How To Make Enriched Breads | Examples and Recipes

When I started baking 10 years ago, I never considered the vast amount of baked goods that could be created in my kitchen with only a few ingredients.  Through experimentation and several failures, I learned that baking bread products is not as complex or mysterious as it may seem to a non-baker.  There are slight differences between bread products and the variation in texture and taste depends on the amount used for each staple ingredient.  These ingredients include flour, sugar, fat (ex. Butter, oil, margarine, etc.), yeast, water, and milk or cream.   

The use of each ingredient can determine how long a bread product needs to set before baking and the bread’s flavor, texture, and shelf-life.    How ingredients are used in the batter or dough determines if the bread is a traditional product (i.e., yeast bread), quick bread, or enriched bread.  Today I will discuss enriched breads and how this sweet and creamy bread can be used to prepare recipes like challah, brioche, beignets, or even French toast.

Learning how to prepare 5 minute bread has been a great help to my kitchen. Life as a busy mom, there isn’t much time to prepare fresh dough every day to bake sweets or traditional bread products.   Because of my busy schedule, my go to methods is the following:

1. Prepare the 5 minute dough recipe for traditional breads like baguettes, loaf bread, and artisan bread
2. Prepare a second batch for enriched dough that can be frozen for several weeks. 

This method allows me to take only what I need to prep fresh breads or sweets for the week.

Differences between Traditional Bread vs Quick Bread vs Enriched Bread

Although most bread products use the same ingredients, there are some notable differences between traditional breads, quick breads, and enriched breads.  

TRADITIONAL BREAD (i.e., yeast bread) is prepared without dairy products, like eggs or milk.  Adding yeast allows the dough to sit at room temperature for several hours.  If the dough is prepared using the 5 Minute Bread recipe, then it can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.  Also, the remaining dough can be used later to prepare sourdough bread.  

QUICK BREAD are prepared using dairy products, like eggs or milk and sometimes sugar or honey for added sweetness.  Unlike traditional bread, these quick breads exchange yeast for chemical leavening agents, like sodium bicarbonate to raise the dough.  The use of sodium bicarbonate instead of yeast allow one to prepare the batter within 10-15 minutes followed by baking right away.  These breads are considered “quick” because the chemical leavening agents significantly decrease the preparation time since the dough or batter isn’t required to ferment over long periods of time to raise and expand the bread product.  Some examples of quick breads are biscuits, muffins, cornbread, and creamed loafs.

ENRICHED BREAD are the midpoint between quick breads and traditional bread.  Like quick breads, enriched dough uses eggs, milk, and sugar or honey in the dough.  This bread also uses yeast in the dough mixture.   I say this because enriched dough yields a sweetened creamy bread product that can be stored for weeks.  Like yeast bread, a large batch of challah or brioche dough can be prepared and used to make desserts such as beignets, cinnamon rolls, sticky pecan caramel rolls and more.

To summarize the differences between the 3 types of bread products, see the table below.

Table 1. Yeast Bread vs. Quick Bread vs. Enriched Bread

QUICK BREAD	ENRICHED BREAD
Water	X		X
Flour	X	X	X
Salt	X	X	X
Milk		X	X
Eggs		X	X
Sugar		X	X
Fat (ex. butter, oil, or margarine)		X	X
Preparation Time	5 minutes	10-15 minutes	5 minutes
Processing Time	2+ hours	None – Bread is Baked Immediately	2+ hours
Storage Time	Weeks for Prepared Dough	Up to 1 Week	Weeks for Prepared Dough
Examples of Bread Products	Artisan Bread, Baguettes, Bread Loafs, Ciabatta, Pain d’Epi	Biscuits, Pancakes, Muffins, Cornbread	Challah, Brioche, Rolls (cinnamon or pecan), Beignets, Bread Pudding

How to Prepare Enriched Dough

Simply prepare the enriched dough the day before baking, which takes no more than 5 minutes if you follow my method in outlined below.  Let the enriched dough sit at room temperature for no more than 2 hours since it has eggs, then store the dough in the refrigerator if you plan to use it within 3 to 5 days.  After 5 days, place the dough in the freezer for longer storage.  

If you freeze the enriched dough, remember to take it out of the freezer the day before and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Difference between Challah and Brioche

Two of the most common enriched breads are Challah and Brioche.  Challah bread is “traditionally served in Jewish households at the start of Sabbath on Friday nights.” (Hertzberg, et al., 2013).  The bread is prepared with eggs, Kosher salt, and butter.  Oil or margarine can be used as a substitute for butter in this recipe.  (Note: The use of butter gives the enriched bread its distinct flavor and aroma).  

Brioche is a variation of Challah and commonly found in French and Italian cuisines. Like Challah bread, Brioche is prepared using the same ingredients.  However, Kosher ingredients are not a requirement for this recipe.  Also, Brioche uses twice as many eggs in its recipe compared to Challah.  The advantage for both bread types is that several recipes can be prepared from their dough mixtures.  This means recipes such as rolls, French toast, bread pudding, beignets and more can be prepared using the baked Challah or Brioche bread or its dough mixture.  

Let’s learn how to make these two breads using the 5 Minute Bread method.

