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Super soft, light, and tender I almost don’t have words to describe just how incredible this sourdough brioche is. Tastes like a croissant but has the texture of a cloud? A pillow? The softest bread you’ve ever eaten – that’s this Sourdough Brioche.
We love eating this brioche plain or with a little bit of homemade jam. It’s also absolutely incredible for sandwiches and French toast, just like my Sweet Braided Sourdough Loaf. If you want a similar texture but sweeter flavor, try my Cramique-Style Chocolate Chip Sourdough Brioche, Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Babka or Nutella Sourdough Babka. They are all seriously delicious.
Quick Look: Sourdough Brioche
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Fermentation Time: 30 hours
- Bake Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 31.5 hours (most of this is hands-off, don’t let it scare you!)
- Servings: 2 loaves, about 30 slices total
- Calories: ~217 kcal per slice (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Baked in two 9×5 loaf pans in a standard oven
- Flavor & Texture: Super soft, tender, pillowy crumb with a buttery flavor
- Difficulty: Advanced (long knead, long rise, and temperature control)
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Brioche
- Pillowy Soft – You’ll love how this brioche has the best texture—it’s soft and makes the perfect French toast too, or use it as extra special sandwich bread, like my Sourdough Brioche Burger Buns. You’ll also love these pillowy soft sourdough brioche rolls!
- Enriched Bread Dough – Just like my favorite Chocolate Chip Sourdough Brioche and my popular Sourdough Croissant Loaf, the enriched dough creates the most light and fluffy texture that is truly unmatched.
- 100% Sourdough Recipe – I love baking 100% sourdough recipes like this. If you are looking for a non-sourdough brioche recipe, try my Easy Overnight Brioche.
- Worthwhile Challenge – This is an advanced sourdough recipe. If you are looking for a challenge that is worth the effort, then give it a shot. It requires using a stand mixer and will take a couple of days to make. If you’re looking for an easier recipe, then I recommend starting out with this recipe for Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread.
New to Sourdough? If you are new to sourdough, learn how to make a sourdough starter from scratch and check out my Free Sourdough Beginner Guide. Using naturally fermented sourdough will take much longer, but you will love the fermentation benefits and the flavor!
Important Ingredients
- Levain – This recipe uses a sweet levain made with ripe, active sourdough starter, flour, sugar, and room temperature water. The small amount of added sugar helps keep the flavor very mild instead of sour.
- Tangzhong – A simple stovetop paste made by heating milk and flour until thick. This step gives the brioche a softer, more tender crumb and helps it stay fresh longer.
- Milk – Whole milk works best in this rich dough.
- Sugar – Brioche is not overly sweet, but sugar balances the flavors and adds a light sweetness.
- Eggs – Eggs are essential for richness and give the dough its beautiful yellow color.
- Salt – Salt balances flavor and supports proper fermentation. Don’t skip it.
- Bread Flour – I use bread flour to build strong gluten before adding the butter. If needed, you can substitute all-purpose flour, but you may need to add a few Tablespoons more.
- Unsalted Butter – Brioche uses a generous amount of butter. Use room temperature butter that is pliable (around 65-67ºF) but not overly soft. It’s added after the dough has been kneaded initially so the gluten can develop first.
- Egg Wash – After shaping and proofing, brush the dough with an egg wash for a shiny, golden finish.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Sourdough Starter: If you prefer to use ripe starter instead of building the levain, that can work. Make sure your starter is 100% hydration (fed equal weights of flour and water) and active and bubbly before using. Substitute it directly for the levain in the recipe. You can also adjust your feeding ratios to better fit your schedule.
- Bread Flour: I use bread flour in this recipe because the higher protein content (around 12.5%) creates stronger gluten and better elasticity. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour, add a bit of vital wheat gluten to boost the protein, or simply use all-purpose flour and expect a slightly softer texture.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is best, but you can use salted butter and slightly reduce the added salt. I do not recommend substituting oil. Brioche relies on solid butter for structure and flavor.
Sourdough Baker’s Timeline
A sample baking schedule helps me when baking with sourdough. Sourdough takes much longer to rise than traditional bread. This schedule helps me plan my bake.
