This ultra-soft sourdough brioche bread is about to become your new favorite! It is made with tangzhong, making the brioche stay fresh for days. It pairs just as well with eggs and bacon as it does with chocolate spread or jam.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Proofing Time1 dayd5 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Total Time1 dayd7 hourshrs
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Bread, Brioche, Tangzhong
Servings: 2loaves
Calories: 172kcal
Author: Elise
Equipment
Digital kitchen scale
Cooking Thermometer
Stand mixer
Brød & Taylor Proofer (optional, but recommended for better temperature control)
Large Mixing Bowl
Bench knife
Two 9-in bread tins
Ingredients
Sweet Levain
30gactive white sourdough starter100% hydration
40gall-purpose flour
40gwhole milkcold
10gsugar
Tangzhong
140gwhole milk
35gall-purpose flour
Main Dough
460gbread flour
250geggsapproximately 5 eggs
30gwhole milkcold
all the tangzhong(175 g)
all the sweet levain (120 g)
60gsugar
12gsalt
200gunsalted buttersoftened
Other
1eggfor egg wash
Instructions
Sweet Levain
Add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and mix until just combined. Cover the bowl and let the levain rise in a warm spot (78-80°F/26-27°C) for four hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Tangzhong
Add milk and flour to a small pot. Heat up over medium heat while stirring with a whisk. Once the mixture has thickened and reached the temperature of 150°F/65°C, it is ready.
Transfer the tangzhong to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that is touching the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.
Main Dough
Add all the ingredients, except salt and butter, including the sweet levain and tangzhong, to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix until just combined. Rest/autolyse for 30 minutes.
Add the salt and knead on medium speed for 5-10 minutes.
Slowly add in cubed, softened butter, one cube at a time. When you have added all the butter, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and continue mixing at medium-high speed until the dough passes the window-pane test. This typically takes around 15-25 minutes, depending on your mixer.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and proof for three hours at around 75°F/24°C.
After the three hours proof, you can transfer the dough to the fridge and let it cold-proof for 8-15 hours.
Shape
Butter two 9-inch bread tins.
Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into two equal pieces. We want to work with one loaf at a time so place one of the dough pieces on a floured work surface and the other back into the fridge.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into seamless rounds and arrange them in one of your prepared bread tins. Repeat on the other half of the dough.
Let the brioche breads proof for 7-10 hours at 75-78°F/24-26°C, until doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 360°F/180°C.
Brush the tops of the breads with egg wash.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.
Notes
Nutritional analysis per serving (approximately. 24 servings) The nutrition facts are automatically calculated. I can not guarantee the accuracy of the data. Please don’t consider it a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.