45g super soft, almost melted butter
Method:
Mixing: Mix starter, flour, milk, sugar, egg and salt together. If you’re mixing by hand mix it for 3-5 minutes until it comes together and doesn’t have any lumps. I highly suggest you use a stand mixer on the lowest setting, but it can be done by hand. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then slowly add in the butter. Do not turn your stand mixer up! At the lowest speed, my kitchen aid stand mixer took 25 minutes to mix the dough. You want it coming off the sides, but it doesn’t have to reach full windowpane stage. Do not turn up your mixer because it will heat up the engine AND your dough, and that will cause the gluten to weaken which will affect the final rise and make your loaf more prone to collapse. If you are mixing by hand, I suggest you use the “slap and fold” technique to help keep your hands from cramping.
Ferment: When your dough is fully mixed, transfer it to a lightly greased (I like to use the leftover butter that is stuck on the wrapping paper) container and cover. Proof at a temperature that works for your timeline. I used my proofer at 85 and it was ready in 6 hours, you can leave it at a cooler room temperature overnight.
Guideline for proofing times/temps: (Going any lower than these will result in your dough taking a REALLY long time to fully ferment)
5-7 hours 84-86 degrees.
6-8 hours 82-84 degrees
7-9 hours 78-80 degrees
8-10 hours 75-77 degrees
Final shape and proof: When your dough is at least doubled in size, lightly flour your counter and shape it into a log. Lightly grease a non stick pan like this one, and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a reusable dish cover. The time it takes depends on the temperature that it’s proofing at. I like to do this overnight. You can place your dough in the fridge until you’re ready to let it proof, and mine took 9-10 hours at 70 degrees AFTER being in the fridge. If you do not put it in the fridge before the final proof, it will need less time. ***VERY IMPORTANT: If you prefer to ferment the dough for its first rise at a very warm temperature and then plan to let it proof for its FINAL proof (after shaping) overnight, please chill the shaped loaf in the fridge before going to bed, or you will risk OVER proofing. Dough at or above roughly 75 degrees will not need an overnight final proof and will collapse after baking. ***
See images below for what my dough looked like before and after proofing.
5. Bake: Once your dough is at least doubled in size and fills the pan, bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. I encourage you to use a thermometer to make sure your dough reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees. It can trick you because the brioche WILL brown fast, but that doesn’t mean it is cooked. Let it sit for 5 minutes before gently tapping on each side of the pan to release it and let it cool on a metal rack. If your loaf deflates a bit after baking, that means it over proofed in the final step, make a note of this and adjust your timing the next time you make this recipe.
Notes:
You can divide your dough into three roughly 218g pieces, roll them into cylinders, let them rest for 20 minutes and then roll them into 3 tight cylinders. Then you will get the classic brioche shaped loaf that has 3 humps.
You can use salted butter if you don’t mind your dough a bit more salty. When I used salted Kerrygold, it tasted great and I didn’t notice much of a difference.
It is very important that you let the starter and the dough fully proof in order to get a very airy and light bread. Do not cut it short because you are impatient, it will not give you the heavenly feeling of biting into a cloud-like slice of bread. Especially the first ferment after you’ve mixed your dough, I have let it go 3x the size and it turned out lovely. We use the sweet stiff starter because it carries strength into the final dough. It can get much bigger than a traditional country loaf during fermentation.
Do not skimp on the mixing! Even when you think the dough is mixed enough, do not stop until it is totally smooth and does not stick to the sides of the bowl/your hands. This also greatly contributes to the final strength of the dough.