Egg Bread

Our egg bread recipe is guaranteed to become an instant family favorite. With its rich, tender interior and braided, sesame-flecked exterior, this is one of those homemade bread recipes that will appeal to the eyes as much as it appeals to the stomach.

What we love most about a bread recipe with eggs is its incredible versatility. It pairs well with just about any meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner. Additionally, once you master the basic recipe, it’s easy to adapt and add sweet or savory flavors to the dough. We’ve included some of our favorite variations below.

What is egg bread?

Egg bread is a yeasted bread enriched with ingredients like eggs, milk, butter or oil. These fat-rich ingredients contribute to the bread’s glossy crust and rich, pillowy crumb.

Brioche, challah and Italian Easter bread are a few examples of bread recipes with eggs that you may have seen at your local market. While related, each has its own cultural history and subtle difference in preparation that make it unique. This egg bread recipe includes milk and butter, making it similar to French brioche rolls.

Egg Bread Ingredients

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• Yeast: Yeast makes this light and pillowy bread rise. Our egg bread recipe calls for active dry yeast, but you may use instant yeast if you prefer. (Psst: Here’s a guide for how to use yeast if you’re new to baking bread.)
• Water: Water activates the yeast and hydrates the flour. When making yeast bread recipes, it’s important to warm the water to the temperature recommended by the yeast’s manufacturer. Typically, this is somewhere between 110° and 115°F.
• Milk: Enriched breads (like this egg bread and Japanese milk bread) often include milk in addition to water for hydration. For best results, use whole milk when baking egg bread and other enriched breads.
• Eggs: Every bread recipe with eggs bakes differently than a bread made without eggs. The egg whites give the bread additional structure, and the yolks add additional fat, softening the bread and making it incredibly rich and tender.
• Butter: As with eggs and milk, butter is an ingredient that tenderizes the dough and adds a wonderfully rich butter flavor. Use one of the best butter brands for maximum flavor.
• Sugar: Sugar speeds up fermentation, lightly sweetens the dough and helps the bread brown in the oven.
• Salt: Don’t skip the salt in this egg bread recipe. Underseasoning bread dough is a common bread-baking mistake. Using the right amount of salt is critical to giving the bread the best flavor possible.
• Flour: While some bread recipes benefit from using bread flour or another special type of flour, this egg bread recipe requires nothing more than regular all-purpose flour.
• Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds are a classic finishing ingredient for egg bread, adding texture, a pleasing appearance and a subtle nutty taste and aroma. If you don’t enjoy sesame seeds, you can omit them from the recipe.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the dough

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In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the warm milk, eggs, butter, sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Editor’s Tip: We recommend mixing the bread in a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater (aka a paddle mixer). The dough is slightly tacky, so it’s much easier to mix in a KitchenAid stand mixer than by hand. Also, when baking bread, it’s vital to measure flour accurately. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup (instead of scooping it), then level it off with the flat side of a knife.

Step 2: Knead the dough

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Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.

Editor’s Tip: You may also knead dough with a stand mixer. Knead on your mixer’s second speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Note that kneading with a mixer typically develops the dough’s gluten strands more quickly than by hand. Take care not to overwork the dough.

Step 3: Let it rise

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 4: Shape the loaves

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Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into six portions and roll each into a 14-inch rope.

Editor’s Tip: For evenly sized and shaped loaves, use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into six even portions.

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For each loaf, braid three ropes together on a greased baking sheet. Pinch the ends to seal and tuck them under the dough to hide the seams.

Step 5: Proof again and bake

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Cover the loaves with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat together the egg yolk and water.

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Brush the mixture over the loaves and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans to wire racks to cool.

Editor’s Tip: Brushing the loaves with an egg wash helps the sesame seeds adhere to the surface of the dough and gives the egg bread a beautiful, bakery-quality shine.

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Egg Bread Variations

• Try it with raisins: To make an egg bread inspired by panettone, knead 3/4 cup raisins into the dough. You can add 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon cinnamon during the mixing stage for extra flavor.
• Add chocolate chips: If you’re a chocolate lover, knead 1 cup chocolate chips into the dough.
• Make it cheesy: If you love party cheese bread, try making cheesy egg bread. Add 1/2 cup each Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese to the dough, along with 1 tablespoon Italian herbs.

How to Store Egg Bread

This egg bread recipe is best stored at room temperature. To keep bread fresh, store it in a bread box or resealable storage bag.

How long does egg bread last?

Egg bread will stay fresh at room temperature for three to four days. You may refrigerate it to extend its shelf life, but it will dry out more quickly in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze egg bread?

You can freeze bread with eggs for up to three months. Since this recipe makes two loaves, we highly recommend freezing one loaf for later enjoyment if you don’t think you can get through both loaves in a few days. Wrap the bread tightly in storage wrap and then a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Thaw the bread at room temperature before serving.

Egg Bread Tips

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Why didn’t my egg bread rise?

A few factors can impact the rise of your egg bread recipe. First, check the yeast’s expiration date, as expired yeast will not have the same amount of activity as fresh yeast. If the yeast isn’t the problem, temperature and time are usually the other culprits. Not warming the water (and milk, in this case) to the proper temperature can prevent the yeast from activating. Additionally, proofing in a cool, drafty spot (or in a warm spot for too long or too little) can also be the reason your bread isn’t rising.

Can you bake egg bread as rolls or a classic bread loaf?

We bake this egg bread recipe into a braided loaf, but egg bread dough lends itself well to baking in traditional 9×5-inch loaf pans for sandwich bread. You can also divide and shape the dough into round rolls or buns.

How can you use egg bread?

You can enjoy egg bread as a snack by slicing it and slathering it with butter, or turn it into a tasty sandwich with your favorite selection of cold cuts, vegetables and condiments. An enriched bread recipe with eggs is also fantastic for making French toast or bread pudding. Try using the egg bread recipe to make baked French toast, an apple-stuffed French toast bake or a comforting bread pudding with nutmeg.