Sourdough Brioche Sandwich Bread
I have received quite a few questions about sourdough brioche sandwich bread. And of course it made me want to start experimenting right away. After a couple of trials I’m finally ready to share with you a recipe of a super soft, moist and delicious sourdough brioche sandwich bread made with stiff sourdough starter and a very tiny amount of yeast.
Ingredients
Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter
- 20g sourdough starter
- 40g water
- 80g bread flour
- 3g sugar
Dough
- 300g bread flour (100%)
- 150g milk (50%)
- 2 eggs
- 70g sugar (23%)
- 100g stiff sweet starter (33%)
- 6g salt (2%)
- 90g soft butter (30%)
- 0.5 g dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)
- Zest of 1 orange (optional for more flavor)
Directions
Day 1
Starter
- 10 pm add sugar and liquid starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, let ferment covered at room temp 74-78F until it increases in size
- In about 8-10 hours starter has to triple or more in volume.
- Learn how to make starter from scratch here).
Day 2
Dough
- 8 am in a bowl of mixer add milk, stiff sourdough starter, yeast (if using) and sugar, eggs and whisk all together. Add flour, mix until no dry flour remains, cover and let autolyse for 1 hour.
- 9 am Start mixing the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
- Add salt and mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball and seem kind of stiff.
- Add soft butter, mix for 10-15 more minutes on high speed until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together and will do popping sound during mixing.
Note: make sure the temperature of the dough won’t go higher than 82F/28C, otherwise gluten will start to break apart.
- Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
- During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
- The dough should become puffy.
- 12pm -1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation until the evening (for 8-9 hours).
- 10 pm remove the dough from the fridge.
- Shape as desired.
- I just rolled it in the tight roll.
- Put a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of your loaf pan.
- Transfer the shaped loaf into the loaf pan.
- Cover the dough and let it proof for overnight ( for 8-9 hours) at 70-72F /20-22C until it doubles in volume.
- Now, sprinkle some flour on top of your loaf or egg wash it.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Sourdough Brioche Sandwich Bread
2551kcal
Ingredients
The Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)
- 20 g Sourdough starter culture
- 40 g Water
- 80 g Bread flour
- 3 g Sugar
The Heavy Rich Enriched Dough
- 300 g Bread flour (100%)
- 150 g Milk (50%)
- 2 Large eggs
- 70 g Sugar (23%)
- 100 g Prepared mature sweet stiff starter (33% – From the stage above)
- 6 g Salt (2%)
- 90 g Unsalted butter (30% – Completely softened to room temperature)
- 0.5 g Dry instant yeast (Optional helper pinch to fully eliminate sour tang)
- Zest of 1 orange (Optional, added for a beautiful aroma enhancement)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Fitted with a heavy dough hook—essential for fat emulsion)
- Standard Loaf Pan
- Kitchen Scale & Digital Thermometer
Method
Day 1 – Stiff Starter Activation
- 10:00 PM: In a clean glass jar, dissolve the 3g of sugar and 20g of liquid starter into 40g of water. Whisk thoroughly, then stir in the 80g of bread flour.
- Knead briefly inside the jar into a firm, tight ball. Cover loosely and let it ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours until it completely triples in volume.
Day 2 – The Enriched Autolyse, Popping-Knead, and Bulk Proof
- 8:00 AM – The Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 150g of milk, 70g of sugar, 2 large eggs, 100g of your active sweet stiff starter, and the optional 0.5g of dry yeast. Whisk together cleanly, then dump all 300g of bread flour on top. Mix until a rough mass forms with no dry spots, cover, and let autolyse for 1 hour.
- 9:00 AM: Attach your dough hook attachment. Mix the dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid mixer on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until cohesive. Add the 6g of salt and continue mixing for 2 minutes—the dough ball will look noticeably stiff.
- The Emulsified Butter Knead: Keep the mixer running on high speed and begin adding your 90g of soft room-temperature butter one tablespoon at a time. Knead continuously for 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will steadily absorb the fat, pull cleanly away from the bowl walls, and make distinctive “popping” sounds against the steel.
- Critical Dough Temp Monitor: Keep a close eye on the core temperature using a thermometer; the high friction must never drive the dough past 82°F (28°C), or your gluten structure will collapse. If it runs hot, wrap a cold pack around the bowl bases.
- Cover the bowl and let bulk ferment for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform 2 separate rounds of structural stretch-and-folds during this window until the dough turns light, glossy, and puffy.
- 1:00 PM – Cold Fridge Firming Rest: Transfer the covered dough directly into your refrigerator to cold-ferment for 8 to 9 hours. Chilling the dough solidifies the heavy butter fats, making it completely effortless to shape later without turning into a sticky mess.
Tension Shaping & Slow Overnight Rise
- 10:00 PM – Final Pan Shaping: Pull your chilled dough out of the fridge. Line the bottom of your loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean workspace and press it out gently into a rectangle. Roll it up away from you into a tight, pressurized cylinder.
