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The BEST Flaky Honey Brioche Bread…for your weekend baking. This light, buttery, super soft, and eggy brioche bread is swirled with hints of sweet honey, and makes for the most delicious, extra fancy companion to your morning coffee. This bread is great on its own, toasted with butter and topped with cinnamon sugar (so good). Or use it to make your favorite french toast – the options are endless. The perfect way to start your day!
I don’t know why, but I almost never share recipes like this. For some reason I feel like I always need to share crazy different and unique recipes. I forget that really good “basics” are just as important! I made this brioche a few weekends back. Mostly because I really wanted a good bread to use in my favorite baked blackberry french toast. Up where we live in the mountains, good bread can be incredibly hard to come by. Most of the time I can find a good Challah bread, but the last few weeks the bread pickings have been slim.
My guess is that all the snow over the past month has really set the stores back. For one, with the highway being closed on and off, trucks have had a hard time getting up here to make deliveries. Two, because of all the snow, the town has been packed to the brim with skiers. Leaving the grocery stores pretty much wiped clean daily.
first fold (in half with butter inside)
second fold (into an envelope)
rolled into a log (like a cinnamon roll)
(log cut in half to create 2 loaves)
Long story short, I couldn’t find good bread, so I made my own Brioche! And I am now sharing it with you guys. Because, oh my gosh, it’s possibly one of the very BEST breads I’ve ever made.
Yes, my homemade naan is amazing and will always be a favorite (always). But it’s a flatbread, so very different. And the beer bread in the cookbook? Totally still a favorite, but again it’s just very different, and nothing like a soft Brioche.
This bread is a game changer.
When I set out to make this, I was in no way planning to share the recipe. But as I was making the dough and swirling in the honey, it hit me that you guys might really enjoy the this recipe. I mean, everyone loves bread, right? And we all want to bake over the weekend, right?
Yes, we do!
Plus, the light in my kitchen and the colors of this bread were just too pretty. I had to photograph it and I had to share. Because it’s just a dang good recipe and that is always most important!
Ok, so the details.
If you’re afraid of bread making, please do not be. It’s easy (and made easier if you have a stand mixer…hint, hint, invest if you love to bake). To sum it up, to the mixer you’ll add milk, yeast, honey, eggs, flour, salt, and butter…that’s the dough. Six very simple pantry staple ingredients that are really simple to throw together.
Mix the dough, then allow about an hour for the dough to rise. Then it’s time to roll it out and layer with very cold butter (see photos!). The layers of extra cold butter are what make this a “flaky” brioche, instead of a more traditional brioche. It’s kind of like a cross between brioche and a croissant, DELICIOUS.
The key is to roll the dough out twice. I know it might seem like over-kill, but this will distribute the cold butter throughout the dough, creating buttery, flakiness with every single bite. Again, so DELICIOUS…and I promise it’s not hard or even that time consuming.
My other trick? Quickly chilling the dough in the freezer! Saves so much time!
After you roll the dough, divide it into two loaf pans, and let rise. Then brush the dough with a beaten egg to get an extra glossy top that looks beautiful after baking.
As the dough bakes, the smell of freshly baked bread will waft throughout your house. Truly the perfect scent to welcome in the first weekend of spring. I highly recommend enjoying a slice or two warm, fresh out of the oven. Just add a little butter and honey. I also highly recommend serving this as morning toast, or for Sunday brunch.
This is honestly the best when toasted with butter and spread with a sweet berry jam…or no, wait, with butter and cinnamon sugar. Yes, that’s my personal favorite (should I share my recipe for cinnamon toast???).
Another great thing about this recipe? It makes two loaves!! You can freeze the second loaf, or do as I do, and bake up my favorite spring brunch recipe, blackberry ricotta french toast. It’s always a crowd favorite.
You see? Endless options with this bread. Meaning, bake it soon, because it’s perfect for all your springtime brunching and snacking needs!
Ohhh, and I just thought of this too…PB&J sandwiches? Maybe toasted? Yes, I have to do this. See, endless options. Enjoy!
If you make this flaky honey brioche bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Flaky Honey Brioche Bread.
Servings: 10 makes 2 (9x5 inch) loaves
Calories Per Serving: 435 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup warm whole milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/4 cup honey
- 5 eggs - 4 used in dough, plus 1 egg beaten for brushing
- 3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold salted butter, sliced into thin pieces
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast, honey, 4 eggs, flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons room temp butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes more.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size. 3. Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle that’s about 12x18 inches. Lay the thin slices of cold butter on one half of the dough, pressing gently to adhere. 4. Fold the other half of the dough over butter, covering it completely. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 12x18 inches. Fold 1/3 of the dough into the center, then fold the other 1/3 over the top of the first layer so you have three dough layers (like an envelope). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 15-20 minutes until chilled. Alternately, you can chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. 5. Meanwhile, butter two (9x5 inch) bread pans. 6. Remove the dough from the freezer. Roll the (envelope shaped) dough into a rectangle (about 12x18 inches). Starting with the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edges to seal.7. Cut the dough in half and place seam side down in prepared pans. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour. 8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread pans on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg. Transfer to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until dark brown on top. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack. Slice and serve warm or cold.
