It sounds almost too easy, but the delicious truth is….it really works!
Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie
I tried several version of this recipe, each with just tiny changes because the first version I tried already turned out quite perfect. Except for one thing: The crumb needed just a little bit of help to get it from a slightly cake-like stage to something a bit more cohesive. So, just before I pop the dough in the fridge for a well deserved 48 hours rest, I give it one or two stretch & folds.
I also tried versions with slightly more (5ml) and slightly less water. The version you find on this page is the recipe that works best for me. I am very pleased with the result.
Also check out the short video we made of the making and baking of the brioche.
| Ingredients for the No Knead Brioche | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| makes 1 Brioche loaf | ||||
| 250 | g | French Type 55 flour / all purpose flour / plain flour | ||
| 100 | g | fresh dairy butter, melted | ||
| 70 | g | water at room temperature | ||
| 110 | g | organic eggs (1 medium egg is about 55g) | ||
| 50 | g | runny honey / 2.5 tablespoons (flower /acacia) | ||
| 5.5 | g | (sea) salt | ||
| 3 | g | instant yeast | ||
Making the Brioche dough
In a bowl, combine eggs, honey water, salt and melted butter and whisk, somewhat vigorously, for about 30 seconds. We do this with a Danish dough whisk. Add the instant yeast to the flour and sift it into the mixture. Again, with enthusiasm, whisk for 30 seconds until your dough looks smooth and homogeneous. Cover your bowl and let the dough rest for one hour at room temperature (two hours will also be fine).
Take the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured work surface and do one or two stretch and folds (full fold ones, left over right, right over left, bottom over top, top over bottom; see our bread movies to observe this technique if you are not familiar with it). If your dough is very ‘elastic’ and cooperative, do a few, if it starts to resist you can just stop.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover and take it to the fridge where it will stay for 24 hours. I have made several versions using both dough that had rested 24 hours, and dough that was allowed to rest for 48 hours and I can say the results are both fine, not that big of a difference. So you can be a bit flexible when it comes to that.
Some people leave it even longer. I have not tried that, but I cannot see it would get any better, maybe it would even dry out. I have read about people leaving it in the fridge up to 5 days. All I can say is that, with the fine results I got within the 24 to 48 hours range I saw no need to take it any further.
Shaping the Brioche
Take the dough out of the fridge. Now it is time to shape. You can choose any shape you want of course but this is how I do it most of the time. Divide the dough into 4 or 6 equal pieces and shape them into balls (shaping quickly while the dough is still very cold from the fridge goes best). Place the balls two by two in a baking tin, well buttered or lined with baking paper.
Cover and leave to proof for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature of the dough and of the room. It is important to take the time needed, to proof the dough to perfection. You might also want to check out our tips on dough temperature to help you improve your baking results.
It is best to cover the brioche with something that does not stick to the dough or weighs it down. That is why I just turn my mixing bowl upside down and use that as a cover. It works really well.
Alternatively you can brush it with some beaten egg (with a splash of water added to make it easier to brush on) right after shaping. Give it a thin layer and repeat with another thin layer just before baking, same as with making our croissants recipe.
Baking the Brioche
Preheat your oven at 190ºC / 375ºF conventional setting.
Brush the brioche with some egg wash before you put it in the oven, or brush it with some melted butter directly after baking.
Bake at 190ºC / 375ºF for about 10 minutes, then turn down the thermostat to 160ºC / 320ºF and bake for another 15 minutes. If the top browns too quickly or gets too dark, cover it with some aluminum foil to protect it.
After taking it out of the oven, I find it is best to leave it for a few minutes before turning it out of its tin on a cooling rack. Then leave to cool completely before slicing it. You could slice it while warm, but the crumb needs to set a little bit and slicing it too soon could press it together and make it sort of sticky. If you cannot wait please slice with a very sharp knife that easily cuts the slices without having to put too much pressure on it.
