I am still struggling to get a good recipe.
I think this is too wet of a dough. I am currently making one with 3 eggs but only 200ml of milk, but I had to add another 100g of flour to make it manageable…
A from-scratch replica of the Mon Fournil brioche flour — built to match the original’s proportions, including the two ingredients that give it that unmistakable French-bakery smell: a whisper of lupin flour and a well-judged arôme. Scaled to a 500 g flour batch (one loaf or ~10 rolls).
The dry mix (per 500 g flour)
This is your replica of the sachet. Whisk it together — or batch it ahead (see below) — then just add the wet ingredients.
| Ingredient | Amount | Baker’s % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour, ~11% protein | 500 g | 100% | 250 g strong white bread + 250 g plain, or 500 g French T45/T55 |
| Caster sugar and Vanilla Sugar bad | 75 g | 11.6% | Original was 60 g, but I find 75g better, and the vanilla bag makes a nice addition. |
| Fast-action dried yeast | 7–8 g | 1.5% | One good teaspoon. Important to dilute in a little warm water with some sugar. |
| Fine salt | 7 g | 1% | 7 g if you like it more savoury |
| Lupin flour | 15 g (1 tbsp) | 0.8% | The secret weapon — golden crumb + nutty aroma. |
The wet ingredients (added fresh, each bake)
- Whole milk — 250 ml, warmed to ~25–30°C
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Soft unsalted butter — 125 g (push to 150–200 g for a richer brioche)
- The arôme — 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2–3 drops of orange-flower water (eau de fleur d’oranger). This pairing is what recreates the Mon Fournil smell.
- Egg wash — 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk
Method
- Prep. Warm the milk to ~25–30°C and eggs, beat well . Take the butter out to soften. Start the yeast in a bit of water with the vanilla sugar sachet.
- Combine dry. Whisk the whole dry mix together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Bring together. Add the milk, egg and vanilla (+ orange-flower water). Knead with the dough 3 min to a shaggy dough.
- Butter in. Add the soft butter a piece at a time, then knead 8–10 min until smooth, glossy and elastic.
- First proof. Cover. 30 min at 30–35°C, or ~1 h at room temperature, until doubled.
Tip: For deeper flavour and much easier shaping, chill the dough for 2 h (up to overnight) after this rise instead. Cold brioche dough handles far better.
- Shape. Knock back and shape — a buttered loaf tin, a three-strand plait, or roll into 3 large buns of about 300g each.
- Second proof. Cover. ~30–60 min until doubled.
- Glaze & bake. Brush with egg wash. Bake in a preheated fan oven at 180°C:
- Rolls: 15–18 min
- Loaf / plait: 25–35 min
Deep golden, and ~90°C internal if you’re checking with a probe.
- Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Storage
Keeps 2–3 days well-wrapped at room temperature. Freezes beautifully, sliced or whole — refresh a few minutes in a warm oven. Day-old brioche is also the ideal candidate for pain perdu.
Why this works (the two flavour drivers)
The original’s magic isn’t the flour — it’s the lupin flour (under 1%, but responsible for the golden crumb and nutty, distinctly-French aroma most home bakers never achieve) and the arôme (a proprietary vanilla/butter-type flavouring, mimicked here with vanilla + orange-flower water). Get those two right and you’re matching the smell, not just the texture.
Allergen note: contains gluten, egg, milk and lupin. Lupin can cross-react with peanut allergy — flag it if serving guests.
