Nutmeg Free Buttery Soft Brioche Bread

Total time11 hr 15 min

Prep time40 min

Cook time35 min

4.6

(18)

Rich, pillowy, and impossibly tender, this brioche is the kind of bread that makes you want to clear your whole afternoon just to bake it. The magic is all in the technique: a slow, patient butter incorporation builds that signature glossy, elastic dough, and an overnight cold retard in the fridge deepens the flavor without any shortcuts. Every ingredient here is clean and straightforward — flour, eggs, butter, milk, sugar, salt — so there's nothing hiding in the mix that could cause a problem for anyone avoiding certain spices. That matters more than you'd think, because many enriched breads and store-bought brioche loaves sneak in warm spice blends where you'd least expect them. The windowpane test is your best friend in this recipe; once that dough stretches thin and translucent without tearing, you know the gluten structure is exactly where it needs to be. The final loaf bakes to a deep chestnut brown with a glossy egg-washed crust and a soft, feathery crumb that pulls apart in gorgeous, buttery ribbons. Slice it thick for French toast, serve it alongside a bowl of soup, or honestly just eat it warm with a little extra butter — it absolutely holds its own.

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the dough

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (1 standard packet)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 ¼ tsp fine salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup whole milk, warm (about 100°f / 38°c)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, softened to room temperature

For the egg wash

1 large egg
1 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Whisk briefly by hand to distribute evenly.
2
Add the 4 room-temperature eggs and the warm milk to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, about 8 minutes.

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