Homemade Bread Machine Brioche – Your New Favorite Bread
If you don’t already own a bread machine, this recipe for homemade bread machine brioche might very well convince you that you need one. I have a very simple one, but I love it.
I originally got a bread maker for my wedding. We used it sparingly. I’ll always remember someone warning me, “You know the trouble with bread makers, they make you gain twenty pounds.” In my mid-twenties that statement was enough to inspire me to send the brand new bread machine straight to goodwill.
Luckily, I reigned in my irrational diet-culture ingrained fears and kept the darn thing. I used it only sparingly, and the first few results were lackluster, at best. I often debated whether the big, clunky machine deserved a spot on my then limited kitchen shelves.
Fast forward twenty years and I’ve learned a lot.
- I’m not afraid of bread anymore. There is no category of food I don’t eat (except nuts and fruits we are allergic to).
- Don’t listen to unsolicited advice.
- New bread machines are smaller and better than the ones they made years ago.
- The best way to use the bread machine is to make the dough and then bake the bread in the oven.
- There is nothing better than homemade bread.
I hope after you try this homemade bread machine brioche you will agree.
Why You’ll Love It:
Bread Machine Brioche is always safe
Bread is one of those categories that can be tricky to navigate with nut allergies. Almost all bakery-produced bread runs the risk of cross-contamination. That’s one of the reasons I created this bread machine brioche recipe.
Sure you can be commercially produced bread in plastic bags–the kind meant to sit on store shelves for weeks. But as far as I’m concerned, that’s not bread. I don’t like the spongey, gummy texture. And that is one food I will pass on every time. It just doesn’t taste good to me.
When you venture into the fresh bakery section of the store, you get lots more “fresher” options, although how fresh varies by the store and practice. But almost all of the bread is not produced in the store. This means that grocery store clerks can’t answer questions about food production and it’s hard to know if it’s safe. In all of my local grocery stores almost every single package warns of cross contamination.
Then you have the slicing problem. I’m not sure what;’s going on, but since the beginning of December our bread aisle has been decimated. The shelves that are usually lined with countless varieties of artisan breads and rolls are more or less bare. I chocked it up to the holidays, but now that those are over I don’t know if there’s a shortage on flour or just not enough bakery workers, but the pickings are slim.
Most of the options are also sliced. Now I don’t know about you, but as soon as the bread is sliced it’s a no go. I might be willing to gamble that an intact loaf of Italian bread never came into contact with nut products (you should not do this unless you know that for you personally the risk is low. I had a doctor tell me not to worry too about this and to eat the bread. But you need to listen to your doctor). But I’m not going to buy a loaf after it went through the same slicer that a loaf of walnut raisin bread went through.
Plus, the bread is so darn expensive. I’m not going to wax poetic about inflation. But you don’t have to be a penny pincher to see the exponential rise in food costs, seemingly week over week. I picked up a small loaf of asiago garlic bread and it was $6.99! No thank you.
All that to say, the fresh bakery option isn’t looking too good right now either.
And if you have a stand alone bakery option, you’re going to run into the same problems of cross contamination.
Always delicious
When you make bread machine brioche at home you have the luxury of knowing it is totally safe. Which is reason enough to drag out that bread machine.
Plus, bread machine brioche tastes delicious. There is just something about fresh bread straight from the oven.
And is there anything better than the smell of fresh-baked bread? Mmmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about.
Homemade bread machine brioche bread is soft, with just a touch of sweetness. The three eggs give the bread a pretty yellow color and a nice, rich flavor.
Bread machine brioche is super versatile too. It’s great for sandwiches, French toast, or just a swipe of butter.
And this brioche easy to make. The bread machine does all the work. All you have to do is braid the dough. If you want to. That part is completely optional. You can easily just plop the whole loaf in a bread pan and bake away. It still tastes delicious.
How to Make bread Machine Brioche Bread:
Okay, bear with me for a minute.
I know it looks like there a lot of steps required to make this bread machine brioche. But most of them are for braiding the bread. Which is completely optional. You can easily just divide the dough in half and pop it into two 9 x 5 loaf pans. It won’t have that bubbly top, but it will taste just as good.
