This buttery Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread Loaf is such a fun and delicious homemade bread recipe. With its light and fluffy crumb packed with chocolate chips, this French Brioche Loaf makes the most epic breakfast or sweet snack both kids and adults will love!
Place the Flour, Sugar and Yeast in the bowl of your mixer. Mix to combine with the dough hook (see note 1). Add the Lukewarm Milk and Eggs (preferably pre-whisked in a separate bowl) and knead for about 3 minutes on medium to medium high speed or until combined.
Add the Salt, then continue to knead for another two minutes. The dough will be slightly sticky but should pull away from the side of the bowl.
Add the cubed soft butter a little bit of the time, kneading between each addition until fully incorporated. Stop to scrap the edges of the bowl if necessary. Continue to knead for about 15 minutes on high speed or until the dough is smooth, very stretchy and can pass the windowpane test (see note 2).
Cover with a tea towel (see note 3) and leave to proof in a warm place for about 1,5 hours, or until it has doubled in size (see note 4).
Punch the dough to deflate it, transfer over a lightly floured surface and cut into 8 equal pieces (see note 5).
Lightly flatten each piece of dough with your finger (see note 6). Place the Chocolate Chips over the dough, then fold the edges towards the centre to create a ball. Flip the ball upside-down (seams down), then pull the ball towards you (placing your fingers at the bottom of the ball) to create tension in the dough. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeating the process a few times, then roll the ball between the kitchen bench and your palms to create a round shape. Repeat the process with the 8 pieces of dough.
Lightly grease and flour a Loaf Pan (I used a 11,5x30cm / 4,5x12 inch loaf pan). Place each brioche roll in the loaf pan in a zigzag pattern (see video), brush them with the Egg for the egg wash, top with more Chocolate Chips (optional) then cover with a tea towel and leave to proof for another 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat your oven on 180'C/350'F then when ready, bake the Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread for 20 to 30 minutes or until risen and golden. Leave to cool down completely before removing from the loaf pan (see note 7).
Video
Notes
Ingredients Notes:
Yeast: I used Instant Dried Yeast (sometimes called just Instant Yeast) that does not require to be bloomed (rehydrated in a lukewarm liquid) prior to being added to the rest of the ingredients. You can also use Active Dry Yeast, but this type of yeast will require to be bloomed first. Although not necessary here, you can bloom Instant Yeast first just to make sure it is alive and active.
Instruction Notes:
If using Active Dry Yeast, you will need to bloom (rehydrate) the yeast with the lukewarm milk and one tablespoon of sugar first. You can also do it with the instant yeast to make sure the yeast is alive, but it is not necessary.
The windowpane test is a technique used to check the gluten development in a yeasted dough. Pull a little bit of the dough and slowly stretch it. If the dough breaks straight away, it needs to be kneaded for longer. If the dough can stretch without breaking and the very thin layer of dough becomes see-through, it is ready. The kneading time is rather long here - but that is because of the fat content of the dough. It will require more time to develop gluten than traditional "non-fat" bread doughs.
You can leave the dough in the same bowl or transfer it into a different bowl that has been lightly greased.
The exact time for this stage will depend on the temperature of the room. If working in a cold room, it could take much longer that 1,5 hours.
The best way to get 8 equal pieces is by weighting the dough with a kitchen scale, then dividing that total weight by 8.
Try not to flatten it too thinly in the centre of the dough or the chocolate chips might break out when rolled.
If the brioche sticks to the loaf pan, run a small knife between the pan and the bread to release it.