Brioche

In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine the flour, cold eggs, cold milk, crumbled fresh yeast, sugar, and salt. Keep the salt and yeast from touching directly until they hit the flour. Mix on low for 3 to 4 minutes just until there is no dry flour and a rough, sticky dough forms. Everything stays cold — brioche is a battle against heat, and the dough should never climb past about 24°C / 75°F before the butter goes in.

Knead on medium speed for 8 to 12 minutes until the dough is smooth, very elastic, and pulls cleanly off the sides of the bowl in one slapping mass. You are building a strong gluten network NOW, before the fat coats the proteins. Stop and stretch a small piece into a windowpane — it should thin to translucency without tearing. Develop the gluten fully here; you cannot build it once the butter is in.

With the mixer on medium-low, add the cool, pliable butter a tablespoon-sized knob at a time, letting each piece disappear into the dough before adding the next — this takes 5 to 10 minutes. The dough will look broken and slick at first; keep going and it re-gathers into a glossy, supple mass. Add the butter slowly so it laminates into the gluten rather than greasing it out. Finish when the dough is satiny, fully homogeneous, and pulls off the bowl again.

Give the dough a 1-hour rest at room temperature, then fold it over on itself, press flat, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24. This long cold ferment is non-negotiable: it firms the butter so the dough is workable, deepens flavor with a faint tang, and slows the yeast for an even, fine crumb. The next day, divide, shape (a braid, a fluted mold, or balls in a tin), and proof at warm room temperature, 24–26°C / 75–79°F, until nearly doubled and jiggly.

Brush the proofed loaf gently and thoroughly with the egg-yolk wash, getting into every seam without deflating it. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 25 to 40 minutes depending on size, until deep mahogany-brown and the internal temperature reads 88–90°C / 190–195°F. Tent loosely with foil if it browns too fast — the high sugar and egg make brioche colour quickly. Cool fully on a rack before slicing; cutting it warm tears the tender crumb.