Notes
*Adapted from Martha Stewart.
I’ve made this once before and it turned or really delicious. So, I’m making it now. The bread is riding in the pans. However, I was disappointed last time that I didn’t get that “fanned out” effect that yours had in the pic. The only way I can figure that happens is if the loaf of dough is not quite seam-side down on the bottom of the loaf pan. Dally l sadly that dose l didn’t occur to me until I put it in the way the recipe says to. So, we’ll see what happens. It IS a delicious bread! I’ll let you know how it turns out and I’ll snap a photo.
Hi Laura! I hope this turns out well for you! Please let me know if there are any questions I can help you with! xTieghan
Made this today and it came out fantastic! This was the first bread recipe I tried, because I’ve been too scared to use yeast, but followed the instructions and it came out wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad you decided to try this one, Ann! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I’ve been enjoying baking in quarantine and I am excited to make this next. I have active yeast, not instant. How do I adjust?
Hi Linda! To use active yeast, add the yeast to the warm milk with the honey and mix to combine. Let this mix sit 10 minutes until it is foamy on top. Then follow the recipe as directed! I hope you love this one! Please let me know if there are any other questions I can help with! xTieghan
Best bread recipe Ive made!
Hello HBH,
I am not good at making bread! I have tried many times, but have failed. 🙁
Your brioche looks fabulous, but mine did not rise anywhere near as high as the photo of yours. Do you have any ideas why the loaves wouldn’t rise as well? I love all your HBH recipes and look forward to mastering the breads!!
Hi Shelly! I would love to help you with this one! Is your yeast fresh? xTieghan
Hello! The dough is currently in the fridge resting overnight. I can’t wait to taste tomorrow morning. I have a quick question about the consistency of the dough. Mine was very sticky so I added another cup of flour( I understand it can be do humidity). I guess I would like to know if the dough should be soft?
Hey Susana! Yes, the dough is meant to be on the sticker side, but adding extra flour is totally fine. How was the bread?
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi! So excited to try this recipe. Yeast is pretty hard to find these days and all I have is active yeast. Can I substitute active yeast for the instant yeast? If so can you tell me how to do this? So glad I came across your site, so many recipes I want to try!!! Thanks!
Hi Sarah! Yes active yeast should work great for you! To use, add the yeast to the warm milk with the honey and mix to combine. Let this mix sit 10 minutes until it is foamy on top. Then follow the recipe as directed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Would it be ok if i let the dough rise overnight in the fridge? Or is it better to do all in the same day?
Hi Karla! Yes, it should work great to let the dough rise overnight! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with! xTieghan
What kind of bread pan do you use? I think mine is too tall.
Hi Madeline! I just use a regular 9×5 in bread pan! Please let me know if you have any other questions on this! xTieghan
It smelled and looked great.. once I cut it it didn’t have the air bubbles inside the loaf.. tasted great tho very buttery..I would definitely make it again
Thank you so much Janice! I am so glad this bread turned out so well for you! xTieghan
How did you warm up your milk? I was wondering if there was like a specific time in the microwave or whatnot to get the perfect degree of warmness
Hi Joyce,
I like to warm mine in 30 second increments in the microwave. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi. I just want to verify the pan size. It says(2) 9×5 loaves, but I was wondering if it should be 8×4. Looks great. I’m going to give this one a try ASAP. Thanks. Happy Baking.
Hi Ashley,
You could use 8×4 as well, but yes it is (2) 9×5 pans. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Has anyone else had an issue with the dough being super wet and tacky? I have made this twice since I thought I missed the flour measurement. I added 4 cups of flour and yet I needed probably another 1-1.5 cups of when I was rolling it out. I’m pretty experience with laminated dough but I couldn’t get the separation between the layers.
Hi Sondra! I am sorry about that! Please let me know if there are any questions I can help you out with! xTieghan
Excited to make this tonight!
I don’t have unsalted butter. Should I up the salt or sprinkle fine sea salt when I roll out the dough? Or just use the unsalted butter as normal?
Hi Yvonne! I would use the unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Hi there! Love all your recipes :)! Would it make a big difference to use whole wheat flour? All-purpose is a little hard to come by lately! Thanks so much!
Hi Samantha,
I have not tested this with whole wheat flour but I would go ahead and give it a try. I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions. xTieghan