Please Note: This schedule assumes the dough temperature is 78-80ºF throughout the process.
| Day 1 | Mix Levain/Mix Dough/Bulk Fermentation/Cold Fermentation |
| 8:00 AM-11:30 AM | Mix Levain. Let sit at 78ºF for about 3-4 hours until doubled/bubbly and ripe. |
| 10:30 AM | Mix tangzhong, let cool. |
| 11:30 AM -11:35 AM | Mix dough in stand mixer without butter |
| 11:35 AM – 12:00 PM | Add butter to dough and mix until windowpane (can take 20-30 minutes) |
| 12:00PM – 4:00 PM | Bulk Fermentation at 78-80ºF |
| 4:00 PM – 8:00 AM | Cold Fermentation |
| Day 2 | Shape, Proof and Bake |
| 8:00 AM -2:00 PM | Shape the dough. Let rest/rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled, risen and is light and airy. This will take at least 6-7 hours at 80ºF. |
| 2:00 PM | Bake |
How to Make Sourdough Brioche
Mix the Levain
Step 1: Mix Levain. This recipe calls for a sweet levain mixed the same day before you mix the dough. It should take 3-4 hours to rise and peak if kept at 78-80ºF. Mix together flour, water, ripe starter and a little bit of sugar. Levain is ready when it has at least doubled in size, has lots of bubbles, a slightly sour aroma and is just about to start going down from its peak height (Images 1 & 2).
Can I substitute ripe active starter? Yes, you can use ripe, active starter in sourdough brioche. I prefer building a levain with a little sugar added to keep the flavor mild and help the dough rise well in this enriched, buttery bread.
Mix the Tangzhong
Step 2: Mix Tangzhong. Tangzhong is a method used to make very soft bread. To make a tangzhong, cook together milk and flour until it forms a thick paste. This is done on the stovetop over medium heat and comes together very quickly. As soon as it forms a paste, remove it from the heat and let it cool down before adding it to the brioche dough (Image 3).
What is Tangzhong? Tangzhong is a method that originated in Japan and was made popular in Taiwan. Tangzhong improves the dough’s texture and makes it stay fresh for longer. It produces delicious sourdough brioche, and is responsible for the very soft texture.
Mixing the Dough
Stand Mixer Warning: High-fat doughs like this brioche provide resistance and need a long time to develop gluten. Certain mixers handle this better than others. Be careful using a KitchenAid mixer when mixing this dough and give it some rests in between if needed. See my full review on 4 popular stand mixers for more context.
Step 3: Mix the Dough. To make brioche, we first have to develop the gluten strands in the dough before we add in the butter. Once the butter is added, it coats the gluten strands, making it more difficult for the strands to connect and develop. To help with this process, we do an initial mix of all of the ingredients except the butter; adding the butter in after the dough is kneaded.
Mixing: Add all the brioche ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook except for the unsalted butter. Turn the mixer on low speed and knead for 5-7 minutes until a strong and cohesive dough is formed (Images 4 & 5).
Dough heating up? This brioche dough kneads for a considerable amount of time. If the dough gets too hot from the friction of the mixer, take a break. Stick the dough in the refrigerator to cool it down and then continue mixing a few minutes later.
Adding in butter: After about 5 minutes of mixing, begin adding in the softened butter a chunk at a time (Image 6). Continue adding small chunks at a time until all the butter (1 1/2 cups of it) are incorporated. At this point, you will have a sticky dough. It will feel very slack and loose. When you take a pinch of it and pull up, it will break apart (Images 7 & 8). Continue kneading the dough for 20-30 minutes (you need a powerful mixer for this dough) until the dough has strengthened considerably and can pass the windowpane test (Image 9).
Windowpane Test: Stop the mixer. Pull up on a portion of the dough. The dough will stretch thinly and not tear and you will see light coming through the dough, like a windowpane. If it tears, the dough needs to mix longer.
