Classic Brioche Loaf

Before starting this Nanterre Brioche recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the brioche dough.

You will need flour (type 45), fresh baker's yeast, butter at room temperature, castor sugar, salt and whole eggs. The ingredients should be weighed accurately.

Place the fresh baker's yeast in the stand mixer recipient. Make sure you add the ingredients in the order mentioned.

Add the flour over the fresh baker's yeast. The flour will serve as a shield to protect the yeast from being in direct contact with salt and sugar.

Add the salt...

... castor sugar...

... and the whole eggs at room temperature.

Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.

Start kneading the ingredients at low speed for about 2 minutes until incorporated.

Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading for 8 minutes.

The dough should slowly form a ball and come away from the sides of the bowl. This operation aims to develop the glutinous network of the dough.

If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl...

... stop the mixer...

...and scrape the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper in order to gather the dough in the centre of the bowl.

Continue kneading until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. The temperature of the dough should not exceed 26°C. The use of a laser thermometer is recommended for this operation.

To check whether the glutinous network is sufficient, stretch the dough carefully with your fingers. The dough should expand without breaking...

... and the gluten network should be visible, making the dough almost translucent. If the dough breaks as soon as you stretch it, this means the glutinous network is not sufficient and the dough needs more kneading.

Scrape the sides of the bowl to gather the dough in the centre...

... and add the butter at room temperature.

Place the recipient in the stand mixer...

Beat at low speed until the butter is completely incorporated.

The butter should take a while to incorporate. Stop the mixer...

... and scrape the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper or rubber spatula to gather the dough in the centre.

Place the recipient back in the stand mixer...

... and continue kneading at medium speed until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. The butter should incorporate gradually.

The dough should be smooth and shiny.

Scrape the sides of the bowl with a scraper.

Cover the bowl with a sheet of cling film.

Pierce the surface of the film with a knife, three or four times. You can use a tea towel as a substitute to cling film. Leave to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

30 minutes, the dough should have risen a little.

Remove the cling film from the bowl...

...and knock the dough back with your hand (sprinkle some flour over your hand beforehand).

Shape the brioche dough into a ball.

Wrap the brioche ball with cling film, making sure it is airtight. There should no air between the dough and the film to prevent it from drying.

Wrap the brioche ball with another layer of cling film...

... to make sure it is perfectly airtight. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The brioche can be made up to this stage the day before and stored in the fridge overnight.

Take the brioche dough out of the fridge. Even though the brioche is wrapped with cling film, it should have risen a little.

Remove the cling film. The dough should be just out of the fridge at this stage.

Place a wooden baking tray on your workbench. You can also use a loaf cake tin, making sure to grease it beforehand.

Divide the dough into small, regular balls with a weight of 50 grams, using a digital scale.

On a floured surface, flatten one dough ball and fold the edges towards the centre...

... and seal the dough in the centre by pressing with your fingers.

Flip the dough ball on your workbench...

... and shape the dough into a ball with your hand, spinning it carefully on your workbench.

If you flip the dough ball, you can clearly see where the dough is sealed underneath. This seal should always be underneath.

Repeat the operation until all 7 dough balls are ready.

Arrange the dough balls at the bottom of the wooden baking tray. As shown in the photo, the balls should be spaced by a few millimetres.

This is what the result should be like. Leave to rise in a proofing chamber (or in a preheated oven, or near a heater...) set at 28°C for 2 hours. You can apply glaze (beaten egg yolk with salt) over the surface of the brioche. This can also be done after proofing.

After 2 hours, the dough should have risen significantly.

Glaze the surface of the brioche with a pastry brush, making sure you're applying a thin layer. You can also sprinkle pearl sugar over the brioche (optional).

Place in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 180°C (gas 4) and bake between 25 and 30 minutes. Baking time might vary according to the type of oven.

When cooked, remove from the oven.

The Nanterre is cooked and golden. Leave to cool at room temperature in the wooden tray before serving. Enjoy!