This Easiest Brioche Bread is so airy and flaky that it literally melts in your mouth. It works perfect for jelly sandwiches or French toast.
Use the same dough to make brioche buns.

Brioche bread is actually quite simple to make. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is waiting for the dough to rest and rise. But, when you open your oven and your house is filled with the smell of fresh brioche, you’ll be happy you put the time in!
What I love most about brioche is how forgiving the dough is! Depending on the brand of flour you use, the dough will come out a touch different. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour until it’s not. Brioche is hard to mess up, making it one of my favorites to bake :).

What is Brioche?
Brioche is a French yeast bread with high amount of eggs and butter. This combination makes the bread yellow light and fluffy on the inside, and golden brown on the outside.
Brioche comes in many different shapes, but most commonly you’ll see the bread made into a braid.
What Makes Brioche Different than Most Breads?
So, what’s the difference between brioche and other breads? Brioche is a French yeast bread that uses a TON more eggs than other breads, giving it a pretty, yellow color on the inside and a golden brown color on the outside. The end result is a light and fluffy texture that is to-die-for.
What is Brioche Used for?
- Enjoy it with jam and butter. Brioche has a perfect egg-y taste that goes great with jam and butter. My favorite combination is apricot jam and a European butter like Kerrygold or Pulgra.
- Make brioche french toast with your leftovers. You have probably seen brioche french toast on a brunch menu before, or you are already in love with it. Put those leftovers to good use and make a batch!
- Make brioche sandwiches. Grab your favorite cured meat (prosciutto, mortadella, salami, etc.) and some swiss cheese. Spread your brioche with a bit of dijon mustard and have yourself a perfectly simple European-style sandwich.
- Brioche Buns can be used for burgers. If you like a sweeter bun, brioche is easily formed into a hamburger bun. They are also great for when you are hosting brunch or if you just prefer to have small personalized breads.

Storing Brioche Bread
Keep your brioche fresher for longer by following these storage tips:
Refrigerating Brioche Bread
Refrigerate your brioche by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap or placing it in a Ziploc bag. It will stay fresh for up to a week when stored in the fridge. Since this bread is heavy on the eggs, it is not recommended to store it at room temperature.
Freezing Brioche Bread
Brioche bread can be frozen for up to a month. The best way to keep it fresh is by wrapping it tight with a plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer. Thaw to room temperature before serving. Reheat as desired.
Other Similar Recipes to Try
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 6 cups flour (depending on the brand of flour you may need more)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 200 grams unsalted butter
Brushing tops
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients for brioche bread.
- Combine warm (110°F) milk together with yeast, sugar and two cups of flour. Whisk ingredients together. Cover the bowl with a towel and set it aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl whisk eggs together. Add eggs, vanilla and melted butter to the dough mixture. Whisk in remaining flour in small portions.
- Knead the dough by hand or your mixer until it becomes elastic.This will take about 10-15 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, divide it into two even pieces, then divide each piece divide into three pieces. Roll them out into a long rope. connect the ends of the ropes together and braid them.
- Place braided brioche on a lined baking sheet, cover and let it rise for 30 minutes. Brush brioche with egg and water mixture.
- Bake brioche at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
Aloha,
I just took this bread out of the oven. So easy to make, so delicious. I can’t thank you enough for the amazing recipe. We will treasure it.
With Warmest Aloha
April
Hi April, I'm so glad you found the recipe easy and delicious, thank you for your feedback and kind words 🙂
Mine had such a strong yeasty flavour. I followed the recipe exactly. What can have happened? It tasted like beer and was actually inedible 🙁
Hey Rosie, what brand of yeast did you use? Did you allow the yeast to sit with milk?
Tastes great but don't claim 1hr10 minutes total at the top of the recipe when there are 2 hours of rise time needed. Rise time counts also
Hey Larry, the recipe shows prep time and cooking time. I hope this makes sense. Thanks
would this recipe work with almond milk as well? we don't drink/have cow's millk in my household
Hi, I haven't tested this recipe with almond milk. I would try to google for the best replacement for milk. Thanks
Have you ever made loaves in bread pans with this recipe?
The recipe is delicious 😋
Hey Kelda, yes I have and it turns out fantastic. You will love it.
