classic brioche

go straight to the recipe for savoury brioche
go straight to the recipe for sweet brioche
Managing yeast, some helpful tips

Next to puff pastry brioche is my favourite thing in the French bakers’ kitchen. Its density makes it versatile, however, the time it takes to fully prove can be hard to judge when you only make it occasionally. The best advice is give yourself plenty of time to allow the shaped dough to prove and then hold it in a cold place until you want to cook it a la minute!

In a blistering Australian summer even put it in the fridge.

The proving time in this batch of pictures varied from three to four hours for the loaf.

Fresh yeast, in my humble opinion makes better brioche and these days you can purchase it at most supermarket deli counters!

AO 29 july 2026

BONE MARROW BRIOCHE …12 CHAIRS, SHANGHAI 2011…TUCKED INSIDE THE BRIOCHE MORE BONE MARROW AND SWEATED LEEK, AND NOTE THE LOVELY LITTLE PILLOW OF FOIE GRAS FRONT AND CENTRE!

savoury brioche

Brioche savoury or sweet is best made over two days

225g full cream milk
28g fresh yeast preferable or 20g dried yeast
20g caster sugar
3 whole room temperature eggs
1 room temperature yolk [1]
540g Wallaby Bakers’ flour
155g unsalted clarified butter or ghee molten but not hot
10g fine sea salt…halve if you are using ghee

[1] egg size is important, my general eggs size is ctn 12 eggs 700g, so basically extra large eggs around 60g each. If you are using larger eggs omit the yolk.

BASIC METHOD

Give the milk 30 seconds on high in the microwave, crumble in the yeast, add the sugar and whisk until the yeast and sugar are fully dissolved.

Whisk the whole eggs and yolk together. Weigh the flour into the bowl of your electric mixer. With the motor running add the butter and when incorporated at the yeast mixture.

When worked in, add the salt and then the egg mix a little at a time, waiting between each addition for it to be fully incorporated.

Work until you have a smooth dough and it comes together in a ball. Scrape into a freezer bag, knot to close leaving room for it to expand and refrigerate…minimum 8 hours preferably 24.

proving and baking brioche

Unless you are a working chef and have a proving oven, brioche is the hardest to judge when it comes to proving. The bonus is, that once perfectly proven, put in a cold place [not a fridge unless it is extreme Australian summer weather] it will hold stable for 45 minutes to an hour so cooking to order is relatively simple.

Winter of 2026 Adelaide, South Australia, has been so cold I totally misjudged the proving time and had to cook well before my brioche where fully proven. A very disappointing result with none of the usual soft yeasty texture. A more recent attempt, admittedly with three-day-old dough took four hours to prove at a room temperature of about 20°C.

As an example the cinnamon buns made with the left over dough, actually made three days previously, took four hours and were perfect.

New to yeast see some usueful tips here.

sweet brioche

225g full cream milk
25g fresh yeast or 15g dry yeast
130g caster sugar
4 60g eggs…room temperature
550g Wallaby Bakers’ flour
170g unsalted butter…melted but not hot
pinch of fine sea salt…optional

Give the milk 30 seconds in the microwave to slightly warm it. Add the yeast and whisk until it is dissolved. Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Weigh in the flour and pinch of salt..mix together.

Add the milk and yeast and work until you have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Put into a bag and refrigerate for 24 hours, or if you are making something like the Apple Crumble Brioche you can put the dough straight into your prepared tin.

PLEASE NOTE I have slightly changed the method of the sweet brioche recipes since it was first published in 2009.

THESE BABIES [PICTURED RIGHT] WERE UNMOULDED AND WHILST STILL HOT DUNKED REPEATEDLY IN VANILLA BEAN AND COFFEE SYRUP AND LEFT IN THE SYRUP. THEY WILL BE SERVED WARM WITH EXCESS SYRUP AND PROBABLY SOFT FRUITS AND CREAM, CHANTILLY or maybe a coffee poached pear

take note

The additional amount of sugar in sweet brioche means it tends to prove quicker than savoury brioche, but much slower than breads like the Japanese Sando Bread and the last Greg Malouf’s Pide Bread.

When it comes to sweet brioche the options are limitless. The Apple Brioche Crumble mentioned previously is just the start. We also love a Poppy Seed Roll iced of course and the Cinnamon Buns made last week were excellent. Cinnamon Buns have made a comeback, but most commercial buns are dry and hard a couple of hours after the come out of the oven. I do have a poppyseed mill, but you can also use this prepared poppy seed cake filling. The price is OTT and I have purchased it at my local supermarket for much, much less.

One of the most remembered dishes from Mistress Augustine’s is the Bone Marrow Brioche, [pictured as the mast head] usually served with a little sweated leek and a red wine reduction generously embellished with veal glaze. The thought of it still makes my mouth water, but it is a lot of work and roasted marrow bones with freshly baked brioche is a quick and easy cheat.

shaping the brioche

The firmness of brioche make it versatile for shaping. I do love the classic shape with the little raised nipple for individual savoury brioche. But it is equally terrific cooked in a loaf, sliced thickly and toasted. Sadly no foie gras in Australia, but that toasted brioche, with a slab of foie gras and some mandarin preserve remains high on my list of the best things I have ever eaten.

You can come close to the same texture as foie gras with Justin Miles [owner and executive chef Windy Point Restaurant] superb pâté recipe click here

Loving Yeast tips

1. When it comes to yeast impatience is not rewarded [yes those who know me will understand how hard that was to understand].

2. Many recipes are not explicit as to when the salt should be added. With the exception of Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread, salt should only be added after some of the flour has been mixed into the yeast and liquid component. Adding salt directly to the yeast kills off some of the chemical process and the end result can be from poor to disastrous. Go figure why Jim’s recipe works so well.

3. Bakers talk about shocking the yeast to speed up the process and will use fairly hot water instead of the usual lukewarm water and it works. The water/liquid should not be more than 40°C and this method does not work in the same manner with fresh yeast.

4. Fresh yeast needs to be fresh. It will have a good firm texture that easily breaks apart. Once the yeast is old and starts to be gooey you can sometimes need to use up to twice as much. A professional baker will know by looking at the yeast how much to use, but when you bake from time to time dry yeast is probably a better option.

5. Dried yeast — if you have a recipe that specifies fresh yeast, use two thirds of the weight on dried yeast. However, after many years in the home sense using dried yeast, I think fresh gives a slightly better result.

6. The second greatest reason yeast [or general baking fails] is failure to properly preheat the oven before starting to bake.

PICTURED LEFT JIM LAHEY’S NO-KNEAD BREAD BAGUETTE FORMAT AND BELOW A SIMPLE LOAF

ABOUT

We have 45 years history at the highest level
in the food and wine industry and the passion for our craft remains undiminished…
read more

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest news, tips, and advice click here