Sweet Orange Brioche Sourdough Loaf

I have previously shared mango and avocado sweet breads, now it’s time for a sweet orange brioche sourdough loaf. I noticed that adding any kind of fruit puree to an enriched dough always provides fantastic results. It adds moisture, softness and an incredible flavor.

Want to try? Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Stiff Sourdough Starter 

• 10g sourdough starter
• 30g water
• 60g bread flour

Dough

• 300g bread flour (100%)
• 150g fresh orange (50%)
• 100g sweetened condensed milk (33.3%)
• 1 large egg
• 15g sugar
• 30g soft butter (10%)
• 60g stiff starter (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• 0.5 g dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)
• Zest of 1 orange (optional for more flavor)

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

• 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, then roll it into tight roll, place in jar, cover with water, make sure it is covered with water, let sit at room temp 74-78F until it increases in size and starts to float on the top of the water.
• In about 8-10 hours the top of the starter will dry and the bottom will start to melt in water. We will need the center part of it.
• Keeping stiff starter in the water will help to reduce its acidity and sourness of final product (learn how to make starter from scratch here).

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am peel the orange, add it to the food processor along with sweetened condensed milk and egg. Purée it all together. 

Note: if you are planning to use dry yeast, add it to the food processor as well.

• Add  purée and stiff sourdough starter and sugar to a flour.Mix 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 until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together.

• 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 slightly puffy.

• 12pm -1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation till the evening (for 8-9 hours).
• 10 pm remove the dough from the fridge.
• Shape as desired. I used a glass loaf pan with dimensions 16.6×2.5×9.8 inches.
• You can divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and braid it.
• 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 your sweet orange brioche sourdough loaf.

Sweet Orange Brioche Sourdough Loaf

2107kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 40 minutes mins

Total 1 day d 3 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

This recipe delivers an exceptionally soft, pillowy, and fragrant brioche loaf by incorporating real fruit puree directly into an enriched dough. Using a unique underwater-fermented sweet stiff starter drastically lowers natural dough acidity, rewarding you with an ultra-moist interior crumb, a beautifully golden crust, and an amazing citrus aroma.

Cuisine French

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)

• ▢ 10 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 30 g Water
• ▢ 60 g Bread flour

The Enriched Citrus Dough

• ▢ 300 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 150 g Fresh orange pulp, peeled (50%)
• ▢ 100 g Sweetened condensed milk (33.3%)
• ▢ 1 Large egg (For the dough)
• ▢ 15 g White sugar
• ▢ 30 g Soft unsalted butter (10%)
• ▢ 60 g Prepared water-submerged stiff starter (20% – From the stage above)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)
• ▢ 0.5 g Active dry yeast (Optional – Used exclusively to minimize sour profiles)
• ▢ Zest of 1 whole orange (Optional for maximum flavor boost)

The Final Glaze

• ▢ 1 Whole egg (For the optional egg wash)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Water

Equipment

• ▢
  Food Processor or Blender (Essential for smoothly pureeing the fresh orange along with the liquid ingredients)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (Crucial for handling the high-speed, intensive mixing required to emulsify the butter into the enriched dough matrix)
• ▢
  Loaf Pan & Parchment Paper (A standard loaf pan, roughly 16×2.5×9 inches, lined with parchment paper for non-stick release)
• ▢
  Pastry Brush (For smoothing on the rich egg wash glaze before baking)
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before – Underwater Stiff Starter Initialization

1. 10:00 PM – Submerged Stiff Starter Build: In a small bowl, add your 10g of starter culture to 30g of water and whisk together cleanly. Stir in 60g of bread flour and mix thoroughly, gathering it together with your hands to form a tight, stiff dough ball. Roll it securely, place it into a glass jar, and completely submerge the ball with fresh room-temperature water.
2. The Leavening Rest: Let the jar sit undisturbed at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight for 8 to 10 hours. As it ferments, the starter ball will expand, its outer skin will dry slightly, and it will float cleanly to the surface. (The Acidity Hack: Submerging the stiff starter in water washes away excess organic acids, guaranteeing an incredibly sweet, non-sour final brioche texture).