Delicious 😋. Do you think it works in a loaf pan too?
Yes, it will. Enjoy
I just had to comment because I saw all the others confused how to do things or complaining that it came out weird. First off, the dough is going to be tacky, it needs to be tacky in order for it to be fluffy, turn out it should, and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, no deviating at all. I'm in Wyoming, so there's virtually 0 humidity. I used the exact measurements and no extra flour. I am going to include image hosted pictures so you can see that it was absolutely gorgeous, fluffy, golden, and delicious! The hardest part is the braiding...seriously. This recipe is so easy in comparison with other bread recipes. I did not do a refrigerator rise, I followed the directions exactly as they are.
Hi Deborah,
Thank you very much for your feedback, I'm so glad to hear this recipe worked out well and that you loved the bread. Haha, yes braiding with dough takes a little patience and practice 😊
Hi I was about to make this but I was wondering why there isn’t any salt and if I could add some?
Hey Amy, you can definitely add a pinch of salt. Enjoy
Well followed exactly and had to add 2 cups more flour. Was still very loose, but i stopped after the extra 2 cups. My only guess is I used our farm eggs - maybe they are too big? Well, it's proofing now so we will see how it goes.
Hey Amanda, brioche dough will be very soft, almost runny. It could be that your brand of flour just requires more. Keep me posted.
Wow! This was the easiest recipe and clear simple step by step directions! I baked this yesterday and turned out great! The only problem you can’t stop eating it! Thank you! My family loved it!
Hi Hilda, I'm so glad that the recipe went well for you! Thank you for your feedback.
I made this bread Christmas morning as I had forgotten to buy brioche for breakfast. I have to say this is a great brioche recipe, the fact that you can achieve fluffy, tasty brioche in a fraction of time it would normally take is wonderful! Thank you so much for this, I will be making again for sure!
Naseem, this is so great to hear. I am glad this recipe turned out great for you! Thank you!
I made this bread for Thanksgiving morning to make french toast and and making it again for Christmas morning breakfast! I was so happy to find a brioche recipe that doesn't take all day! Thanks!!
So good to hear this. We do love this brioche for a toast or even plain with jam. It's so good!
YUM! French toast makes for an incredible Christmas breakfast. Enjoy and Merry Christmas to your family Katie!
Bread was very easy to make. I used salted butter(that was all I had). I had trouble braiding like others. Funny how I can braid hair but not bread! Thank you for recipe!
Rebecca, thank you for your feedback, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe. Haha yes, it takes a bit of practice, you can always give the recipe another go 🙂
Love it. Recipe makes two huge loafs. I would put little bit more sugar next time, but other than that it's great. It was my first time making it and I didn't have any problems. I was born and raised in Ukraine and this is one of my "to go site" for recipes. Because of you guys I started to cook more 🙂
Thank You!
Elena, I'm so glad you have begun cooking more, that is awesome! Thank you for coming back and commenting, I love hearing back 🙂
Hello,
I had to add at least an extra 1.5
Cups flour and still could not braid it. Too loose. I ended up dividing the dough in half and putting it in 2 loaf pans. I was good but I just wanted to make the braid.
How much flour is ok to add before it turns into a brick?
Do you add more sugar, butter and eggs if more flour is needed?
Thank you!
Hey Lissy, try Bobs Redmill flour, you will have a better result with the dough. Also, it's supposed to be very sticky, just oil your hands when you are working with the dough.
Amazing recipe.
It turned out very well, for my first try.
Cheers !
Yes! I'm so glad it worked out perfectly the first time! Enjoy the bread 🙂
I see that in some of your photos the braided strands are "tearing" apart. I have that problem, also. Any suggestions on how to avoid that?
I have never looked into it. I am not even sure.
I made this a couple of months ago and it turned out great (I used it for french toast). Mixed up another batch this afternoon and the dough is too sticky to work with even after I added 2 extra cups of flour. I expect it to be sticker than regular sandwich bread because of all the butter and eggs, but the dough is kind of a mess. It's rising now, so we'll see what happens.
He Monty, this dough is sticky and it should be. You can oil your hands for easier handling but if it wasn't sticky, it wouldn't be so perfectly fluffy. If you follow the steps, you should have an outstanding outcome.