The brioche keeps very well for a few days (in container or bag) and even after that it can be given some oomph by toasting it lightly or heating it quickly in the microwave. Delicious! You can also reheat them in your oven, preheated at 170ºC / 340ºF until the outside is crisp, 5 to 7 minutes should do the trick.
With this same recipe you can also make ‘petites brioches’. Just divide the dough in 6 equal parts, shape and leave to proof in individual, well greased tins of choice. The proofing should take a little less time (something like half an hour less), depending on the temperature of the dough and surroundings of course.
Because of the smaller sizes, the baking also goes quicker. Bake at 190ºC / 375ºF for about 8 minutes, then turn down the thermostat to 160ºC / 320ºF and bake for another 7 minutes.
Let us know what you think of the recipe and how your (no knead) brioche turns out or how it compares to your more authentic brioche recipe.
The traditional brioche has a fluted bottom and a topknot and is made in a special mold. As this dough is wetter and a bit harder to shape I am just pleased to shape it quickly into balls, not fumbling with it too much. This way the shaping is done while the dough is still cold from the fridge and the warmth of your hands has not yet been given the chance to make it extra sticky.
Kathy says
I just wanted to say how happy I am with your recipe. I love baking bread and on the first try my brioche came out just like in the picture at the top. I used my Nonstick Chicago Metallic pan that is 8.5 in x 4.5 in and put 6 round ball in it. Your directions were great but did have 1 quick question. When you say ‘Dairy Butter’ is that salted or unsalted? I am located in the US.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Kathy,
Thanks, very nice to hear the recipe works out for you too. The butter is unsalted and over here it has a fat content of 82%.
Happy baking,
Marieke
Kathy says
Great and thanks for letting me know as I am sure going to make this again 🙂
Amy Hazelrigg says
Can you please send me a condensed version of this recipe so I can print it out? America’s Test Kitchen has a recipe for no-knead brioche, but they require a subscription, which I’m not interested in. You’d be doing your audience a great service if you could condense your recipe. Thanks!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Amy,
All our recipes, including this brioche one, can be printed directly from your web browser, in a condensed version, all the images will be left out automatically.
lee says
Just tried this and not disappointed in the slightest. The family love it. only “problem” is I may have to make 2 or 3 at a time it doesn’t last long!
Weekend Bakers says
That is a great and luxurious ‘problem’ to have Lee. Excellent!
David Rowthorn says
Recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it! I’m thinking of making this with Creme Patissiere. Would it be ok to just roughly stir the crem pat in and if so, when would be the best time to do this? Before or after the fridge? Thanks a lot
Weekend Bakers says
Hello David,
That sounds absolutely delicious and very indulgent. But we cannot tell you how and if it will work well with this recipe because we have never tried it. If we would make an attempt we would add it before it goes into the fridge.
BTW you can find our favorite creme pat recipe here: www.weekendbakery.com/posts…am-recipe/
Hope you will let us know how it turns out!
Happy baking,
Marieke & Ed
David Rowthorn says
NIce one, thanks. I’ll keep you posted.
Edna Kaveza says
Dear weekend bakery,
I can officially brag that I can bake.
I tried your recipe for brioche mmmmmh can’t even talk my mouth is full.
Weekend Bakers says
Yes you can! (brag and bake 🙂
Happy baking weekend,
Marieke
SeaCottage says
Hi Marieke …
How to beautify my brioche? My brioche definitely cannot make it to the beauty pageant contest. It looks like a cake rather than a brioche. The only thing I think I added extra was proving the bread in a very humid environment (the oven looks like it was in a suana). As for taste and texture definitely a thumbs up!
Any advice?
Weekend Bakers says
Hi there,
Thanks for the feedback.
May be ask if you did the stretching and folding of the dough like we suggest in the recipe? Next to that the flour is also important. Our flour (type 55) contains about 11% protein, enough to build some gluten structure, so make sure your flour has a high enough protein content to make that possible too.
Glad you did like the taste and texture of this one already, but with a little more cohesion I think you will like it even better.
Happy baking,
Marieke
chuck says
What should the internal temperature be when its done baking?
