Mini Brioche a Tête (Video of Mixing Brioche Dough in a Stand Mixer, Shaping and Baking!)

You can mix our doughs in a big bucket with a Danish dough whisk, which is our standard, or you can mix in a stand mixer. The bucket’s great, because it’s one less thing to wash, but some people find that it is easier to make the doughs in a mixer and then transfer them. Either way produces wonderful dough…

In this video: some tricks for mixing up Brioche that are even faster than what’s in the books. The mini versions are wonderful because they take a fraction of the time to rest and bake, and make perfect soft buns for dinner. Or spread them with preserves for breakfast.

To find the full recipe for Brioche click here or look on page 189 in ABin5. (For a Whole Wheat version click here, page 275 HBin5). Or any of our many other brioche recipes in both books.

The equipment I used in the video:

KitchenAid 5-Quart Stand Mixer I like the 5 or 6 quart so you have plenty of room for large recipes. (They still whip up a single egg white.)

Non-Stick Brioche Molds I prefer the non-stick for added insurance that the brioche will pop out easily. The sizes vary widely, the size I used are about 3-inches at the top and 1 1/2-inches across the bottom (2 ounces volume).

6-Quart Round Food-Storage Container with Lid Our standard mixing container.

Shears I actually use a pair of sewing shears, because they have a longer blade. I only use them for dough.

Rubber Spatula with Wooden Handle I like the one with a removable handle, but they all work well.

Bowl Scraper An inexpensive tool that is great for getting every last bit out of the bowl.

Spatula, 6 Inch Blade The metal spatula I used for picking up the hot brioche. This is also my favorite cake decorating tool.

42 thoughts to “Mini Brioche a Tête (Video of Mixing Brioche Dough in a Stand Mixer, Shaping and Baking!)”

  1. Hi Zoe,
    Just wanted to let you know I just received my two books and I’m really enjoying the recipes and how simple you have made it for everyone to try out. Great job with the online sessions as well!!! We appreciate your expertise and great ideas!

  2. Hi Zoe,
    The Brioche molds are available in many sizes, from 1 1/2″ – 8″ in my favourite kitchen supply store… can you please tell me what size you used in the video? Many thanks.
    Barbara in Toronto

  3. That’s the BEST recipe ever!!!!! Has made wonderful breakfast rolls for me and the baked goods stay so fresh (although, they never last long ;-).

    1. We prefer to freeze the dough rather than the baked stuff, but you can do it– just wrap it really, really well to exclude air. Jeff

  4. THANKS, Zoe! Sending vitual blown kisses and hugs to you! I appreciate your tips on using a mixer. Usually, I mix my salt and yeast with the dry ingredients, but yours is an interesting way to add melted butter. I usually melt the margarine as my first step in making an enriched dough. This is a great tip if I forget!

    I’ll try making these as a roll in a muffin pan. I just can’t put another pan in my kitchen!

    XOXOXO! (I’m a happy, grateful baker!)

  5. This looks incredible…I have a side by side fridge that doesn’t have the space/height to accommodate the 6 qt. container…is it okay to divide the dough into separate 2 qt. containers and let it rise or will that harm it?

  6. Hi Jeff and Zoe. I love your brioche dough but haven’t yet made these cute little rolls with it. My question is about retarding the dough. If I get these to the point of being ready to rest in the little pans, do you think I could then hold them in the fridge, so I can make them ahead of when I want to serve them hot? And if that would work, about how long would be the max I could keep them in the fridge, and about how much longer (approx.) would I need to leave them on the counter to rest because they’d be cold at first. Thanks!

    1. Emilie: We generally say that overnight is good, might over-proof if go much longer than 8 to 12 hrs in the fridge. See post on this under “Dense Crumb” in our FAQs tab above. Scroll down to “refrigerator rise.”

      We find they don’t need as much counter rest if they do the refrigerator rise– just the 20 to 30 min while the oven pre-heats. Jeff

  7. Thanks for the great video. I am planning to make some rolls for thanksgiving, but I haven’t decided which dough to use yet. Do you have any general guidelines for converting your recipes to rolls? Thanks again for the great ABin5 technique, I wouldn’t be making bread without it!

