Make Brioche Buns this Weekend!

Have you heard the term “enriched dough” in baking?

Simply put, enriched doughs like brioche or challah are often made with added milk, butter, and a form of added sugar.

Quick Baker’s Note when working with enriched doughs:

The impact of added sugars will vary in yeasted loaves, depending on how much sugar you add. For example, consider the following two examples:

1. Sugar as Food for Yeast (in moderation):

Yeast feeds on sugar during fermentation, converting it into carbon dioxide and alcohol. This CO₂ helps the dough rise by creating air pockets. A small amount of sugar (1–2 teaspoons per cup of flour) actually speeds up fermentation, giving the yeast a quick energy boost.

2. Sugar as a Yeast Inhibitor (in excess):

However, when sugar content is high (as in sweet rolls, brioche, or challah), it can draw water away from the yeast via osmosis. This makes it harder for yeast to thrive and slows fermentation. That’s why:

• Sweet doughs often rise more slowly than lean doughs (which have little or no sugar).

• Bakers may use osmotolerant yeast in very sweet doughs to counteract this effect.

• Longer proofing times or warmer fermentation environments are often needed for enriched doughs.

This same idea applies to any recipes for gluten-free sourdough breads, where too much added sugar will actually slow your fermentation down.

In recipes that call for milk, you can adjust by using dairy-free options. For example, we recently made a recipe featuring coconut milk and a bit of coconut oil in the enriched dough, which gave the bread a wonderfully tropical, summery feel.

It also made my kitchen smell like a vacation on the beach.

Total Time:

• Prep Time: 25 minutes

• Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 300 g warm milk

• 12 g fresh yeast (or active dry yeast)

• 16 g whole psyllium husk

• 55 g olive oil

• …

Continue reading the full recipe here!

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