Classic French Butter Brioche (Brioche Pur Beurre) (2024)

Nothing screams a French breakfast like a classic Brioche on the table. But not just any brioche… If you ask me, it has to be a Classic French Butter Brioche – known in French as “Brioche pur Beurre”. This French bakery staple is a soft bread that is light, pillowy and enriched with lots of butter to create a taste and texture that is uniquely rich.

Unlike other French brioches that can include milk or cream to create an unctuous crumb, this brioche – as its name suggests – is all about the butter.

If you are new to making brioche, this recipe is a great start.

This Classic French Butter Brioche (Brioche pur Beurre) is likely the most popular brioche recipe in France. It is also one of the simplest to make at home, as it requires very basic ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and yeast. I have listed below pieces of equipment that are recommended for this recipe (although not compulsory). I also recommend you read my cooking notes, where I share a few tips I’ve learned over the years, to make consistently successful brioche in your own kitchen.

Recommended Equipment:

• 5×4.5×2.5-in loaf pan is ideal, although 9×5 works well too.
• Stand mixer, with a hook attachement. A stand mixer will make this brioche recipe feel much easier to make, as you let the hook attachement do most of the mixing and kneading. Although this brioche recipe is 100% doable by hand too – like I do – but be prepared to use some elbow grease.
• Food Scale. Like most French bakers, I only use a food scale to measure out my ingredients; but always include the imperial equivalents (cups/tbsps) for my North American readers. I understand how North Americans are more accustomed to the imperial measuring system, so I am happy to let people choose whichever measurement they are more comfortable with. Just keep in mind that measuring your ingredients by weight (grams) ensures your ingredient amounts are much more accurate, hence your recipes more successful. It’s especially truein baking breads and brioches, which often require very precise measurements (ie. 163g of eggs; 8g of yeast).
• Bowl Scraper – This brioche dough is very buttery, hence very sticky. A bowl scraper is very handy to help “un-stick” the dough from the bowl after rising and in manipulating it.

• This recipe is made over 2 days. The dough is prepared and kneaded the day before. It then rests overnight in the fridge, and is finally shaped and baked the next day. This is an ideal recipe to make during the weekend, as you can start in the afternoon, in order to have a freshly baked brioche for breakfast the next day.
• The instant yeast –Always keep your instant yeast in the freezer (I keep it in a small sealed Tupperware) and use as required for recipes. Make sure you use Quick-Rise / Instant yeast (not active dry), such as Fleischmann’s.
• Be patient –The two dough-rising periods (2 hours at room temperature and overnight in the fridge) are both crucial and can’t be skipped nor rushed. For the first rise, make sure you are letting your dough rise in a draft-free environment and at room temperature. The ideal room temperature for doughs to rise is between 80°F – 90°F (26.5°C – 32.2°C). The second rise is done slowly overnight in the fridge to slow the fermentation and build flavor. Overnight means a range between 8 to 14 hours.
• The butter – This recipe includes cold (chilled) butter. Like for all brioches or French laminated pastries (like croissants), the quality of the butter you use will make a big difference. If you can, opt for a French-quality butter churned to a higher fat content (such as President’s).
• The eggs – Take the eggs out of the fridge 1 hour beforehand; they need to be at room temperature when you include them in the dough. Also, they need to weigh exactly 163g, which is usually equivalent to 3 large eggs. Weigh your three eggs before you start, and if they are over 163g, remove some egg white.
• Baking – Golden rule: Never open the oven door when you bake a brioche or it will fall flat.

I hope you’ll love this Classic French Butter Brioche (Brioche Pur Beurre) as much as I do! Serve this brioche warm or cool, with butter, jams and preserves for breakfast – although brioche is an excellent stand-alone treat too. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

You may also like:

• Orange Anise Sugared Easter Brioche (Mouna)
• Classic French Croissant 101 Guide
• Orange Yogurt Cake
• Overnight No-Knead Bread

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag@pardonyourfrenchand hashtag it#pardonyourfrench.This post may contain affiliate links. Please see myfor more details.

Leave a Comment

Audrey

Bonjour ! I'm Audrey Le Goff, a French cookery writer, photographer, creator of the blog Pardon your French, and cookbook author of Rustic French Cooking Made Easy.