I just made this recipe today and the brioche turned out delicious!
The only thing is that I had to pour it into an English cake pan, because it was too sticky to handle. I did add some flour, but was still too sticky. The taste, however, was superb!
Hey Naila, You can also cover your hards with oil. It will make it easier to handle the dough. It does sound like you may need to add a bit more flour.
I am making this wonderful bread again this weekend and realized I never told you how much we enjoyed this bread the first time! My word, I made 2 picture perfect braided loaves and the taste was awesome. Really a great recipe but cutting in half. There is only 3 of us and wow, this makes a lot of good bread!
Joni, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and that you came back to make it again! Thank you for leaving this review, it makes me so happy to hear back from you 🙂
The bread tasted amazing. Only thing is one should be prepared to add 1 cup + of extra flour. Also would recommend baking in a loaf pan otherwise the dough spreads while baking and you end up with a flatter bread. Still super tasty but doesnt have that final brioche loaf look. Overall great taste.
Hey Temi, thank you for sharing your feedback. The brand of flour does make a difference in this dough. It's so good to hear that you loved it!
Although this resulted in a wonderful looking bread with a great texture, it had a really powerful yeasty taste so unfortunately I had to throw it away 🙁
Hey Rosie, what brand of yeast did you use? I haven't run into this problem. I think it would be useful to others.
Hi
Can I use gluten free flour ?
Hey Aya, I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour. I can't give you feedback.
Does it need to be active dry yeast or can it be instant? Thank you!
Hey Alice, you can use instant yeast. Enjoy
You can use either, they are essentially the same, except instant is finer resulting in a quicker rise. If using instant, you may be able to let it rise for less time until it doubles in size.
Thanks for sharing!
Ohh my, my second go around at bread baking as the first was using your recipe and all was fantastic! I used King Arthur High Gluten Flour and added about 2 cups additional. I baked two mini rounds in cast iron skillets and the final braided loaf in a long loaf pan. I churned some fresh butter and waited for everything to bake. Amazing, stellar, a perfect masterpiece! I am no longer afraid of bread baking! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Gracious Gratitude while Sheltering in Place
Rolando & Alberto
San Francisco
Wow, sounds like you really went out there with creativity. I am so happy this recipe worked well for you. Really happy to hear this.
Can I use powdered sugar instead of cane sugar?
Hey Alex, I haven't made it with powdered sugar. I am not sure how it would affect the dough.
Hi,
Is it possible to make this recipe using Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose? Just thinking more from a healthy nutritional standpoint.
Thanks!
Hey, I think the texture of the dough would be denser. Whole wheat flour is typically much heavier than normal white flour.
I'm a little new to baking. I want to cut the recipe in half. Do I cut the yeast amount in half too? Thank you!
Hey Jodie, yes, cut all ingredients in half. Enjoy
Thank you! I did and this bread is AMAZING! Making another batch today, but a full one! Taking one to a friend.
Hey Jodie, thank you for sharing. I am so happy you loved the recipe.
I made this yesterday and it turned out good but it's kind of crumbly. Just a little tho. And I have to add about 2 more cups of the flour. I used the Great River 100% organic APF from costco. What did I do wrong? Please advice. Thank you.
It gets crumbly based on the flour you use. Bob's Red Mill would give you a much better result.
At the start of COVID my spouse asked me to teach him how to bake. I was very shocked as he doesn’t have the qualities to master baking such as attention to detail and grace with finesse. Bluntly, he’s a bull in a china shop. The lessons have taught me patience but have been enjoyable and a great team building task. We have covered pastry, custards, cakes, cupcakes, pies, ice cream/sorbets and now moving onto breads. An area I am completely fascinated by yet nervous. Brioche is our favorite bread and after all of the research completed we agreed to use your guidance. We ordered King Authur High Gluten Flower and Bellarise Instant yeast and they finally arrived after 6 weeks, hooray! If you have any suggestions with the type of flower let us know. We will keep you posted!
Hey dear, what an awesome experience, sounds like you guys can open a bakery soon. 🙂 You may need to add a bit more flour but only add 1/2 a cup at a time. The dough will be sticky but you can still braid it. Keep me posted:)