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Chuck,
We actually never measured the core temp of this brioche (only the dough) , but in general the internal temperature for enriched dough to be perfectly baked we believe should be around 85C or 185/190 F.
Denise Lynn says
if possible would you please convert this recipe into cups for those of us who do not weigh our ingredients and i am not familiar with your type 55 flour ~~could one use a mixture of cake flour and AP flour or would bread flour be best ???~~if doubled or tripled would one just adjust accordingly ? thanks very much ~`regards Denise
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Denise,
We would advice you to use only AP flour because it comes closest to the French type 55 flour and you need the protein in the flour. Yes you can double or triple the recipe no problem, but you then also need to make 2 or 3 loaves for the baking times to stay correct of course. For flour take 2 cups, for butter take a stick minus a tablespoon, water is always the same in grams and milliliters 70 grams is 70 ml (or about 1/3 cup). Please check our conversion page for all the important conversions: www.weekendbakery.com/cooki…nversions/.
Happy baking,
Marieke
Nataliia says
Could you answer the question – is it possible to use sourdough instead of yeast in this recipe? If yes, how many sourdough should take.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Nataliia,
I must tell you we are very ‘old school’ when it comes to French pastry and enriched dough (and also baguettes for that matter). We love the sweetness of the traditional croissants and brioche and we love the sourdough in a good sourdough loaf.
That is why we have no experience making a sourdough brioche. Of course it is possible to make it. But there is a reason why you probably cannot find recipes that say use 7g yeast or just replace by a cup of sourdough. They are not exactly interchangeable. If you would take a yeast based recipe and want to make that into a sourdough based, you must change more than just the rising agent. I think I have seen some recipes that use sourdough in brioche, also on the fresh loaf website. Maybe you can check them out and let us know how it turns out?
Happy baking!
Marieke
Nataliia says
Thank you!
Nataliia says
www.lifeatbearcreekfarm.com/no-kn…gh-brioche
AyEsDeeEf says
Made this Bread last night. Came out nearly perfect. Was a little more cakey and less kind of stringy than the best Brioche’s I’ve had (probably due to the no kneading I’m guessing) but it was so easy and clean (in the sense that there wasn’t butter and stuff all over the counters, just mix throw in fridge, take out, put in pan) it was well worth it. I can’t imagine a better recipe when you consider the ratio of effort to results.
I made it in a lodge cast iron loaf pan, wasn’t quite enough to fill it out though. Going to try and adjust the recipe up about another 10 to 15% and see if I can get a better loaf.
AyEsDeeEf says
Made several brioches with this recipe. 1.5x is the perfect amount for the lodge loaf pan I mentioned.
This weekend I just threw a small amount of leftover grounds from my grinder into the dough (it was maybe a teaspoon of mixed stuff..mostly french roast coffee and cinnamon bark) and I also tossed a teaspoon of minced lime rind/zest bits. It was the best one yet. It had an amazing smell to it, very rich, but it didnt really taste like coffee/cin/lime rind bits (I don’t think there was enough to give it a recognizable flavor), it just tasted rich and good/different. It did smell kind faintly of lemon bread though. Really made a delicious difference. I read about some people using rendered chicken skin fat instead of butter or along with butter, and it sounds like it would be really good too. I also think I like a slight bit more honey but the honey I get from my coworker who’s a hobby beekeeper isn’t very sweet to begin with so maybe that’s why.
Weekend Bakers says
Hi AyEsDeeEf,
It all sounds very inspirational! Thanks for sharing. For honey we usually take acacia honey which I would call rather sweet, so maybe there’s a difference..but a bit more honey could do the trick …
Happy brioche baking!
Marieke
EmilyC says
Hi WB!
I have success with your recipe and video!! Thanks for sharing!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello there Emily,
I saw you made French toast with the brioche. Wonderful! Keep up the lovely baking and blogging.
Greetings from Holland to Indonesia!
