Caffeine Free Classic Brioche

Total time11 hr 15 min

Prep time40 min

Cook time35 min

4.5

(18)

Rich, pillowy, and deeply buttery, this brioche is the kind of bread that makes an ordinary morning feel like a special occasion. The dough comes together with simple pantry staples — flour, eggs, sugar, milk, and a generous amount of softened butter — and every single ingredient is naturally free of caffeine, so there's nothing to second-guess or swap out. What makes this loaf truly special is the cold overnight fermentation, which firms up all that butter and develops a complex, slightly sweet flavor that you simply can't rush. The long, slow rise does the heavy lifting, so by the time you shape and proof the dough, you're already most of the way to something extraordinary. Eight dough balls nestled into a loaf pan bake up into a gorgeous, pull-apart crown with a deep mahogany crust and a soft, feathery crumb underneath. It's stunning enough to serve at a brunch table but honestly just as good torn apart warm with a little extra butter. Once you've made brioche from scratch, the store-bought version will never quite measure up again.

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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)
2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp fine salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
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
Combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tbsp of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir briefly and let stand for 5–10 minutes, until foamy and fragrant.
2
Add the flour, salt, remaining 1 tbsp sugar, and the 4 room-temperature eggs to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes, then increase to medium speed and knead for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test — a small piece stretched between your fingers should stretch thin enough to see light through without tearing.

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