A 50% butter brioche for rolls, loaves, and bases (bostock, tarte tropézienne). Intensive mix with late butter incorporation and an overnight cold retard for flavour and handling. Yield: 24 rolls at ~90g or 4 loaf tins. Baked brioche freezes well; the raw dough holds 24 hours at 2-4°C.
Yield: 24 portions · Prep 60 min · Bake 22 min
Ingredients
1000 g bread flour
120 g caster sugar
20 g fine sea salt
14 g instant yeast
500 g whole egg
100 ml full cream milk
500 g unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
50 g whole egg (egg wash)
Method
Mix to development Mix flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs, and milk on speed 1 for 4 minutes, then speed 2 until the dough is smooth, elastic, and cleans the bowl — a near-full windowpane before any butter goes in. Dough temperature target: 24-25°C.
Butter incorporation Add the cold cubed butter a third at a time on speed 2, waiting for each addition to disappear. The finished dough is glossy, cohesive, and pulls a thin windowpane. Do not exceed 26°C; warm brioche dough leaks butter at every later stage.
Bulk and retard Bulk 45 minutes at room temperature, degas with one fold, then retard overnight at 2-4°C. Cold dough shapes cleanly; warm brioche dough is unworkable.
Divide and shape Divide at 90g straight from the fridge, pre-round, rest 10 minutes, then shape tight boules (or three-strand plaits for tins). Seam underneath, onto trays or into greased tins.
Proof Proof at 26-27°C, ~75% RH, 2-2.5 hours until doubled and slow to spring back from a gentle press. Egg wash once at the start of proof and again just before baking.
Bake Bake rolls at 175°C fan 12-14 minutes, loaves 165°C fan 28-32 minutes to a deep mahogany and 92°C core. Depan immediately onto racks so the crust does not sweat.