    1. Hi Veggie Virginia,

      You can make any of our doughs into buns, it just depends on the flavor and texture you are going for. A good rule is to make 2-ounce balls of dough, let them rest for about 20-60 minutes depending on the amount of whole grain and temperature of your kitchen. Then bake them for about 20 minutes. The temperature you bake at will depend on what time of dough you use.

      If there is a particular style you are interested in I can better help you.

      Thanks! Zoë

  8. Hi Zoe & Jeff,

    I made my Chocolate Bread this morning. I’m not sure if my bread turns out the way it supposed to be; nevertheless it is delicious!

    1. When I mixed the dough I didn’t realized that I forgot about the ganache until the dough was mixed, so I quickly add it in and mix as much as I could. But my dough took a VERY long time to rise then collapse– even after 7 hours the dough still didn’t collapse. Is it normal? I checked the dough from outside the clear dough bucket but didn’t see a lot of small air pockets forming like the artisan bread. Did I do something wrong? I wasn’t sure but figured I shouldn’t let it sit at room temperature any longer so I put the dough in the fridge. Will the dough turn bad?

    2. This morning when I tried to cut the chilled dough, it was dense and pretty much break apart. Is this normal? I let the dough rest on parchment paper for almost 3 hours the dough didn’t rise much too. It took me 50 minutes to bake the bread through (350 degrees for a cantaloupe size dough).

    3. I like the bread be a little sweeter– since playing with honey will have to do with water adjustment, can I just add some sugar? and approximately how much?

    4. By any chance would you mind posting a video of enriched dough rising time and texture, so we know what to expect.

    Sorry to bug you with all these questions, but I just want to make it right so I can bake some more good enriched breads for the holidays. Thanks in advance for all your help!

    -Regina

    1. Hi Regina,

      I’ve answered your questions in bold type below:

      1. Did I do something wrong? I wasn’t sure but figured I shouldn’t let it sit at room temperature any longer so I put the dough in the fridge. Will the dough turn bad? The dough will not be very similar to the Master recipe because of the addition of the chocolate and all the other ingredients you add. The dough will be fine after staying out that long.

      2. This morning when I tried to cut the chilled dough, it was dense and pretty much break apart. Is this normal? I let the dough rest on parchment paper for almost 3 hours the dough didn’t rise much too. It took me 50 minutes to bake the bread through (350 degrees for a cantaloupe size dough). I wonder if you are using an older version of the book and have taken note of the errors: Page 211 (Chocolate Bread): Ingredients should read 2/3 cup honey, not sugar! In step 2 use the honey in place of the sugar. It should also be 2 cups water. This dough will not have the same stretch as the other doughs, and it will just break out of the bucket, like the brioche did in the video I made.

      3. I like the bread be a little sweeter– since playing with honey will have to do with water adjustment, can I just add some sugar? and approximately how much? If you like you can add a another 1/2 cup of honey or sugar to the recipe. It sounds like your dough is a bit dry anyway so the honey will add more moisture, you may even want to add a couple of tablespoons of water if the dough is still dry. Just add it in a stand mixer and then let it set to rest again to let all the honey absorb into the dough. Refrigerate and use.

      4. By any chance would you mind posting a video of enriched dough rising time and texture, so we know what to expect. The video in this Mini Brioche a Tete post has me mixing and then the finished dough so you can see what the changes are. Let me know if that helps.

      Sorry to bug you with all these questions, but I just want to make it right so I can bake some more good enriched breads for the holidays. Thanks in advance for all your help!

      Enjoy all the bread! Zoë

  9. Hi Zoe,
    Thanks for your reply! I didn’t realize that there are some errors on the recipe (my book is the 14th printing)– my book corrected 2/3 cup of honey but water is still 1 3/4 cups instead of 2 cups– maybe that’s why my chocolate bread was dry. Anyway, I plan to use the bread for chocolate bread pudding, hopefully my family will like it much better.
    My next batch is to try your brioche/challah recipe. Before I start I would like to get your opinions on the following questions:
    1. I actually want to make savory green onion buns (much like your pecan sticky rolls except the filling is different), and I would like the bread to have the “pull-apart stringy” crumb/texture just like those Chinese baked breads (I think they used bread flour but not sure). Should I use challah or brioche as base dough? What is the difference between challah and brioche bread?
    2. Can I shape enriched bread dough on a parchment paper and let it rise in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap), and bake it next day morning (cold from the fridge and straight to the oven)? Or do I have to let it rest at room temperature until the dough is no longer cold to touch then bake? At preheated oven 350 degree for 35-45 minutes? I desperately want to bake the bread for an early breakfast if I can. How about leaving the dough rest overnight on the counter since the weather is getting colder now…?

