Brioche

Brioche is a traditional feather-light, sweet French bread with a crisp golden crust. It is made using a dough of milk, yeast, sugar, white wheat flour, water, eggs and butter, with proportionally higher quantities of butter and eggs than similar types of dough. Some varieties also include raisins. The crust is glazed before baking, turning it a deep golden brown, whilst the interior is pale yellow in colour, with a delicate, closed crumb consistency.

Brioche is traditionally baked using a fluted pan that forms the base of the loaf. A small ball of dough is placed on top of this fluted base to form a top knot, to become the loaf known as brioche à tête. The bread may be sliced and served warm with butter and jam, or toasted and smeared with marmalade or chocolate spread. It may also be hollowed out and filled with mushrooms or pâté de foie gras to create a savoury dish.

Brioche dough can be used to form other shapes, such as buns or wraps for sausages, cheese or eggs.