Marieke
nora sass says
Hi Guys, Im glad I got linked to your website and been reading a lot on the baking tips. It is such an informative and straight forward instructions you guys came out with and it really helped with a novice baker like me.
Just a question, your Brioche suits me fine, no kneading and I was so impressed that I tried it and it was awesome. Thou’ I somehow had to run an errand in between and overproofed the dough.
Just a small question, in most recipes, it called for milk and noted in your recipe, it just simply using water. I am quite curious the difference in this. Hope you share with me my thoughts on this.
And once again, thank you for the awesome website.
Warm Regs, Nora
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Nora,
You can use milk instead of water for this recipe. Because of the milk solids, you have to use a little bit more than you would with water, around 5 to 10 ml more. Milk, mainly because of the protein and milk fats it contains, has also other properties that will give a slightly different baking result. One of the main things would be that the crumb will be a little less open. But the result will not be that different. You can try both and see what you like best.
Happy baking!,
Marieke
nora sass says
Hi Marieke, thank you for your advice. Will certainly make an attempt to use milk, however, your recipe with water is just good enough and really luv the simplicity and it taste so darn good. Once again, thank you.
Lucas says
Hi there,
I just did this recipe and i must say that worked perfectly. I have done different brioches formulas, but i liked this one a lot. Well done guys, and congrats for the website, very informative. Thanks for sharing.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you so much Lucas, for loving the recipe and our website too.
Lots of loaves and beautiful brioches!
Ed & Marieke
jean says
It’s a really fabulous recipe!! i just tried it out yesterday, and it turns out extremely amazing and tasty!! Thank you soooooooooo much!
Weekend Bakers says
Great to hear Jean, thank you so much for sharing. We love it when recipes work out this well for other bakers too.
Happy weekend baking!
Marieke & Ed
jean says
Hi,
This is a really fabulous recipe!! i just tried it out yesterday, and it turns out extremely amazing and tasty! Thank you so much for sharing it! It’s quite hard to find a nice brioche in any of our bakery here. They’re either way too greasy or just not as good as your recipe, anyway still are quite expensive though.
I really think the time it takes in this recipe really worth it. they have light and tender texture inside and pretty crispy of the crust outside. My sister and i love it when it comes along with coffee as our late night snack! 🙂
btw, can i use milk to replace water? if i could, how much should i use in your recipe? thank you!
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Jean,
And yes, you can replace the water by milk, but the result can be a little bit different because of it. Milk contains some milk solids so you should use probably 5 to 10 ml more than the amount of water for this recipe to get the same amount of liquid. Also, because of the milk sugars it could be that the bread browns faster so keep an eye on it.
Happy baking!
Marieke
Felicia Wong says
Hi Ed & Marieke,
I love brioche but had always find it expensive to buy from respectable bakeries here in Singapore. The recipes i found always require extensive kneading so it kind of put me off, being a very novice baker. But seeing your recipe, with almost no kneading and reasonably small amount of butter, i just have to try. And boy am i glad i did. The brioche came out soft and although lighter than the bakery products, it is exactly what i dream of a brioche.
I can’t thank you enough! I kept the dough in fridge less than 24 hrs due to schedule clash, and my measurements are less than exact. But i am so looking forward to perfect this already perfect recipe. Will be my go-to recipe for brioche cravings!
Thank you so much,
Felicia
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Felicia,
Many, many thanks for this excellent feedback! And indeed, next time with a bit more time and precision, we’re sure you will like it even more.
Happy Baking!
Marieke & Ed
Anh Van Ngo says
Hi, such a wonderful recipes!! Would you please tell me more about “no knead” method? Beside the wetter dough, are there any reasons to fold the dough instead of kneading it? I often use a electrical mixer, so wet and rich dough is not very tricky to handle, then! Thank you in advanced! ^^
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Anh,
Yes indeed there are. The S&F method can be seen as a technique that allows the bread to develop gently and slowly, without it being handled too much. It develops the gluten but doesn’t degas the dough as much as a second knead and /or less gently knocking all the air out. This technique, together with more time, usually results in a more open crumb with bigger holes (depending on what bread you are making of course). If you would make a no knead bread without any mixing or S&F it would not build up much gluten and it would be more cake-like. So using an electric mixer will give a different result than using the S&F method.