Bulk Fermentation or First Rise
Step 4: Bulk Fermentation. Once the dough passes the windowpane test, it should feel soft but cohesive. Transfer it to a container (Image 10) and let it ferment at about 78ºF for 4–5 hours. If your dough is cooler than 78ºF, it will need more time.
You’re looking for slight aeration, not a full rise. The dough will not double in size, but it will become a bit puffier and stronger. If the dough temperature climbs above 80ºF, be careful — you don’t want the butter to melt, so cool the dough down if needed by sticking it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Temperature really matters with sourdough and brioche. I use a thermometer to gauge the temperature of my dough. If your kitchen runs cold, use a dough mat or proofing box to keep the dough warm and steady. Maintaining a consistent temperature helps the dough ferment properly and prevents an under-proofed loaf with a gummy crumb.
Cold Fermentation or Refrigerated Rest
Step 5: Cold Proof (Fermentation). Sourdough brioche dough benefits from a cold fermentation, or long overnight rest in the fridge. Because this dough is so full of butter, it can be difficult to work with when it’s not cold or chilled. Cover the dough and chill it overnight for a cold fermentation (Image 11). The dough can stay in the refrigerator unshaped for up to 48 hours.
Skip the overnight ferment: If you don’t want to wait overnight, chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours before shaping. Because this dough has so much butter in it, working with chilled dough is much easier than room temperature dough.
Shaping the Brioche Dough
Step 6: Shape. Line two 9 by 5 loaf pans with parchment paper (or use non-stick loaf pans). Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half (Image 12). Work quickly. As the dough warms, it becomes softer and harder to handle. Divide each half into 8 balls (Image 13). Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball (Image 14).
Roll the ball on the counter, holding your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension (Image 15). Place 8 balls in each loaf pan, nestling them next to each other (Images 16-19). Cover the loaf pans with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise.
Shaping Ideas: I love the traditional way this sourdough brioche is shaped in balls, but you can shape brioche in many different ways. See my easy overnight brioche recipe (commercial yeast version) for other shaping ideas.
Final Brioche Rise
Step 7: Proof Brioche Loaves. Brioche is an enriched dough AND this is a sourdough recipe, so your final proofing is going to take time. I put my brioche loaves in a bread proofer with water on the bottom for humidity and set the proofer to 80ºF. With this constant temperature, my loaves rose in about 6-7 hours (Images 20 & 21). You will notice a considerable rise in the dough. The dough will become airy and light (Images 22 & 23). When you press in on one of the balls of dough, an indentation will be mostly left. All of these signs will let you know that your brioche is ready to bake.
How to Keep the Dough Warm: If you don’t have a bread proofer, do your best to keep your dough warm by finding a warm place in your house, an oven with the light on – you may need to prop the oven door open. If the dough isn’t warm, it will take a very long time to rise. Do NOT bake this dough if it has not shown a significant rise or else it will be dense and flat.
Baking the Sourdough Brioche
Step 8: Bake. Once the dough has risen, it is ready to be baked. Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. While the oven preheats, whisk together an egg with a splash of heavy cream or water. Gently brush the tops of the brioche with the egg wash (Images 24-26). This helps promote a brown crust on the top of your brioche loaves. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 10–15 minutes.
Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes until golden brown, baked all the way through and the brioche registers an internal temperature of 190-195ºF (Image 27). Remove from the pans to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
How to Store Leftovers
Remove the brioche from the pans and let it cool completely. Because it’s such a rich, buttery bread, it will stay soft for a couple of days at room temperature in a zip-top bag.
For longer storage, I like to slice and freeze it. When you’re ready to enjoy a piece, let it thaw at room temperature or warm it slightly before serving.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
This brioche takes patience, and temperature really matters. If you don’t have a bread proofer, do your best to keep the dough warm while it proofs because a cool dough will take a very long time to rise. I never bake this brioche dough until I see a clear, significant rise. If it hasn’t risen enough, it will bake up dense and flat, and all that butter deserves better than that!
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t have to use the tangzhong, but it truly makes a softer, more tender brioche. If you’re already investing the time to make brioche, I think it’s worth the extra few minutes. It helps the bread stay super soft and fresh longer, which is exactly what you want in a rich, buttery loaf.
