Paraben Free Brioche Loaf

Total time11 hr 15 min

Prep time40 min

Cook time35 min

4.7

(14)

Few baked goods match the sheer luxury of a properly made brioche — that golden, burnished crust giving way to a crumb that's impossibly soft, rich, and faintly sweet. What makes this loaf so satisfying is the slow, methodical process of working cold butter into the dough until it becomes glossy and smooth, building a texture that no store-bought bread can replicate. Every ingredient here is straightforward and whole: real milk, eggs, butter, flour, sugar, and salt — nothing processed, nothing synthetic, nothing you'd need to second-guess on a label. For anyone navigating preservative sensitivities, baking from scratch like this is the most reliable way to know exactly what's going into your food. The overnight cold retard in the refrigerator isn't just a convenience trick — it firms the butter, tightens the dough, and deepens the flavor in a way that a same-day loaf simply can't match. Patience is rewarded at every stage, from the windowpane test that tells you the gluten is perfectly developed to that final wait on the cooling rack before you slice in. The result is a loaf worthy of a weekend breakfast table, equally at home sliced thick for toast or pulled apart warm straight from the rack.

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the dough

¼ cup whole milk, warmed to 110°f (43°c)
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp fine salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
14 tbsp (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, softened

For the egg wash

1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

1
Combine the warmed milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy and fragrant.
2
Add the flour, sugar, salt, and 4 eggs to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, until the ingredients are just combined into a shaggy mass, then increase to medium speed and knead for 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

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