Greetings and happy baking,
Ed & Marieke
RVW says
Hello!
I think I’m going to have to try this with my coffee shop’s cinnamon rolls. Looks like a great recipe. (Currently using Bertinet’s Sweet Dough recipe, which I’m happy with — but I like trying new things as well!). Also, very interested in using honey instead of refined sugar!
I’ll comment once I’ve done it.
Weekend Bakers says
Very curious to know. Have fun with it and happy baking!
Marieke
Betty says
hier is mijn feedback, net geproefd…heel lekker, niet zo gerezen omdat ik in een te brede bakblik bakte, maar net zo lekker als een geknede, gewone brioche. bedankt 🙂
zeker herhaling waard!
Weekend Bakers says
Hallo Betty,
Wat leuk je bevindingen te horen. Misschien volgende keer nog in een ander bakblik en omdat het brood toch in het blik rijst en je er niet meer aankomt kun je het rustig echt goed en lang laten rijzen. Afhankelijk van de temperatuur van de omgeving natuurlijk. Ik gebruik ook mijn oven wel eens als rijskast door hem even licht op te warmen, dan uit te schakelen en het deeg daarin te laten rijzen bij een temperatuur van zo’n 26 tot 27 graden. Dat gaat heel voortreffelijk.
Dank voor je aardige woorden en feedback. En misschien kun je je in het verlengde van de brioche ook nog eens aan ons croissants recept wagen: www.weekendbakery.com/posts…nt-recipe/
Happy Baking!
Marieke
Betty says
hy there!
ik ben deze brioche aan het maken, de drie uren zijn bijna voorbij en ik ga het zometeen vouwen, echt benieuwd!!
ik heb een keer in mijn leven brioche gemaakt, recept van Michael & Albert Roux…
ik heb jullie website onlangs ontdekt, heel leuk en leerzaam
ik ben een enthousiaste homebaker, bijna fanaat zou mijn man zeggen, dus…heel veel inspiratie hier 🙂
over twee dagen komt terug met “feedback”.
greetz, betty.
Chris says
Baked this Brioche for Easter. Due to schedule issues, the dough spent 50 hrs in the fridge instead of the planned 24.
The smell of the dough, straight out of the fridge, was devine, very promising indeed. Baked in a round (white) ceramic IKEA dish. Small issue with colouring of bottom and sides. It came out to pale. Probably due to the white mold.
So, just the Brioche went back into the oven for another 10 minutes.
Taste was delicous and it kept pretty good in a towel. So it is was immediately elected a ‘family favourite. Because it is so easy to make it will return for sunday brunch pretty soon.
Greetingz!
Chris
Weekend Bakers says
Great to hear Chris, 48 hours always works for me too and you are right about the dish but you solved it like you said by putting it back in the oven. Glad you like it enough to make it again.
Marieke
Fatima says
Hi. I would like to ask a question that can I use 50 g plain honey instead of acacia honey ?
Thank You !
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Fatima,
Yes, that is no problem at all. Acacia honey is very mild in flavor and not overpowering, that is why it is my favorite.
But you will be just fine, using plain honey.
Happy Brioche Baking,
Marieke
Olympia says
what would happen if i add some fresh yeast instead of the instant one i a bigger quantity and let it rest for a few hours, cause i need it be done by today? 😛 jejeje i think i can do the Richard Bertinet knead for replacing the time in the fridge. So, what you think? Im searching for a rcipe of a butter flavoured bread!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Olympia,
I am guessing that by now you have already made the brioche. It sounded like you had a solid plan how to go about it and fresh yeast would be no problem (usually triple the amount from instant dry to fresh) so curious to find out about your baking result!
Marieke
Akasha says
This was a great, simple recipe. Thank you so much. I will be making this forever!
