This is Maison Bordier's own brioche recipe, built around their Churned Madagascar Vanilla Butter. Instead of adding vanilla to the dough, the vanilla arrives inside the butter itself, where brown sugar and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla have already been worked into the churn. The result is a brioche that smells like a pastry shop from the moment it goes in the oven, with a crumb that is soft, golden, and faintly caramelized at the edges. It takes about four and a half hours from start to finish, most of it hands-off rising time, and it makes two loaves.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Serves: 6 (two loaves)
- Active time: About 30 minutes
- Rising time: 3 hours, then about 1 hour more
- Bake: 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F (180°C)
- Key ingredient: 6 oz (170 g) Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter
Why this brioche works
A classic brioche relies on three things: eggs for richness, a long slow rise for flavor, and a great deal of butter worked into the dough. This version keeps all of that and changes only one variable, which happens to be the most important one. Bordier's Madagascar Vanilla Butter is a flavored butter created in 2010, made by blending unsalted churned butter with brown sugar and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla. Because the vanilla and sugar are already suspended in the fat, they distribute evenly through every layer of the dough rather than sitting in pockets.
The butter is churned by hand in Brittany using the traditional wooden malaxeur, which gives it a plastic, workable texture even when cold. That matters here: you want the butter soft enough to be absorbed gradually into the dough without melting into it. Take it out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before you start.
Ingredients
Quantities are given in grams first, as Maison Bordier wrote them, with US equivalents alongside. A kitchen scale will give you the most reliable result.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Whole milk | 20 g | 4 teaspoons |
| Active dry or instant yeast | 2 tsp (about 7 g) | 2 teaspoons |
| Bread flour | 350 g | About 2¾ cups |
| Eggs, large | 4 | 4 |
| Sugar | 60 g | 5 tablespoons |
| Fine salt | 1 tsp (about 6 g) | 1 teaspoon |
| Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter, softened | 170 g | 6 oz |
| Egg yolk, for the glaze | 1 | 1 |
You will also need a little extra butter for greasing, and two standard loaf pans.
A note on quantity: our Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter comes in 4.4 oz (125 g) blocks, so this recipe calls for two. You will have roughly 2.8 oz left over, which is exactly the right amount to spread on the finished brioche.
Method
Step 1: Make the dough
Warm the milk until it is just tepid, not hot, and stir the yeast into it. Add the flour, eggs, sugar, and salt, and mix until you have a shaggy, cohesive dough. With the mixer running on low, or by hand, add the softened butter a small piece at a time, waiting until each addition has been absorbed before adding the next. The dough will look broken at first and then come back together, smooth and glossy.
Transfer to a large bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 3 hours.
Step 2: Shape the loaves
Butter two loaf pans. Divide the dough in two and gently flatten each half into a rectangle. Roll each rectangle into a log and set it in a pan seam side down. Cover the pans with a damp cloth and leave to rise for another hour or so, until visibly puffed.
Step 3: Glaze and bake
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Beat the remaining egg yolk and brush it over the tops of the loaves. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden. Turn out and cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Tips from our kitchen
- Soften, do not melt. The butter should be pliable and cool, around 65°F. Melted butter will not emulsify into the dough and the crumb will turn greasy.
- Be patient at the butter stage. This is where brioche is won or lost. Adding the butter too quickly is the most common reason a brioche dough refuses to come together.
- Watch the dough, not the clock. Three hours is a minimum. In a cool kitchen it may take four or more. The dough should roughly double.
- If the dough seems dry as it first comes together, add milk a teaspoon at a time. Egg sizes vary, and this is a deliberately low-hydration dough that relies on the eggs.
- Chill before shaping for easier handling. A 30-minute rest in the refrigerator after the first rise firms the butter and makes the dough far less sticky to roll.
- Cool completely before cutting. Brioche continues to set as it cools, and slicing warm gives you a gummy crumb.
How to serve it
Warm from the oven with nothing on it at all is a legitimate answer. Beyond that, brioche this rich takes beautifully to a thin layer of Alain Milliat confiture, or to a second pass of the same vanilla butter while the slice is still warm. Day-old brioche makes exceptional French toast, and slightly stale slices toasted in butter are the traditional partner for foie gras.
Where to buy Bordier Madagascar Vanilla Butter in the US
The French Pantry ships Bordier butter across the United States in insulated overnight packaging, straight from the workshop in Brittany.
- Churned Madagascar Vanilla Butter by Bordier (4.4 oz): hand-churned unsalted butter blended with brown sugar and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla. Order two blocks for this recipe.
You can browse the rest of the range in our Maison Bordier collection, or compare it with the wider French Churned Butter collection.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ordinary butter and add vanilla myself?
You can make a brioche that way, but it is a different bread. Bordier's vanilla butter carries brown sugar and Bourbon vanilla already emulsified into the fat, which is why the flavor runs evenly through the crumb rather than concentrating in streaks.
How much Bordier vanilla butter do I need?
The recipe calls for 170 g, or 6 oz. Our blocks are 4.4 oz each, so buy two.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Bread flour is preferred because its higher protein builds the gluten structure needed to hold this much butter. All-purpose will work, but expect a slightly softer, less airy loaf.
Can I let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator?
Yes, and many bakers prefer it. A cold overnight rise develops more flavor and makes the dough much easier to shape. Bring it back toward room temperature before the second rise.
How should I store the finished brioche?
Wrapped at room temperature for two to three days. It freezes well, sliced, for up to a month; toast straight from frozen.
Does the butter need to stay refrigerated?
Yes. Bordier butter is a fresh, hand-churned product and ships cold. Keep it refrigerated and let it soften on the counter before baking.
Related reading
- Bordier Butter: What It Is, Why Chefs Love It, and How to Use It
- How to Choose Your French Butter: A Buyer's Guide
- Isigny Sainte-Mère: Normandy's AOP Butter & Crème Guide
Recipe and photograph adapted and translated from Maison Bordier, with thanks. The French Pantry is an authorized US retailer of Bordier butter.