This light brioche dough is incredibly versatile, and delicious as sandwich bread!
Servings 2loaves
Ingredients
240gramsbubbly, active sourdough starter
400gramswarm whole milk
70gramsmelted butter
2eggs
58gramssugar
720gramsall purpose flour
16gramssalt
Instructions
Warm the milk and butter. Melt your butter first, then warm the milk in the same bowl. Let it cool slightly so it’s warm but not hot.
Mix. In a stand mixer bowl with the dough hook attachment, mix together your sourdough starter, sugar, and egg. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the warm milk and butter. Add in the flour and salt and mix until everything is combined. The dough will look rough and sticky - that’s exactly right.
Rest the dough. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Knead. With the dough hook, knead on medium speed (3 or 4) for 6–8 minutes. The dough should be soft and start to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes and perform the window-pane test to make sure it’s ready by gently stretching a small piece of dough between your fingers - if it stretches thin enough to let light pass through without tearing, it’s passed the windowpane test.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid.
Let rise overnight. Rise at room temperature (around 67–68°F) for 8–12 hours, or until doubled and puffy.
Prep your pan. Butter or line two 9x5” loaf pans.
Divide the dough into two equal portions.
Shape each portionby stretching dough into a rectangle (8x12"), fold like a letter, then roll into a log. Place seam-side down. Optional: pre-shape into a round first, then shape into a log. This is what I do for a neater shaping.
Final proof. Let rise until the dough rises 1 inch above the pan rim (usually 1.5 to 2.5 hours).Don’t be afraid to really push the second rise. Underproofed dough bakes up tight and dense... this one loves time!How to know it’s ready: Dough should feel light and puffy, spring back slowly when gently pressed, and jiggles a little when you nudge the pan
Bake. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35–40 minutes, or until golden and hollow-sounding with an internal temp of 190F.Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack. Let cool for 1hr and enjoy!Ready to store? You can wrap in a tea towel and store at room temp for 3 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze.
Notes
Substitutions
You can swap the butter for melted coconut oil if you want it dairy-free.
Honey works in place of sugar. You might want to hold back about a teaspoon of liquid to keep the dough balanced.
This recipe does use eggs for structure and softness, but you can try a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg). It will be a little denser, but still soft and delicious.