Bring a piece of Sicily into your home with this authentic Italian bread recipe. Delicious and easy to make, Sicilian Brioche will surely become one of your favorites for breakfast or snack! The easiest brioche recipe you can possibly find!
As promised on my post for Sicilian Almond Granita, this is the other half of the pair – Sicilian Brioche. It does not matter which part of Sicily, when you ask for almond granita, they always ask if you want a brioche with it – it’s a match made in heaven.
Sometimes called Italian brioche, Sicilian brioche is not as buttery as the French one, and it’s slightly sweeter because of the honey added to the dough. But the best part is that there is no need to rest the dough overnight, so you do not need to plan too much in advance to enjoy it. 🙂
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN BRIOCHE
CAN I USE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR INSTEAD OF BREAD FLOUR?
You can. But, do not expect the result to be as fluffy as when you use bread flour. I even tried spraying my oven to give it more steam, still not the same result as when I use bread flour. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just not as good.
IS THERE A SUBSTITUTE FOR HONEY?
When I initially published this post, there was a reader who asked if she can use molasses instead, since she’s allergic to honey. It took some time for me to test that (I know, a really LONG time, I’m sorry 🙁 ) – the good news is; indeed, molasses can be substituted for honey. I did not even see a difference in the finished product.
CAN I MAKE ITALIAN BRIOCHE WITHOUT A MIXER?
Yes, it’s doable. But, if you’re not used to kneading bread manually, it’s not going to be easy. I have tried it once, before I purchased my stand mixer and I have to tell you, after the first 10 minutes, I have to rest every 3 minutes (I think). It was an unforgettable workout. 🙂
CAN I USE THE BRIOCHE LEFTOVERS FOR SOMETHING ELSE?
Breadcrumbs! This is actually my favorite bread to make into breadcrumbs (my husband thinks it’s weird because there’s a hint of sweetness in them). Using your hands, tear them into smaller pieces and let them dry naturally or in the oven. Then use a blender or food processor to grind them into smaller bits. If you have not made your own breadcrumbs, give it a try with this brioche recipe!
HOW TO SERVE SICILIAN BRIOCHE?
The default is with almond granita. If you’re worried that the combination of the Sicilian brioche with the granita is TOO sweet, it is NOT. Since the almond granita is ice cold, the level of sweetness in it is lessened – hence, the slight sweetness coming from the warm brioche puts it back to the right spot.
Another way to serve it is with ice cream. Most gelaterias in the south of Italy (not just Sicily) would have Sicilian Brioche, because they slice it in the middle, and place the ice cream inside, like a sandwich. It is a bit difficult to eat, but soooo worth it! 🙂
For me personally, here in Stockholm, I love having it for breakfast with an espresso. Doesn’t matter if I made them the day before, I just reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds and they’re good to go.
For other bread recipes, check out the following posts –
Btw, this post was initially published on July 2017. I wanted to add a video, so I decided to just update the images and republished the post entirely. No change done in the recipe though.
VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE SICILIAN BRIOCHE
(*This post contains some affiliate links)
MY AMAZON PICKS:
- 3/4 cup milk (+2 tbsp for egg wash)
- 2 & 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 to 4 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs (+1 for egg wash)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- icing sugar for serving (optional)
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Warm up the ¾ cup milk and combine with yeast. Set aside until foamy and ready.
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Combine 3 ½ cups of flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix.
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Add yeast mixture, eggs, melted butter and honey into the flour. Mix until the dough becomes smooth, but slightly sticky. If the dough is too wet, slowly add the remaining ½ cup of flour.
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Place ball of dough in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until it doubles in size. This normally takes 1 ½ to 2 hours for me.
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Divide dough into 12 pieces and form each piece into a brioche by taking a smaller piece of dough, form it into a ball and place it on top of each bigger ball of dough.
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Place each dough of brioche in a baking pan lined with baking paper. Cover with clean kitchen cloth and set aside until puffy and almost double in size.
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Once the brioche has slightly puffed up, heat up the oven – 180 degrees C (375 degrees F).
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Combine 1 beaten egg with 2 tbsp milk for egg wash and brush each piece of brioche with it.
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Place baking pan in the lower half of the oven for the first 12 minutes and move baking pan in the center for the remaining 7 to 8 minutes.
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Set aside for around 10 minutes to cool. Serve (with sprinkled icing sugar on top, if desired).
Is there a substitute for the honey? I’m allergic to honey… Ordinarily I substitute in molasses, but that seems too heavy for brioche…