Nutmeg Free Classic Brioche
Few breads are as luxurious as a properly made brioche, with its deep mahogany crust, feathery crumb, and rich, buttery flavor that sits somewhere between bread and pastry. This version is built entirely from pantry and fridge staples — flour, eggs, butter, milk, yeast, sugar, and salt — so there's no need to scan labels or worry about hidden spices sneaking into your loaf. Many classic European bread recipes quietly call for warm spices, but this one keeps things beautifully clean, letting the slow cold fermentation and generous butter do all the heavy lifting on flavor. The overnight refrigerator rise is genuinely the secret weapon here: it firms up the dough, makes it easier to shape, and develops a depth of flavor you simply can't rush. Those eight dough balls arranged in the pan aren't just pretty — they bake up into perfectly portioned, pull-apart sections with a glossy, egg-washed top that looks like it came straight from a Parisian boulangerie. It's equally at home sliced thick for French toast, served alongside a weekend brunch spread, or eaten warm with nothing but a little extra butter. Give it the time it asks for and it will absolutely deliver.
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Learn more →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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