Makes: | 1 large loaf |
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Level: | Advanced |
Created Over: | Mix and bake immediately |
Kind of Bake: | Ambient day – French style – mixed in the morning and baked in the evening |
Diversity Score: | 18 |
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This base sourdough brioche recipe can be baked as a loaf or used for any number of things. After taking the dough from the fridge, I use it to make sourdough rolls, brioche buns, loaves, babkas and cinnamon buns – it’s really versatile.
Equipment
Tin Size
- 900g (2lb) loaf tin, measuring 25 x 13 x 8.5cm OR 9 x 5 x 3 inches (USA)
Suggested Starter
Sweet
Status of Starter
bubbly, lively first-build starter
DDT
25°C (77°F)
For The Dough
- 200g Botanical Blend No. 2
- 300g strong white bread flour (13% protein)
- 10g salt
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature, plus 1 for egg wash
- 140g whole milk, warmed to 27°C (81°F)
- 200g sweet sourdough starter
- 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 50g coconut sugar
Baking Time
45 minutes
Bake At
180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4
Tutorials
Step | Timings |
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Refresh sweet starter | Day 1, 8pm |
Mix dough in a stand mixer | Day 2, 8am |
Bulk fermentation | Day 2, 9am |
Put dough into fridge and leave overnight | Day 2, 2pm |
Remove dough from fridge | Day 3, 8am |
Shape and put in tin, then leave to prove | `Day 3, 9am |
Glaze and bake | Day 3, 3pm |
Guidance, tips & techniques
Sourdough Brioche Method:
Mix
I tend to think of a sourdough brioche dough as a three-stage mix. First, put the Botanical blend, flour and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the 4 eggs, along with the milk and sweet sourdough starter, then mix on a low speed to bring the ingredients together. It will feel a little tight because the mix doesn’t yet contain any fat. Let the dough rest for 4–5 minutes.
In the next stage, you build strength. Turn the mixer on again and quickly take it up to a high setting. Mix for at least 5–7 minutes. This strong mixing is a fast way to develop the gluten. As the dough moves around the bowl, you need to listen to the machine. At a certain point, the sound will change as the dough starts coming away from sides of the bowl. The mixer stops mixing and the dough starts slapping against the sides – it almost sounds like a drum beat. Sometimes it can take a little bit longer than 7 minutes; you just have to wait until it comes together. When you turn off the mixer, the dough will be tight and probably wrapped around the dough hook.
The final stage of mixing incorporates the butter and then the sugar (see note below). Dice the butter into 2cm squares. The butter should be at about 18–22°C/65–71°F. If the butter is too cold, it won’t mix into the dough, but if it’s too warm, you will end up with a greasy mess.
Gradually add the butter, a little at a time, over the next 10 minutes. The dough will become shiny and elastic. Once about 70% of the butter is incorporated, you can start adding the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. So, for the last three minutes, you are adding a cube of butter and a tablespoon of sugar at a time.
When your dough is completely mixed, leave it to rest for about 5 minutes. Then go back and very gently take a small piece of dough and carefully pull on it – it should stretch beautifully. Some people will do a ‘windowpane test’ at this stage. Take a piece of dough and, using both hands, stretch it. The dough should become thin enough to see light through it without tearing. This is an appropriate test at this point, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. When you incorporate wholegrain into your dough, this test can be a little challenging, because wholegrain isn’t all that see-through. If your dough is not stretching, keep mixing for 5 more minutes and re-test.
Note: Sugar is hygroscopic (it attracts and absorbs water) and will draw liquid away from the gluten. For this reason, it’s important not to add the sugar at the beginning of the mixing process, when you want the gluten to develop. Adding it later in the process means the gluten has time to develop without having to fight with the sugar for the liquid.
Ambient bulk fermentation
Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl and prove for 4–5 hours, keeping the dough at about 25°C (77°F).
Transfer to the fridge
Now cover the bowl (I used a stretched-out shower cap) and move it into the fridge overnight.
Shape
* If you are using this as the base dough for another recipe, you will need to continue with your chosen recipe from this point.
Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to come up from about 5°C (41°F) to about 18°C (64°F) – this will take about an hour. Grease your tin and line with baking parchment. Next, gently shape the dough into a boule using a scraper. If your dough gets warmer, then it will become harder to handle. If it is sticky, add a little butter to your hands to help as you shape. Place it in the prepared tin and cover, making sure you use a covering that allows space for the dough to rise. Leave for 4–6 hours until doubled in size.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Make an egg wash with the remaining egg and gently brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 and bake for a further 10 minutes. The top of the loaf should be golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the tin before gently tipping out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
![Brioche Sourdough](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Brioche_-330x439.jpg)
![](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Brioche_-2-330x439.jpg)
![Sourdough Brioche](https://thesourdoughschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Brioche_-3-330x439.jpg)