Brioche is delicious on its own, but we also like slicing it and adding some jam on top. Another favorite way to eat sourdough brioche is to slice it up and make it into French toast. It is the best French toast you will ever eat!
I have other brioche recipes on my website, but they all require a stand mixer. You could try my sourdough croissant loaf which is easy to make by hand and gives a similar buttery texture of a brioche.
Yes, you can cut this recipe in half. Divide all of the ingredients in half and bake it in one 9×5 loaf pan instead of two.
Favorite Sourdough Recipes
If you tried this Sourdough Brioche or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Brioche
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Equipment
Ingredients
Levain (1:1:1 about 3-4 hours at 78ºF)
- 65 grams sourdough starter, ripe, bubbly, active, about 1/4 cup
- 65 grams water, about 1/4 cup
- 65 grams bread flour , or all-purpose flour, about 1/2 cup
- 15 grams sugar, about 1 Tablespoon
Tangzhong
- 50 grams all-purpose flour, about 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
- 250 grams milk, whole milk or 2%, heaping 1 cup
Sourdough Brioche
- 180 grams ripe, bubbly, active levain, about 3/4 cup
- all of the cooled tangzhong
- 45 grams milk, cold, whole or 2%, about 3 Tablespoons
- 90 grams granulated sugar, scant 1/2 cup
- 6 large eggs, cold, about 300 grams
- 20 grams salt, about 1 Tablespoon
- 750 grams bread flour, about 5 1/3 cups
- 339 grams unsalted butter , cool but soft (when you press down, your finger should leave an indentation, but it is still relatively hard) – reserved for adding to the dough after 5 minutes of mixing, about 1 1/2 cups
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- splash of heavy cream, or water
Instructions
Mix Levain (1:1:1 about 3-4 hours at 78ºF)
- Mix together the ripe, active sourdough starter with bread flour, sugar and water until completely incorporated. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, bubbly and peaked.
Tangzhong
- About an hour before the levain is ready, whisk together 50 grams all-purpose flour and 250 grams milk in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken into a paste. This usually takes about 1-2 minutes. Quickly remove the thickened mixture from the heat and let cool before mixing your dough.
Sourdough Brioche
- Add Butter: Cut the butter into chunks, about 8-12 per stick of butter. Butter should be firm but soft enough to leave a dent when you press your finger into the butter. Turn the mixer on and add chunks of butter into the dough a little at a time. Continue adding chunks of butter until all the butter is added and incorporates into the dough.
- Knead until Windowpane: Continue kneading the dough on medium speed for 20-30 minutes (this will depend on your mixer and your dough) until the dough passes the windowpane test. To check for windowpane: Stop the mixer. Take your hands and pull up on a portion of the dough. At the beginning stages of kneading the dough, the dough will break as soon as you start to stretch it. As the dough kneads and the gluten strands develop, the dough will stretch thinly without tearing. You will know the dough is finished kneading when the dough does not tear when pulled and you can see light through the dough, like a windowpane. A word of caution: As you knead the dough, the friction from the mixer can heat up the ingredients in the bowl. It is important that the dough doesn't get too warm or else the butter will begin to melt and separate from the dough. If you notice this beginning to happen, take a break, stick your dough in the refrigerator to cool down and then continue kneading after the dough cools a little bit.
- Bulk Fermentation: At this point the dough will be very soft but also cohesive. Dump the dough into a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm, 78-80ºF place for 4 hours. Take the temperature of the dough as needed to make sure the dough temperature stays right around 78ºF. This temperature is the optimal fermentation. If your dough temperature is cooler than 78ºF, it will need to ferment longer than 4 hours.
- Overnight Refrigeration (Cold Fermentation): Stick the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight or up to 48 hours.
- Shape Loaves: Prepare two 9 by 5 loaf pans by lining them with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Separate the dough into two equal pieces for two loaves of bread. Cut each loaf into 8 equal-sized pieces. Take each piece of dough and pull/pinch up the sides until it forms a ball. Roll the ball on the counter, holding your hand in a cupping shape (see video here) to seal the balls and create tension. Place 8 balls in each loaf pan, nestling them next to each other. See pictures in the post for details.
