Brioche à Tête

A classic brioche à tête recipe that produces rich, buttery rolls with a light, airy texture and beautiful golden tops—an elegant French bakery favorite made at home.

Recipe Information

Total Time:

Yield:

14 servings

Ingredients

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cubed

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)

½ cup lukewarm whole milk (95°F)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon whole milk

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Directions

Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour and yeast. Add eggs, warm milk, sugar and salt. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on low speed until well blended, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Remove whisk attachment and attach dough hook. Add remaining flour and continue mixing until dough is firm and elastic, about 2 minutes more. With mixer on medium speed, add about 1 tablespoon of butter at a time. Continue mixing, scraping dough hook and sides and bottom of bowl several times, until dough is smooth, soft and shiny.
Remove dough from bowl; shape into a brick and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. (Dough will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight before using.)
Butter fourteen 3-inch brioche molds (use molds that are about 3¼ inches wide across the top and at least 1¼ inches high) or standard muffin pans. To shape brioches à tête, remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into 14 pieces, about 2½ ounces each. Roll each piece of dough into a tight ball.
To form the tête, or head, hold your hand perpendicular to the work surface with your fingers straight and tightly together (like you’re going to do a karate chop). Working with one ball of dough at a time, press down lightly on a ball with edge of your hand as though you were going to chop off one-third of a ball. Gently saw back and forth on the ball with your hand going almost all of the way through the ball until you get a shape that looks like a tête and body connected by a very thin neck. Use thumbs and fingers to shape the body into a doughnut. Pull the tête through the hole and reshape the body so it’s nice and round, with the tête on top. Transfer the brioche, tête side up, to a prepared mold. Repeat until all brioches are shaped. Work with a few dough balls at a time, keeping remaining dough in the refrigerator until needed. (To see the brioche-making process, go to www.youtube.com and search for “brioche a tete.”)
For egg wash, combine egg yolk and 1 tablespoon whole milk. Lightly brush brioches with egg wash. Cover brioches with a clean, damp towel and let rise until nearly double (1½ to 2 hours).
Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush brioches with egg wash once more. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until rich golden brown. Let cool in molds or muffin pans for 5 minutes. Remove from molds and cool on a wire rack before serving.

Brioche à Tête

Recipe Information

Ingredients

Directions

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Brioche à Tête

Recipe Information

Ingredients

Directions

More Recipes

Related Categories