Sourdough Brioche

Sourdough Brioche uses an enriched dough to make a buttery, golden brown loaf of bread that will melt in your mouth. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make something so delicious. Use this brioche for your French toast, to make a sandwich, or just enjoy it plain fresh from the oven.

In all honesty, I think this will be one of my favorite recipes of 2024. (Now true, we are less than a month in, but this bread has a lot of potential!) Brioche is so springy and fluffy, you can knead it with a stand mixer, and it makes the kitchen smell incredible while it’s baking. For an enriched dough, brioche is an easy recipe with no complicated folding or shaping, and yet the results are stunning every time. Once you try making a loaf for yourself, you’ll see what I mean!

How do you eat Sourdough Brioche?

Sourdough brioche is so flavorful that it tastes lovely plain, especially if it’s still warm from the oven. However, you can eat brioche any way that you would eat regular bread. Toast it to make a sandwich, spread it with butter and jam, use leftovers to make bread pudding – whatever you like best! It also tastes AMAZING as French toast. 🙂

Why is sourdough bread better for you than regular bread?

Sourdough starter breaks down the effectively breaks down gluten in flour, which makes it easier for our bodies to digest. In fact, people with gluten-sensitivities often find that sourdough bread doesn’t bother their stomachs the way traditional bread does.

Furthermore, because the bacteria in sourdough starter breaks down the sugars in flour, sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index. This means that it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar the way regular bread does. Overall, sourdough bread is a healthier choice for your digestive system.

That being said, I won’t pretend this sourdough brioche recipe is the healthiest recipe you’ll find on the blog, but it sure makes a delicious treat now and then. 🙂

Tools you will need

To make this bread, you’ll need parchment paper and a loaf pan (I used an 8.5 x 4.5 inch pan) to bake it in. I also would recommend using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and dough hook to knead the dough, but you can knead it by hand if you prefer.

Ingredients you will need

• 1 3/4 cups flour – All-purpose or bread flour works best.
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter – Active and bubbly!
• 4 eggs – If you’re a serious planner, let them come to room temperature before baking with them. (I’m not, so I use eggs right from the fridge. :))
• 1/4 cup milk – Whole, 2%, or fat-free all would be fine. I don’t know how well it would work to use a dairy-alternative in this recipe, but you’d want something thick like oat milk or full-fat coconut milk.
• 1/2 cup butter, softened – You can leave it out on the counter for a few hours to warm up or microwave it for 15-20 seconds. Again, I don’t know how well a butter substitute would work in this recipe, but if you try it, be sure to let me know how it goes!
• 2 tbsp honey – Or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt

Baking Timeline for Sourdough Brioche

If you want to enjoy your bread in the evening:

• Prepare the dough the night before you want to bake and let it rise overnight.
• Shape the dough in the morning and let rise during the day.
• Bake in the evening.

If you want to enjoy your bread in the morning:

• Prepare the dough the morning before you want to bake, and let it rise during the day.
• Before you go to bed, shape the dough and let it rise in a cool place overnight (to prevent over-proofing).
• Bake in the morning.

Basically, you need to start the dough about 24 hours before you want to bake it.

How to make Sourdough Brioche

Preparing the brioche dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 eggs, the milk, sourdough starter, honey, salt, and vanilla using a paddle attachment.

Add in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time with the mixer running on low speed. 

Next, add in the butter 1 tbsp at a time with the mixer running on low speed. Mix until the butter is completely incorporated.

Switch the paddle attachment to a dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 10-15 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and forms a ball. It will be pretty sticky, but this is ok.

Cover the dough with a towel or beeswax cover, and let it rise for 8-12 hours until puffy and doubled in size. 

Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before shaping to make it easier to handle.

Shaping the brioche dough:

Grease an 8.5 x 4.5 inch baking pan with baking spray (or butter works too).

On a sheet of parchment paper, divide the proofed dough into 8 balls and roll each one until smooth. Place the 8 balls into the baking pan, to make four rows with two balls in each row. They probably won’t fill the pan right now but that’s ok.

Cover with a towel or beeswax cover, and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 6 hours. 

Baking the brioche:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to use the convection setting for baking the bread, so it browns more evenly.

Whisk the last egg in a small bowl, then brush over top of the brioche loaf.

Bake the bread for 25 minutes, until it turns a dark brown. Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before you cut it.

Did you enjoy this sourdough recipe?

If so, make sure to find other yummy sourdough baking ideas at the Kitchen Counter! Here are a few recipes to get you started:

• Sourdough Dinner Rolls
• Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Star Bread
• Raspberry Bread
• Sourdough Chocolate Babka

If you make these this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.