    Thanks again! Regina

    1. Hi Regina,

      The buns sound wonderful, can’t wait to hear back and get the recipe! 😉

      The challah dough is probably a bit better for this recipe. The brioche has more butter, more honey and more eggs, which makes it very rich and wonderful, but less stretchy than the challah.

      You can form and do an overnight chilled rise with any of our doughs.

      Enjoy! Zoë

  10. Hi Zoe,

    Okay, I will try challah and chill rise the dough overnight in the fridge. I’m also assuming send the cold dough straight into the oven correct? Do I need to adjust oven temperature and baking time since the dough is cold? Many thanks.

    Regina

  11. Regina and Jeff and Zoe,
    Regarding the overnight rise….I have been making cinnamon rolls or pecan rolls (letting them rise overnight in the fridge…then letting them rise in the kitchen about 30 to 40 min. before baking them) since I wrote Jeff last year to get ready for a New Year’s Day early morning breakfast. (we live walking distance to the Rose Parade in Pasadena)
    They turn out fabulous every time..what a time saver! I just made them again on Sunday morning for a sleepover for my daughter’s 10th birthday. Huge hit! Delish! I’ll be making a kalamata/rosemary bread using the olive oil dough for a party this weekend…Bringing the “homemade” bread to a pot luck always gets a huge response! I am very pleased for both of you and your big sucess! I wonder tho’, how much “doctoring” and professional baking do either of you do any more considering how busy you both are?

    1. HI Cynskis,

      Thank you, your bread sounds delicious. We are so pleased that you are getting such great results from the overnight rise.

      Zoë

  12. just happened upon an article about ya’ll in the doctor’s office – sounded interesting – so I bought the book – am in the process of reading it now. Can’t wait to get started.

  13. Hi – I make annual treats (usually cookies) for neighbors and would like to try doing my new baking passion for them this year – bread! I ordered some round 8″ paper baking pans from King Arthur – could brioche work in those pans? Is there a festive bread recipe that would work well in those pans – they seem very cool for wrapping up to distribute. Thanks!

    1. Dori: yes, that would work. We use something like this for pannetone, see our first book– very festive Italian Christmas bread. Jeff

  14. Zoë and Jeff,

    I just tried to make the gluten free version of the brioche from your HBin5 book. The buns looked beautiful coming out of the oven, but started shrinking in the tins during the 1 min. cool in the tin. They ended up shriveled and completely loosing the shape of the tin.

    Here’s what I noticed while baking:

    1. After mixing, the dough was very lumpy and very wet. Although I tried using the high mixer setting to get the lumps out, I stopped because I didn’t want to over beat the dough.

    2. Although the recipe didn’t say to, I heated the 2.5 cups of milk to ensure the yeast would activate.

    3. Instead of baking the brioche in a loaf, as is suggested for the gluten free recipe, I used the same 3″ tins you used in this video.

    Can you help explain what happened to my brioche?

    1. Hi Molly,

      It sounds to me as though your dough may have been too wet? Did you scoop and sweep the flours into the measuring cup. If you spoon them into the cup it will be too little flour and will make your dough too wet. What was the consistency of the dough? Did you chill the dough first before shaping?

      It is ok to mix the dough considerably before the initial rise.

      Thanks, Zoë

  15. Zoë,

    I did spoon my flours into the measuring cups, so it sounds like my dough was too wet. The dough did seem much wetter than I expected. It had small pea-sized lumps and was very “ooze-y”.

    I did not chill the dough before shaping since the gluten free recipe said that this step was not needed. Should I have chilled the dough?