Table 2. Challah Master Dough Recipe

INGREDIENT	WEIGHT (IMPERIAL)	WEIGHT (METRIC)
Lukewarm Water (100 °C (212 °F) or below)	1 ¾ Cups	400 g
Granulated Yeast	1 Tbs	10 g
Kosher Salt	1 to 1½ Tbs	17 to 25 g
Large Eggs, Slightly Beaten	4	225 g
Honey	½ Cups	170 g
Unsalted Butter, melted	½ Cups	115 g
All Purpose Flour	7 Cups	990 g
Egg wash (Combine 1 egg (slightly beaten) with 1 tablespoon or 10 grams of water)
Poppy or sesame seeds, for sprinkling top crust
Oil, unsalted butter, or parchment paper, for the baking sheet

Directions for Mixing Challah Dough:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine lukewarm water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, melted butter, margarine, or oil in a 6-quart (6 Liter) bowl or a lidded food container.  
2. Use a mixing spoon or stand mixer, mix in the flour without kneading until a consistent and uniform dough forms.
3. If prepared in a heavy duty stand mixer, transfer the dough mixture into a plastic container using a dough scrapper.
4. Cover the container (not airtight) and place on the countertop until the dough rises and collapses.  This process should take 2 hours.  
5. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator over 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze the dough in 1-pound (454 g) portions in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

Directions on Baking Day (For Cold / Chilled / Refrigerated Dough):

1. Butter or grease a baking sheet or line the baking sheet with parchment paper.  
2. Sprinkle the surface of the dough mixture with flour.
3. Grab a ball of dough and cut 1 pound (454 g) of the dough using kitchen scissors or a serrated knife. 
4. Dust the cut dough with more flour and quickly shape into a ball.
5. Gently roll and stretch the dough to form a long rope that is ¾ inches (19 mm) thick, allowing the dough to rest 5 minutes between rolling to prevent tears in the dough. 

Braided Challah (Braided from One End):

1. Use a dough scraper or knife to divide the long rope into 3 equal length sections.
2. Line the 3 cut sections next to each other to have a left, middle, and right dough strand.
3. Starting from the middle strand, pull the left strand over the middle strand and lay it down in the center.  
4. Next pull the right strand over the center strand.  
5. Continue alternating the left and right strand over the center strand until you reach the end of the dough section. 
6. Pinch both ends of the strands together.
7. Place the shaped dough onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and allow the dough to rest for 90 minutes before baking.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
9. Using a pastry brush, add egg wash to the dough and sprinkle with seeds.
10. Bake for 30 minutes or until the bread has a golden-brown color and its center has some resistance to pressure.
11. Allow the bread to cool on a rack before serving.

If you want a more even loaf, start your braid mid-way from the length of the dough.

Table 3. Brioche Master Dough Recipe

INGREDIENT	WEIGHT (IMPERIAL)	WEIGHT (METRIC)
Lukewarm Water (100 °C (212 °F) or below)	1 ½ Cups	340 g
Granulated Yeast	1 Tbs	10 g
Kosher Salt	1 to 1½ Tbs	17 to 25 g
Large Eggs, Slightly Beaten	8	455 g
Honey	½ Cups	170 g
Unsalted Butter, melted	1½ Cups (3 Sticks)	340 g
All Purpose Flour	7½ Cups	1065 g
Egg wash (Combine 1 egg (slightly beaten) with 1 tablespoon or 10 grams of water)

Directions for Mixing Brioche Dough:

Unlike Challah dough, Brioche dough can be used immediately after the 2-hour rise at room temperature.

1. In a mixing bowl, combine lukewarm water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, melted butter, margarine, or oil in a 6-quart (6 Liter) bowl or a lidded food container.  
2. Use mixing spoon or stand mixer, mix in the flour without kneading until a consistent and uniform dough forms.
3. If prepared in a heavy duty stand mixer, transfer the dough mixture into a plastic container using a dough scrapper.
4. Cover the container (not airtight) and place on the countertop until the dough rises and collapses.  This process should take 2 hours.  
5. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator over 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze the dough in 1-pound (454 g) portions in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

Directions on Baking Day:

1. Butter or grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch (216 mm x 114 mm) nonstick loaf pan.
2. Dust the surface of the dough mixture with flour.
3. Grab a ball of dough and cut 1 pound (454 g) of the dough using kitchen scissors or a serrated knife. 
4. Dust the cut dough with more flour and knead (Yes, I said Knead the dough for 30 seconds or more).  Kneading this dough REALLY improves the bread’s texture.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
6. Gently roll the dough into an oval shape and place in the loaf pan.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 90 minutes before baking.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
9. Using a pastry brush, add egg wash to the top of the loaf.
10. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the bread has a golden-brown color and it’s well set.
11. Allow the bread to cool on a rack before serving.

So now you know how to prepare enriched breads.  These breads are easy to prepare, andtheir dough mixtures can be used for several weeks when properly stored.  In the next blog, I’ll show you some recipes you can make using the Challah and Brioche dough mixture.  But for, now spend 5 minutes preparing the dough mixture and enjoy it as an alone bread or pop it into the freezer until next time.

Want to Learn More?

• How To Make Enriched Breads | Examples and Recipes
• How to Bake Bread in 5 Minutes or Less
• Part IV: How to Make Rolled In Dough
• Part III: How to Prepare Yeast Bread Dough
• Part II: How to Prepare Yeast Bread Dough

Is there anything else you’d like to know about baking and wish it was included in this article?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.

References

Hertzberg, J. M.D & Francois, Z. (2013). The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. First Edition. Thomas Dunne Books.

About Gabby…

Gabby is a hobbyist who enjoys baking for family and friends.  She created this blog to provide a comprehensive guide to baking for the everyday baker.  Follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, or become a member of the Blabby Gabby community to get the latest information where she will discuss fundamentals, recipes, historical facts or other content related to baking quick breads, yeast breads and pastries.

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