Nightshade Free Classic Brioche

Total time11 hr 15 min

Prep time40 min

Cook time35 min

4.5

(18)

Buttery, pillowy, and impossibly rich, this classic brioche is the kind of bread that makes any occasion feel a little more special. The ingredient list is refreshingly straightforward — flour, eggs, butter, milk, yeast, sugar, and salt — which means there's nothing hiding in here that could cause a problem for anyone avoiding nightshades. That's genuinely good news, because so many packaged breads and enriched loaves contain unexpected additives or flavorings that can be hard to vet. The magic here is all in the technique: a slow overnight cold fermentation firms up all that butter and deepens the flavor in a way that no shortcut can replicate. Each ball of dough bakes up into a gorgeous, domed pull-apart loaf with a deep mahogany crust and a soft, feathery crumb inside. It's equally at home sliced thick for French toast, served alongside eggs in the morning, or eaten warm with nothing but a little extra butter. Once you've made it yourself, store-bought will never quite measure up.

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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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