This classic is a simple yeast dough enriched with eggs and lots of butter; use it for loaves, plain rolls, and rolls stuffed with fruit, meat, or cheese, or bake in special fluted brioche tins (see Brioche à Tête). The high butter content gives the impression that the dough is wetter than it actually is, leading to the temptation—which you must resist—to add more flour. This dough is easily braided: follow the directions for Challah.

Combine in a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:

Mix in by hand or on low speed:

Gradually stir in:

Mix for about 5 minutes, until all the ingredients are blended. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Knead by hand for about 15 minutes or with the mixer on medium-low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Because this is a sticky dough, kneading by hand requires a particular technique: Slap the dough down on the work surface, lift half of it up with both hands (part of it will remain stuck to the table, which is fine), and slap it down over onto itself (keep a bench scraper handy to help). Repeat this until the dough is smooth and elastic. Have ready:

Vigorously knead or mix in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece of butter is nearly incorporated before adding the next. Continue to mix until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough is once again smooth. Butter a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (75° to 85°F) until doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.

Knead the dough briefly a second time, just enough to deflate it, then refrigerate, covered, for 8 to 12 hours or until doubled.

For a loaf, butter a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and shape the dough into a loaf for pan-baking. Alternatively, for a sectioned loaf (see illustration below for one example of this), divide the dough into 4 or 8 equal pieces, round the dough into balls (follow the instructions in About Yeast Rolls), and place them in 1 or 2 rows in the loaf pan. For brioche rolls, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Loosely cover the loaf or rolls with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75° to 85°F) until not quite doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Brush the dough with:

Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and a knife inserted in the center of one brioche comes out clean, about 20 minutes for rolls and 35 to 40 minutes for a loaf. Unmold or transfer the brioche(s) onto a wire rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or cool.