Question about using a stand mixer for brioche dough

I was at a baking workshop in Portland last month and the instructor insisted on mixing brioche by hand for the first five minutes. I always used my KitchenAid from the start, but she said the slow, warm hand-knead builds a better gluten structure before the butter goes in. Tried it at home and my next batch had a noticeably finer crumb and better rise. Anyone else find that a bit of manual work at the beginning makes a real difference for enriched doughs?

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3 Comments

kai_knight627mo ago

Better rise" is all I need to hear. Guess my lazy mixer habit is why my brioche always looks a little sad.

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thea_wood867mo ago

Read somewhere that brioche really needs that full gluten development.

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charlie_ellis6mo ago

Yeah, that "full gluten development" thing @thea_wood86 mentioned is real. I learned the hard way too, my last batch was basically a buttery brick.

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