- Place the cylinder seam-side down into your pan. Cover loosely and let proof on your counter overnight for 8 to 9 hours at a stable 70–72°F (20–22°C) until it completely doubles in size and crowds the pan.
Day 3 – Fluffy Golden Morning Bake
- Next Morning: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Dust the top crown of your puffed brioche loaf lightly with flour (or brush with a clean egg wash for a glossy finish).
- Slide the pan onto the middle rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top turns a uniform, gorgeous golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing!
Nutrition
Calories2551kcalCarbohydrates360gProtein67gFat93gSaturated Fat53gPolyunsaturated Fat7gMonounsaturated Fat24gTrans Fat3gCholesterol548mgSodium625mgPotassium842mgFiber9gSugar82gVitamin A2983IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium324mgIron5mg
Notes
- Why the 82°F Temperature Limit is Crucial: Enriched doughs contain a massive fat load (30% butter in this formula). If your stand mixer runs on high speed for too long and the friction heats the dough past 82°F (28°C), the butter will melt completely out of the protein matrix. This breaks the emulsion, causing the dough to turn into a greasy, oily mess that cannot hold a rise. If your kitchen is warm, use cold milk straight from the fridge to counteract the heat.
- The Yeast Accelerator Advantage: Including a tiny 0.5g pinch of instant yeast works alongside your sourdough starter to balance the flavors. Brioche features a sweet, buttery, and milky flavor profile. The slight boost from the yeast shortens the fermentation windows just enough to prevent the dough from developing a sharp, tangy sourness.
- Shaping Chilled vs. Warm Dough: Never try to shape an enriched brioche dough while it is still warm from bulk fermentation. The soft butter will stick to your hands and counter, tempting you to throw in excess raw flour which ruins the hydration balance. The 8-hour cold fridge rest in step 8 firms up the fats perfectly, giving you a smooth, non-sticky dough that rolls beautifully.
- Preventing post-bake deflation: If your baked brioche sinks or deflates slightly along the side walls as it cools on your counter, it means the heavy interior starches didn’t bake through entirely. Next time, lengthen your final pan proof by 30 minutes, or leave the loaf inside the hot 375°F oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes to fully set the structural walls.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sure would be nice to be able to print the recipe. Oh well
Please don’t print recipes. Save some trees, Jim.
Copy and paste into a document.
👍🏼 thank e
Download using Paprika 3 app.
Hi there, at what temperature shd the dough ferment in the chiller for 8-9hrs? Thanks
I did 40F or 4C
The sourdough, can I replace it with yeast? and how many grams?
Recipe worked incredibly nice, the dough grew three times bigger and the brioche bread tastes delicious.
I had one issue though! When I cooled the bread down, it deflated a little bit getting condense at the bottom.
Natasha, could you suggest any tips to prevent this from happening?
Thanks in advance
Hi!
Thank you for your feedback.
You can proof it little longer next time, and bake little longer too. It will help to prevent sinking.
Thanks for the quick reply
Unfortunately I don’t own a mixer. Can this be done by hand?
Hola ¡¡ a que se refiere el iniciador
El iniciador es la masa madre que debe estar activa y que previamente has preparado para esta receta. La preparas desde la noche anterior, siguiendo la lista de ingredientes y las instrucciones de cómo integrarlos.
Oh l love it 👍🏻🍃🌿👍🏻🍃👍🏻🌿 thank you so much 🥺😭😊🤩🇸🇦 Iam happy to find the recipe.
Just tried this recipe … amazing results, great presentation and definitely flavor! I love it!
Thank you, Jorge!
Love the bread so much. Thank tou for amazing recipe.
Thank you 🙏
Can this recipe be used for making challah? (;
Challah is not made with dairy
Hi!
I’m not sure it will hold the gape. Unless you will braid it and will put in the loaf pan.
I made it a couple of times now and is an amazing recipe. I use it as sandwich bread and the orange zest adds so much depth to the bread flavor.
Super recommended!!
Some of my notes
– I used coconut milk (not cream) instead of regular milk, proteins in the milk and eggs blend more easily than the coconut one (more kneading time)
– I used 50% of whole wheat flour and works amazing (for both the stiff and the dough)
– Never use margarine, I do it (margarine has a higher percentage of water and will break the consistency of the dough you end up adding 50g of flour to fix the mess)
– Avoid mixing this by hand (my first batch was kneaded by hand, what a fitness exercise!)
It’s my first try at your recipes and I’ll try some more for sure.
Gerardo, what a helpful feedback.
I really appreciate it.
Have a happy baking.
Natalya….seriously this by far the BEST sourdough brioche I have ever tried! It is definitely worth the wait! It’s delicious and super soft!!! Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe!!
Note: in my try I used 30% whole grain flour and a bit less sugar.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback 🙏
I’ve tried so many sandwich bread recipes and this is the best by far! So soft!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I didn’t get to try it with the orange zest yet but looking forward to it.
It turned out really well. Thanks for this amazing explanation. Just one things missing was, it doesn’t say when to add orange zest and I kept it until I saw and nownits waiting in my fridge 😀.