    Finally, is there a way to know if I have mixed the dough too much? I left the electric mixer going for a considerable amount of time and was surprised that there were still lumps. In the gluten free recipe is it important to add the liquid little by little? I may have added the liquid too quickly based on the video of your regular brioche.

    Thank you so much for your help.

    Molly

    1. Hi Molly,

      You do want to add the liquid slowly to the flours so that it will not get lumps, but it sounds like yours was exaggerated by being too wet. Usually putting in a stand mixer for a few minutes will get rid of any lumps, so what you experienced it not the normal outcome. If you have some of that dough left you can try adding a bit more flour to firm it up, then let it sit to absorb the excess water.

      You don’t have to let it chill first, but the rising time will be much less using fresh dough. I find people have an easier time handling the dough when it is chilled.

      Thanks, Zoë

  16. Zoe and Jeff, just made the Almond Brioche Bostock from ABin5 and I just had to tell you it is to die for! I think I’ve died and gone to Paris!! 🙂 Thank you, thank you both for all these wonderful recipes and method of making bread. I haven’t bought a loaf of bread in over a month since I got your first book; I’m sure I’ll be getting Healthy Bread in 5 shortly!

    PS…I really appreciate the fact that you have a blog for trouble shooting and helpful hints also!
    Deb

  17. Hi. I have been having fun with all of your books. I tried mixing brioche dough in the bucket. When I pulled it out today, it still had lots and lots of lumps in it. Book said not to worry about the lumps. I think they are flour lumps, but not sure. What did I do wrong do you think? Is it better to use a stand mixer as you did in video?
    Thanks for any help!
    Martha

    1. Hi Martha,

      If you are having trouble with lumps in the dough, you can certainly try doing it in a stand mixer. The lumps can be caused by flour or just dough that isn’t mixed together as well, so it isn’t evenly hydrated. If the lumps are even and small, then they tend to bake out. Doing it in a mixer really does eliminate the issue.

      Hope this helps! Zoë

      1. Thanks so much for response! I was about to pitch the dough, but instead I made my first ever braid with this lumpy dough. It came out very edible! I think most lumps baked out like you said, and you can’t really feel or taste the ones that are there. I will try stand mixer next time, but this wasn’t the disaster I thought it would be. Learning as I go, and having a lot of fun…..Thanks for a great book!

      2. Hi Martha,

        I am so glad it worked out for you. Sometimes letting the dough rest a bit longer can also improve the texture. For a braided bread an extra 15 to 20 minutes may make it lighter.

        Thanks, Zoë

  18. Hello Zoe & Jeff,
    I would like to cut the brioche dough recipe in half to make a smaller batch. Is it just half of all the listed ingredients? Just want to make sure.

    Also, when I make the full batch my dough seems to be very, very wet and sticky. It doesn’t quite look like the consistency of yours in the mini brioche video. I am using the exact measured ingredients. I even tried the stand mixer version and still very, very wet and sticky.

    Mimi

    1. Hi Mimi,

      Yes, you can cut all the ingredients in half for a smaller batch.

      The dough is super sticky and wet when first mixed, but then it should be much less so after it is chilled. If your dough is still too sticky after it is well chilled then maybe it needs more flour. Are you using the scoop and sweep method of measuring? If you spoon the flour into the cup, it ends up being too little flour. What brand flour are you using?

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Zoe,

        I am using the scoop & sweep method. Using Gold Medal Bleached AP Flour. I typically will let the dough rise 2 hours and set up in the frig for 3-4 hours or longer.

        Could the flour be the culprit?

        Mimi

      2. Hi Mimi,

        That is exactly what kind of flour I use. Have you tried refrigerating overnight? It is possible your dough isn’t getting cold enough to solidify the butter? One more thought, what size eggs are you using?

        Thanks, Zoë

  19. Made the minis and they are great – now I am going to see if I can get the caramel effect on top even if they are small.

    A note about the “tete” – if you make the “Heads” too small the whole thing looks like it cam from a picture where only the bottom half of the bikini is present (I cannot think of a graceful way to say this, but I learned the hard way)

    thanks for the video!

    Deborah

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