Your bread machine does all the heavy lifting for this recipe. If you don’t have a bread machine, you really should buy one. Just to make bread machine brioche.
Just kidding. Check the recipe notes for alternate instructions.
Start by adding 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup warm water (pop it in the microwave for about 45 seconds), 5 tablespoons softened butter (cut it into tablespoons and let rest on the counter for about 30-60 minutes), 3 room temperature eggs, 4 1/2 cups bread flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order suggested my the manufacturer.
My bread machine calls for the liquid ingredients first. I combine the milk and water in one measuring cup and then microwave it for about 45 seconds.
Select the dough setting and turn the machine on. Check the brioche dough at five and ten minutes to make sure the ingredients are coming together. Use a rubber scraper to scrape down the side of the pan, if necessary. I usually do this at the five minute mark.
Add 1 tablespoon of water or flour, if necessary to come to the right consistency. If needed, continue adding small amounts of either until a dough ball comes together.
While the bread machine does its thing, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
When the cycle ends, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and the surface of the dough to prevent the dough from sticking and divide into three sections.
Flatten each section into a small rectangle and then tightly roll up the rectangle to form a tube. Using your palms, and a back and forth motion, roll out the dough into bread rope, approximately 14 inches long. Try to get the rope to the same width throughout.
Repeat with the other two portions.
Bring the ends of the three ropes together and pinch to seal together. Braid the dough, being careful to avoid any loose folds. Try not to stretch the dough ropes as you braid. Once braided, the bread loaf should be about 9 – 10 inches.
Pinch the other end to seal. Using your palms, press down the ends of the bread to flatten them and tuck the flattened ends to get a lovely, rounded loaf. Carefully transfer the brioche loaf to your prepared pan.
Prepare an egg wash with one egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of water. Carefully brush over the top of your brioche. Cover lightly with a tea cloth and let rise. Allow the. bread to rise on the pan for 30-60 minutes until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Be sure to check that the bottom of the bread is done.
Allow to the bread machine brioche to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!
Bread machine brioche is delicious served warm. All it needs is a pat of butter for absolute perfection. Try it with a cup of tea. Or a bowl of soup.
But this soft loaf is also amazing at room temperature. It makes terrific sandwiches and the slight sweetness is the perfect complement to savory toppings.
Bread machine brioche also toasts up perfectly. And it makes a phenomenal French toast. I’ll post a recipe soon.
You can also divide the dough into 16 portions and make hamburger buns. I love a burger on a brioche bun. Want dinner rolls instead? Just divide the bread machine brioche into 24 small balls. Buns will need less baking time – maybe 12-15 minutes.
I can’t wait to hear how much you love this bread machine brioche recipe.
Happy Eating!
Homemade Bread Machine Brioche
Print RecipeEquipment
- bread machine
- large sheet pan
- oven
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 5 tbsp butter, softened
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup warm water, 5 tablespoons butter, 3 room temperature eggs, 4 1/2 cups bread flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order suggested my the manufacturer.
- Select the dough setting and turn on. Check the dough at five and ten minutes to make sure the ingredients are coming together. Use a rubber scraper to scrape down the side of the bowl, if needed. Add 1 tablespoon of water or flour, if necessary to come to the right consistency.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
- When the cycle ends, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and the surface of the dough to prevent the dough from sticking and divide into three sections.
- Flatten each section into a small rectangle and then tightly roll up the rectangle to form a tube. Using your palms, and a back and forth motion, roll out the dough into a 14 inch long bread rope. Apply light but even pressure to get a bread rope at en even width.
- Repeat with the other two portions.
- Bring the ends of the three ropes together and pinch to seal. Braid the dough, while being careful to avoid any loose folds. Try not to stretch the dough ropes. Once braided, the bread loaf should be about 9 – 10 inches.
- Pinch the other end to seal. Using your palms, press down the ends of the bread to flatten them and tuck the flattened ends to get a lovely, rounded loaf.
- Carefully transfer this to your prepared pan.
- Prepare an egg wash with one egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of water. Carefully brush over the top of your brioche. Cover lightly with a tea cloth and let rise for 30-60 minutes, until doubled in size..
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown. Be sure to check that the bottom of the bread is down.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