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Akasha,
That sounds wonderful. Glad you liked it too. It is a great recipe to have in your baking repertoire I think.
Greetings and best wishes for the New Year,
Marieke
Sylvia Vervest says
I baked this today – it looks and tastes wonderful. I love being able to bake my own Brioche. Thank you to you both for this.
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks for sharing Sylvia and it sounds like there will be more brioches in the future. Great!
Marieke
Sylvia Vervest says
Oops that would be pain perdu 😉
Sylvia Vervest says
Hi Weekend Bakery,
I plan to make this for Christmas morning so I can make us Pain Perd with warm cherries. I was wondering if you can get the french 55 at the Zaadhaas? I have looked at their web site but can not seem to find it. If they dont is there any where else I can get it. Secondly I have fresh yeast can I use that and do you know how much? If not I’ll just go get dried yeast.
Thanks Sylv.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Sylvia,
As far as we know De Zandhaas has no type55. The only place we have found it is at De Zuidmolen in Groesbeek, the one I told you about I think, where you can order online and have it delivered. (see: www.de-zuidmolen.nl/Basis…el.Id=3272)
In fact a delivery from them just came in with us yesterday. This time I ordered less of the French type 55 because I also ordered organic German type 550 (which should sort of be in the same category). So I am hoping this type 550 will also work great with the brioche and stollen et cetera.
You could try the patentbloem for the brioche, if you still have that.
As for the conversion from instant to fresh yeast, you have to triple the amount (so 9 g fresh yeast).
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Good luck with it!
Marieke
Gingi says
how big should be the biggest container I should use for that? yours is made of wood! wow – how come it does not burn?
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Gingi,
I should go no bigger than about 23 x 11 cm (9 x 4.3 inches). The wood is made from the poplar tree and it is heat resistant up to about 220 Celsius. There is also a thermo paper inlay so I presume it also helps with the heat transfer and protection but how it works exactly I do not know.
Happy baking!
Marieke
Rolf says
Hello,
It seems to be a very easy method.
But surprisingly in French recipes there is always something like 60 g granulated sugar.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Rolf,
This one uses honey but with great result I think. The taste is lovely with the use of acacia honey, not too sweet. You just have to try it out for yourself and see what you think.
Let us know how it goes,
Marieke
Jim Wheeler says
Can I shape these into Hamburger buns? I have purchased biroche buns for hamburgers and really enjoyed. These sound great will try soon. Thamk you
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Jim,
Yes, you can do that. As you can see in the recipe I also made petites brioches with this recipe. The dough can be a bit sticky so quick shaping into balls with cold hands and the help of a bit of flour would be best.
Hope they turn out the way you want. The structure and crumb I think is very nice, not too dry, and should be perfect for your hamburger bun project.
Marieke
Tabata - My Own Bakery says
It looks gorgeus!! I’ll try it this weekend! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks! Would be nice to hear know how the recipe turns out for you.
Happy Baking,
Marieke
gill says
Do you know what the equivalent of all purpose flour is in the UK? Plain? I think I will struggle to get the French 55. Thanks g
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Gill,
Yes, I believe they are interchangeable. All purpose flour (or the term at least) is more commonly used in the US. Both indicate a flour with a protein percentage of around 11%. The same can be found in the French type 55, the German 550 and the Italian 0.
Hope and expect the plain flour will give a fine result too!
Happy baking!
Sandy says
I notice medium eggs in this recipe. Huh? The recipe standard is large eggs. I will not buy a dozen medium eggs for this recipe….
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Sandy,
You do not have to of course. As you can see here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…_egg_sizes it is not that straightforward and not the same for every country how much mass a medium or large egg contains. So a large egg in the US could contain about the same mass as a medium egg in Europe. We use organic eggs (because we love chickens :)) and they usually are smaller than the other types of eggs, so most stores only sell the medium size. It would be better and more clear if we would put the weight of the egg mass in all recipes I guess. I will add that here too.
Happy Baking!
Marieke
pep agusti says
Very intersting I’ll try and I’ll send my opinion , bye bye