Bread machine brioche is delightfully rich and buttery, and surprisingly easy to make in a machine.

Brioche is one of those breads that most home bakers leave to professional bakeries.  It can be tricky to make, as all the butter in the dough can prevent the gluten from coming together.  If made wrong, it just becomes a sticky mess that won’t rise properly.

However, there is a trick to getting it to work…use a bread machine!

Bread Machine Brioche

The process for making bread machine brioche is a bit different than a regular “set it and forget it” loaf like a simple bread machine white bread.

Still, it’s not that complicated…just a single extra step.

Normally, you’d put all the “wet” ingredients into the pan, and then make an “island” above them with your flour for the dry ingredients.  That still happens, but the only difference is you save the butter for later as a “mix in” during the knead cycle.

About 10 minutes into the initial knead cycle, you add the butter in 1 tablespoon at a time.

Bread Machine Brioche Ingredients

To make a one and a half pound loaf (12 slices), you’ll need:

Liquid Ingredients (Add First)

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk

Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)

• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 1 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast)

Mix-ins (Add after 10 minutes of kneading)

• 7 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces

To make a two pound loaf (16 slices), you’ll need:

Liquid Ingredients (Add First)

• 1/2 cup milk, plus 1 Tbsp.
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks

Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)

• 2 3/4 cups bread flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast)

Mix-ins (Add after 10 minutes of kneading)

• 10 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces

Bread Machine Brioche Ingredients. Note how the dry ingredients are above the wet, and the butter hasn’t been added yet.

How to Make Bread Machine Brioche Bread

Start as you otherwise would, placing the wet ingredients into the pan, and then making an island on top with the flour. Make a well in the flour for each of the other dry ingredients, including sugar, salt and yeast.

Set the bread machine to “basic white” and turn it on.  Some bread machines start kneading immediately, and some go through a pre-heat cycle. 

Either way, wait until 10 minutes into the knead cycle, and then add in the pats of butter.  Add them one at a time, allowing the bread maker to completely incorporate the previous one before adding another.

This should take 1 to 2 minutes total, be patient.  Do not add all the butter at once, it wont mix in properly.

Adding Butter to Bread Machine Brioche during the knead process. Be sure to add it 1 tablespoon at a time and allow each piece to be fully incorporated before adding more.

My bread maker happens to have a “mix in” timer that goes off and starts beeping 10 minutes into the knead cycle.  Most modern machines have this so that you can add in nuts, seeds or other seasonings.  If yours doesn’t, just set a timer.

Once the butter is fully incorporated, close the lid and allow the bread machine to keep kneading.  It’ll finish, and then go on to the rise cycle.

Bread Machine Brioche Bread

Brioche Dough vrs. Baked in Machine

You can make brioche dough in the bread machine and then take it out to bake in the oven, if you choose.  That allows you to bake it into the cute little top knot shapes you see at bakeries.

Personally, I just want a loaf of brioche for french toast (or a decadent slice of toast with some homemade raspberry jam).

I just set my machine and allow it to bake right in the bread maker.

Either way, the controlled knead and rise of the bread machine make the process simple, and much easier than making brioche by hand.

Yield: Makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf (2 lbs loaf in notes)

Bread Machine Brioche Bread

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Bread machine brioche is much easier to make than regular brioche, as the machine does most the work!

Ingredients

Liquid Ingredients (Add First)

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk

Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)

• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 1 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast)

Mix-ins (Add after 10 minutes of kneading)

• 7 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces

Instructions

1. Place the wet ingredients (except butter) into the pan, and then making an island on top with the flour. Make a well in the flour for each of the other dry ingredients, including sugar, salt and yeast.
2. Set the bread machine to "basic white" and turn it on for a loaf of bread (or select the dough cycle if you intend to shape and bake the brioche in the oven). 
3. Wait until 10 minutes into the knead cycle so that the dough is mixed and fully formed. Often bread machines will have a mix in timer that goes off after 10 minutes of kneading, but if not, set a timer. Some bread machines start kneading immediately, and some go through a pre-heat cycle. Either way, most knead cycles are about 20 minutes long, so wait until it's been kneading for 10 minutes.
4. Open the lid and add in the pats of butter while the machine kneads, keeping your hands and impliemnts away from the paddles, just gently drop the butter in.  Add them one at a time, allowing the bread maker to completely incorporate the previous one before adding another. This should take 1 to 2 minutes total, be patient.  Do not add all the butter at once, it wont mix in properly.
5. Once the butter is fully incorporated, close the lid and allow the bread machine to keep kneading.  It'll finish, and then go on to the rise cycle.
6. Allow the bread machine to finish its cycle, either for a fully baked loaf of brioche or for the dough. If baking in the bread machine, open the lid when baking is finished and allow the bread to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely on a rack on the counter.

If making just dough, remove the dough from the machine and shape as you'd like for baking in the oven. Allow the dough to rise in it's shape for 30-45 minutes before putting into a pre-headed oven (375 F). Oven baking time will depend on the bread shape, and can vary between 15 minues for small rollse, to 45 minutes for a large loaf.

Notes

To make a two pound loaf (16 slices), you’ll need:

Liquid Ingredients (Add First)

• 1/2 cup milk, plus 1 Tbsp.
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks

Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)

• 2 3/4 cups bread flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast)

Mix-ins (Add after 10 minutes of kneading)

• 10 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces

Bread Machine Recipes

Looking for more bread machine recipes?

• Bread Machine White Bread
• Bread Machine Honey White Bread
• Bread Machine Challah
• Bread Machine Focaccia