Soy Free Brioche Loaf

Total time11 hr 15 min

Prep time40 min

Cook time35 min

Few baked goods feel as luxurious as a properly made brioche, with its deep golden crust, feathery crumb, and that unmistakable richness that comes from a serious amount of real butter. The ingredient list here is refreshingly straightforward — milk, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and unsalted butter — which means there's no soy-derived lecithin, no soy-based margarine, and none of the hidden additives that sneak into so many store-bought enriched breads. The technique is where the magic happens: a slow, patient butter incorporation during mixing builds a dough that's glossy and elastic, and an overnight cold retard in the refrigerator deepens the flavor while making the dough much easier to shape. Dividing the dough into four equal balls and nestling them into the loaf pan creates that beautiful pull-apart top that's practically begging to be photographed. The egg-yolk wash gives the finished loaf a chestnut-brown color that looks like it came straight out of a Parisian boulangerie window. It takes some planning ahead, but most of the time is hands-off rising and chilling — the actual active work is surprisingly manageable. Slice it thick for French toast, tear it apart warm at the table, or simply eat it with a little butter and feel very good about your life choices.

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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
King Arthur Baking Company Unbleached All-Purpose Flour Gold Medal Flour All-Purpose Unbleached - 5 Lb Bob's Red Mill Organic All Purpose Unbleached White Flour - 5 Lb Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Unbleached White Flour - 5 Lb Pillsbury Best Flour All Purpose - 5 Lb
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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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