Pecan Free Brioche Loaf

Total time11 hr 15 min

Prep time40 min

Cook time35 min

4.7

(14)

Rich, pillowy, and impossibly tender, this brioche is the kind of loaf that makes you want to clear your whole Saturday morning just to watch it rise. The dough gets its signature softness from a generous amount of butter worked in slowly during a long stand-mixer knead, and the overnight cold retard in the fridge deepens the flavor in a way that a quick same-day bake simply can't match. Every ingredient here is straightforward — flour, eggs, butter, milk, yeast, sugar, salt — so there's no need to scan labels or worry about hidden nut additions sneaking into your bake. The four-ball shaping method gives the finished loaf those beautiful, pull-apart domes on top, and that egg-wash finish bakes into a deep chestnut gloss that looks genuinely bakery-worthy. Sliced thick and toasted with salted butter, it's extraordinary; used as the base for French toast, it's practically unfair. Patience is the only real skill required — the windowpane test and the long proof do the heavy lifting for you.

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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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