🍞 Milk Brioche Rolls – Soft, Buttery & Irresistibly Golden (Like Clouds with Crust!) 🥛🧈✨

October 21, 2025 - By Olivia Food

There’s something magical about homemade brioche. The moment they come out of the oven — golden, glossy, slightly crisp on the outside and pillow-soft inside — the air fills with the scent of butter and warmth. These Milk Brioche Rollsstrike the perfect balance between sweet and savory, making them ideal for breakfast, brunch, or even as a side for dinner.

They’re rich yet light, buttery but not greasy — a beautiful example of how flour, milk, and yeast can come together to create something that feels almost alive.

This recipe walks you through every step — from the silky dough to that golden, flaky crust — so you can make bakery-quality brioche right in your kitchen.

Ingredients (Makes about 10–12 rolls)

For the dough:

3 ½ cups (440 g) all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet / 7 g) instant yeast

1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup (180 ml) warm whole milk (about 38–40°C)
2 large eggs, room temperature
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes

For the egg wash:

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

Optional toppings:

Pearl sugar for sweetness
Sesame or poppy seeds for savory rolls
Melted butter to brush after baking

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Activate the yeast (if using active dry yeast)

If you’re using instant yeast, you can skip this step.
If you’re using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes, until it becomes frothy and fragrant — that means it’s alive and ready to make magic happen.

2. Mix the dough

In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook), combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture (or instant yeast), then pour in the warm milk and crack in the eggs.

Mix on low speed until the ingredients just come together into a rough dough. This will look shaggy and slightly sticky at first — that’s exactly right.

3. Incorporate the butter

With the mixer running on medium speed, begin adding the softened butter, one cube at a time. Let each piece fully mix in before adding the next.

This step is crucial — the butter slowly emulsifies into the dough, creating that iconic soft and buttery texture.

Continue kneading for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl but still feel a little tacky to the touch.

4. First rise (proofing)

Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.

Let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

This slow rise allows the gluten to relax and the flavors to deepen, giving the brioche its tender crumb and subtle sweetness.

5. Shape the rolls

Once the dough has doubled, gently punch it down to release excess air. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough into 10–12 equal pieces (each about 70–80 g). Roll each portion into a smooth ball by cupping it under your hand and rolling in small circles on the counter.

Place the shaped rolls onto a parchment-lined baking tray, leaving a bit of space between each one so they have room to rise.

6. Second rise

Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let them rise again for 45–60 minutes, or until puffy and almost doubled.

When you gently press one with your fingertip, the dough should spring back slowly — that’s how you know it’s ready for baking.

7. Preheat the oven

While the rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

8. Brush and bake

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk to make the egg wash. Brush the tops of the rolls generously — this gives them that classic golden-brown sheen.

Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the tops are deeply golden and the kitchen smells like heaven.

If you like them ultra-soft, lightly cover the rolls with foil halfway through baking to prevent over-browning.

9. Finishing touches

Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately brush them with a little melted butter — this not only adds shine but also softens the crust slightly for that melt-in-your-mouth feel.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let them rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serving Ideas

Breakfast delight: Split a roll open and enjoy it warm with butter and jam.
Dinner companion: Serve them alongside soups, stews, or roast chicken.
Sweet treat: Turn leftovers into French toast or bread pudding.
Mini sandwiches: Fill with ham, cheese, or scrambled eggs for a brunch buffet.

Storage Tips

Room temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Freeze cooled rolls in a zip bag for up to 1 month. Reheat in a warm oven for 5–7 minutes before serving.
Softness tip: Place a small piece of apple or slice of bread in the storage container to keep the rolls soft longer.

Baker’s Notes & Secrets

Use room-temperature butter — cold butter won’t blend properly and will give you a dense crumb.
Don’t rush the rise — brioche loves time. Longer fermentation = better flavor.
Enriched doughs are sticky — resist the urge to add too much flour; stickiness means it’s rich and hydrated.

For a milkier flavor: Substitute part of the butter with 1 tablespoon of milk powder — it deepens the creamy notes.

Nutritional Snapshot (Per Roll)

Calories: ~210 kcal
Carbohydrates: 28 g
Fat: 9 g
Protein: 5 g
Sugar: 5 g

Final Thoughts

Making Milk Brioche Rolls is a sensory experience — the silky dough, the buttery aroma, the transformation of pale rounds into golden clouds in the oven. They’re not just bread; they’re a moment of comfort. Every bite has that perfect mix of tenderness and richness, like a gentle hug in edible form.

Serve them warm, tear them open, and let the butter melt right into the soft interior — because sometimes, the simplest pleasures are the most luxurious.