When baking brioche, you want to do everything you can to make sure you get that light and fluffy texture with a rich, buttery flavor. Not only do you need proper measurements and ingredients, cooking time and temperature is crucial. In this article, we’ll look at the keys to perfect brioche.
On average, brioche loaves take around 35 minutes when baked at 350°F (176°C). Some recipes bake at 375°F to 390°F (190°C to 199°C) which will lower the total cook time, however, this will depend on the size of the loaf. Smaller brioche rolls and buns are usually take around 15 to 20 minutes when baked at 375°F. In this article, we will discuss how long it should take to bake brioche bread at various temperatures, as well as cooking tips for getting the perfect result.
Best Brioche Temperatures: Loaves vs Buns
When baking brioche loaves and buns, bake times and temperatures can vary between the two brioche varieties. Most recipes bake loaves at 350 °F for 35 minutes, and 375°F for 15 minutes for rolls and buns. Time and temperature are crucial when baking brioche. Under baking your bread by a few minutes could affect the end result. If you’ve done your research on baking brioche, you would notice the inconsistencies with bake times and temperatures.
How To Tell When Brioche Is Done
So, how can you find the perfect temperature and bake time for your brioche bread? Here are some important things to look for when baking the perfect brioche. Brioche bread is done baking when:
- The top exterior is a deep golden-brown color (without signs of burning)
- The crust is flaky
- The interior sounds hollow when tapped
- The internal temperature is 190°F
If your brioche bread is showing these signs, regardless of temperature or bake time, then it is ready to come out of the oven and rest.
Things To Remember When Baking Brioche
Making brioche can be intimidating, even for the most experienced bakers. Each bread recipe has different ingredients, temperatures and techniques. The details matter when baking brioche. Here are some helpful tips so you don’t end up with a doughy mess rather than a fluffy brioche.
- Keep a close eye on the temperatures of your ingredients
- Be patient with the kneading process
- Don’t abandon the mixer
- Know how to recognize when your dough has proofed properly
Below, we have elaborated on each tip so you know what to look out for as well as what steps, techniques, and information will be most useful when you get to these points in the brioche making process.
Watch The Temperature Of The Ingredients
The temperature of your oven isn’t the only thing you should be conscious of when making brioche bread because the temperatures of your ingredients can be just as important.
Butter Temperature
The first ingredient you should check is your butter. When making brioche bread, you must use unsalted butter that is at room temperature when the time comes to mix.
If your butter is too cold, your dough will struggle to form properly, but if it is too warm, bordering on melting, then the butter will cause the dough to become very greasy. This could also happen if your kitchen is fairly warm and causes your butter to melt while in the mixer. If this happens, just pop your dough into the refrigerator so it can cool down before putting it back on the mixer.
Water and Egg Temperature
Also, be mindful of the temperature of the water and the eggs.This is important when making brioche. Use warm water and bring the eggs to room temperature. If the ingredients are too hot or too cold, it’s going to make things difficult.
Be Patient With the Kneading Process
Brioche breads require what is known as enriched dough, which means it has higher amounts of fat, sugar, and dairy than most bread doughs. Because of this, the kneading process to create an enriched dough takes exponentially longer than you might be used to. Not only does it take a decent while before your dough is ready, but the stages the dough goes through might puzzle you as well. At first, your dough will get very stiff until you add the butter, at which point, it will look almost as if it is falling apart.
It doesn’t take much to cause most bakers to second guess themselves when making brioche bread, and the best advice we can give is to be patient and trust the process. Kneading will take a while and your dough will take many forms along the way, but as long as you follow all the steps properly, you’ll come out on the other side with an exceptional brioche dough.
Don’t Abandon the Mixer
This tip is closely tied to the previous one regarding the kneading process. There are some bread doughs that benefit from kneading by hand and don’t require an electric mixer. Sadly, brioche is not one of them. Because the kneading process for making the ideal brioche dough takes longer than most doughs, it is not recommended to knead or mix it solely by hand.
You can choose to knead it yourself at certain intervals if you think it is nearly done and you don’t want to overdo it in the mixer or if you just want to test the dough but completing this whole process by hand rarely produces the perfect brioche dough.
Know What Properly Proofed Dough Looks Like
Proofing is allowing the dough to rise and develop its gluten structure. Under-proofed brioche dough will be dense, while over-proofed brioche dough will be dry, crumbly, and have large holes. Ideally, your brioche dough, if it has properly proofed, should be soft, pillowy, and smooth.
To test if your brioche dough has proofed sufficiently, look at how much the dough has increased in size since the start and compare it to how much your recipe states it should rise (most will say it should double in size).
If the dough has hardly increased in size, then it is under-proofed, whereas if it has increased to where it is spilling over the sides of its pan, then it has over-proofed.
After assessing its size, gently poke the dough with your finger. If the dough has proofed enough, you should see the indentation slowly spring back halfway. Comparatively, if the indentation remains without springing back or it causes the dough to deflate, then the dough it over-proofed. If the indentation springs back almost entirely and instantly, then the dough is under-proofed.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know which temperatures and bake times are best for different brioche, you’re one step closer to baking the perfect goods that are buttery, flaky, and airy like this bread should be. Remember that temperature and bake time are only two parts of this equation, so keep our tips listed above in mind as well to help ensure the overall process goes smoothly.