- Proof: Place the shaped loaves in a warm place to rise until doubled in size and light and airy. I proof my dough in a bread proofer and with the temperature set at 80ºF it takes about 6-7 hours for the dough to rise.
- Bake: Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. Whisk together one large egg with a splash of heavy cream or water. Gently brush the egg wash on top of the risen dough. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the loaves are baked through and the internal temperature is 190-195ºF. Let cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
help. my dough is not rising or becoming puffy on first bulk fermentation. any suggestions
How is the temperature? How long has it been rising? Was the levain active when you mixed it?
it was 78 degrees. I let it rise for 8 hours. It wasn’t very puffy at all so I just thought ok your directions say it doesn’t really rise much. so I stuck it in fridge for 8 hours. then I took it out prayed about it 🙏. Shaped it and set it to rise. praise the Lord it rose beautifully. I am just used to sourdough rising in the first bulk fermentation . I wish I could show you the pics. thank you so much for responding.
Thanks for the update – it sounds like it turned out great in the end!
Hi Amy, love all your recipes! Can’t wait to try this but I was wondering, could I make burger buns using this dough recipe? Just shape into bun-size?
I would recommend using this recipe for Sourdough Brioche Burger Buns. Happy baking!
Amy, I love all of your recipes! This time I did 6 dough balls instead of 8. Still worked out.
I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing and glad it worked well with the 6 dough balls.
I made the sourdough brioche bread this weekend and it was amazing! Beautiful golden brown loaves that were buttery, soft, with a delicately crispy crust. The loaves were so pretty that I had to take pictures before cutting them. I made one loaf in a traditional loaf shape and the other loaf using the eight dough balls placed in a loaf pan. A warm slice with butter and homemade mayhaw jelly was like a tiny bite of heaven.
I have one question – can the room temperature bulk fermentation be shortened or skipped?
Thank you, Amy, for sharing such a well written recipe that a beginner like myself was able to produce beautiful delicious homemade bread
You don’t really want to skip the room temperature bulk fermentation. It provides the environment for the wild yeast and bacteria in the dough to activate and start to ferment. You could skip the cold bulk fermentation – and just chill the dough briefly before shaping it and making it into loaves (or skip that entirely – it may be a little sticky to work with). So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Omg!!!! This recipe is just wonderful!!!!!! It’s soooo soft and squishy. Also, I didn’t realize it was 2 loaves so i made buns with half the dough. We couldn’t wait to let it cool and ate about half the loaf while still very warm. Amazing, absolutely recommend!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
You mention machine-kneading for 30 minutes! Does that mean ~ an hour of hand kneading? Will it really take that long for windowpane test? Thank you, Jinx
Brioche takes a REALLY long time to knead. You can make it by hand, but it will get messy as you try to add all the butter into the dough. What’s happening is you want to develop gluten up front, then you add in your butter which coats the gluten strands all while still trying to strengthen. So yes, it does take upwards of 30 minutes to knead until you reach windowpane with an enriched dough like this. I don’t know that you would need a full hour of hand kneading. I would probably do a quicker mix up front or maybe even let the dough rest for 30 minutes or so to let the gluten start to develop. Then add in the butter – which will be more tricky by hand and that will take awhile to get to windowpane.
I am fairly new to this Journey. So far the process for this recipe has gone well but when i turned the dough out from the fridge is was stuck to glass bowl. I had to pry it out. other than that it shaped well and later today i will bake. My question is should it have come out of the bowl easier from the fridge? I will let you know how the final product turns out. Thank you Eloise
I finished baking & the bread came out perfectly, also the house smelled heavenly too. So happy with the end result, so worth the effort $ anxiety of a first timer.
So glad your bread came out beautifully! Thanks for sharing.
When you take dough out of the refrigerator, it is stiffer and harder to take out of a bowl. That is fairly normal. You can let it rest to get the chill off before removing it if you want. I find this dough easier to shape cold because it is very sticky at room temperature.