Brioche is a sweet enriched yeast bread containing eggs and butter. Brioche is classed as French viennoiserie alongside croissants and pain aux raisins. It is traditionally eaten at breakfast.  

Cooks Know How:   Brioche dough is a rich dough or ‘enriched dough’. The additions of egg, softened butter and sugar to the flour provide the key to the term ‘rich dough.’  These three ingredients determine the texture of these little sweet buns. The dough does not need to be made with strong flour.  The aim is not to have a tough, crunchy crust as in bread.  The gluten in the flour is kept soft by the butter and sugar.  Eggs add a golden colour and help to hold the risen shape on cooking.  Brioche can be made into finger rolls, plaits, beignets and other sweet pastries.  The yeast is the raising agent that produces a gas evenly through the dough. Warmth and time are needed to allow the gas to be produced by the yeast and for the dough to rise.  Once risen the egg wash glaze is liberally applied and the brioche are cooked until the gluten sets the risen shape and the glaze provides a shiny golden soft crust. This glaze shows the Maillard reaction. This is a chemical change caused by egg proteins and flour sugars reacting.