Day 2 – Orange Pureeing & Enriched Mixing

1. 8:00 AM – The Fruit Puree Base: Peel your 150g of fresh orange. Add the orange segments to a food processor or blender along with 100g of sweetened condensed milk and 1 large egg. If you are opting to use the 0.5g of dry yeast to minimize sour tones, drop it into the processor now. Blend everything together on high speed until completely smooth.
2. The Core Mechanical Mix: In your stand mixer bowl, combine your 300g of bread flour, the blended orange puree mixture, 15g of sugar, the optional orange zest, and 60g scooped cleanly from the buoyant center of your overnight stiff starter. (Note: Discard the wet, melting outer edges of the starter and use only the firm core). Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or on a KitchenAid using speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until well incorporated.
3. Salt & Butter Emulsification: Add the 6g of salt and mix for 2 more minutes until a cohesive, somewhat stiff ball forms. With the mixer still running, gradually add the 30g of soft butter. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for a full 10 to 15 minutes until the fat is completely integrated, the dough matrix organizes itself, and it pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Bulk Proof with Intervals: Cover the container tightly and let it proof for 3 to 4 hours in a warm environment kept at 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform 2 gentle rounds of stretches and folds spaced evenly throughout this window to build vertical structure. The dough should look visibly lighter and slightly puffy.
5. 12:00 PM – Cold Fermentation Retard: Transfer the covered proofing container directly into the refrigerator to rise slowly for 8 to 9 hours of cold fermentation.

Day 2 (Night) – Braiding, Pan Layout, and Overnight Proof

1. 10:00 PM – Dividing & Braid Shaping: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough evenly into 3 or 4 uniform pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth log and braid them together tightly to form your decorative loaf.
2. The Final Overnight Counter Rise: Line the bottom of your loaf pan cleanly with a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer your braided loaf into the pan. Cover loosely and let it proof overnight on your counter for 8 to 9 hours at a stable room temperature of 70–72°F (20–22°C) until it completely doubles in volume.

Day 3 – The Golden Brioche Bake

1. Next Morning – Preheating & Topping: Preheat your home oven to 375°F (190°C). For a rustic look, sprinkle a very light layer of flour over the top of the risen loaf, or sweep an egg wash gently across the crown with a pastry brush for a shiny finish.
2. Baking: Slide the loaf pan onto the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top turns a uniform, deep golden brown color. Remove from the oven, turn the loaf out onto a wire cooling rack, and let it cool completely before slicing!

Nutrition

Calories2107kcalCarbohydrates347gProtein68gFat48gSaturated Fat25gPolyunsaturated Fat6gMonounsaturated Fat13gTrans Fat1gCholesterol435mgSodium1268mgPotassium1224mgFiber12gSugar70gVitamin A1845IUVitamin C83mgCalcium466mgIron5mg

Notes

• Why the Center Stiff Starter is Mandatory: When retrieving your floating starter ball during step 4, always use a spoon to scoop exclusively from the dense center core. The wet, melting exterior layer contains the highest concentration of organic acids. By separating and discarding those outer edges, you successfully eliminate any sharp sourness from your final dough, letting the bright citrus and sweet milk flavors shine.
• The Magic of Real Fruit Purees in Brioche: Adding whole orange pulp directly into an enriched dough does much more than just impart a spectacular natural flavor. The natural fruit sugars, structural pectins, and cellular moisture work in tandem to break down gluten toughness, delivering a noticeably softer crumb structure and a significantly longer shelf-life than standard milk-based brioches.
• Troubleshooting Warm Weather Overproofing: Because this recipe relies on a long, overnight room-temperature proof inside the loaf pan (Step 9), keep your home’s ambient climate in mind. If you are baking during mid-summer and your kitchen rises above 74°F (23°C), the dough will ferment much faster. Keep a close eye on it—you may need to slide it into the oven a few hours early the moment it cleanly doubles in volume to prevent it from overproofing and collapsing.

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