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+ servings
Two loaves of braided brioche bread on a cooling rack.
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5 from 1 vote

Cranberry orange braided brioche bread

Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Resting time + Proofing12 hours
Total Time13 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 2 loaves
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the brioche dough:

  • 1 packet (7g or 2 1/4 ts) active dry yeast or rapid rise instant yeast
  • 1/3 cup (80g) milk
  • 4 cups (500g) flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 sticks (200g) soft unsalted butter 14 Tbsp, European-style, 82% fat

additionally:

  • 1/2 cup (120g) orange juice
  • 3/4 cup (90g) dried cranberries

for the crumble:

  • 1/3 cup (40g) flour
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) cold butter
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar

for the egg wash:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

The first day:

  • Warm up the milk until pleasantly warm to the touch. It's best to check the temperature with a thermometer - it should be 100-110°F (38-43°C). The milk can't be too cold (yeast won't work) or too warm (you will deactivate the yeast completely).
  • If using active dry yeast: add the yeast to the warm milk, stir, and leave for 10 minutes. After this time there should be foam on the surface of milk - this is a sign that the yeast is working. If there is no foam, you need to start over. If using instant yeast - they can be added directly to the flour.
  • Add the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt. Add eggs, sugar, orange zest, activated active dry yeast with milk or instant yeast and warm milk. Don't add the butter yet.
  • Stir the dough with a wooden spoon until roughly combined.
  • Knead the dough using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Knead the dough at low speed (setting 2) for about 10 minutes, until smooth and well-combined (it will be sticky and loose, don't add more flour).
  • Now gradually add the butter, 2-3 small cubes at a time. Add the next portion of butter only if the previous one is incorporated into the dough. The whole process of adding butter should last 10-15 minutes. After adding the butter knead the dough for a couple more minutes.
  • The dough is ready when it's shiny, silky-smooth, and doesn't stick to your fingers and sides of the bowl. You should be able to grab the dough and lift it out of the bowl without scraping it from the sides of the bowl. The dough won't be firm, it will be very loose! - this is how it supposed to be, don't add more flour! If the dough is very sticky and you're sure you've measured everything correctly (see notes for how to measure flour), you just need to knead it longer until it is no longer sticky.
  • First rise: Cover the bowl with plastic foil or kitchen towel and place in a warm place until doubled in volume (or almost doubled in volume, it will rise further in the fridge). It should take about 1-1.5 hours (it can be even 3 hours depending on how warm is in your place). I'm putting the bowl into the oven with the light turned on (no temperature, just the light).
  • Second rise (in the fridge): Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it a couple of times. Form a smooth ball and put it again into the bowl. Cover with plastic foil or kitchen towel and put in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight (for up to 24 hours).
  • Pour the orange juice into a cup and add the cranberries. Put them in the fridge to soak overnight.

The next day:

  • Take the dough and cranberries out of the fridge.
  • Drain the cranberries (we won't need the orange juice), pat dry lightly with paper towels then toss with flour.
  • Knead the cranberries into the dough by hand (sprinkle the dough with more flour if it's sticky, but don't add much).
  • Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, then divide each of those into 3 parts.
  • Braid the brioche: Take 3 parts of the dough, stretch and roll each piece into a rope about 14-inches (35cm) long. If the ropes shrink a bit, let them rest for about 5 minutes. Lay the ropes parallel to one another (vertically). Pinch them tightly together at the top, and then fan them out. Braid the ropes together like braiding hair and squeeze the other ends together when complete. It should look like a challah. Repeat with the remaining dough (the recipe yields 2 loaves of bread).
  • Third rise: Place the braids on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a plastic foil, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume. I put them in the oven with just the light turned on.
  • Take both braids out of the oven and preheat it to 350°F/180°C/Gas Mark 4, no fan.
  • Make the egg wash: beat the egg with milk and brush both loaves with the mixture.
  • Make the crumble: combine flour, sugar, and cold butter in a small bowl. Rub the butter with flour and sugar with your fingers until crumble forms. Sprinkle brioche with the crumble.
  • Bake brioche for about 35 minutes or until golden.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into slices with a serrated knife.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • If you forgot to soak the cranberries overnight, cook them for a couple of minutes in the orange juice, drain, then leave to cool.
  • Leftover orange juice can be used for cocktails or smoothies.
  • Calories = 1 loaf (1/2 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Nutrition

Calories: 2361kcal