brioche

American  

[bree-ohsh, -osh, bree-awsh] / ˈbri oʊʃ, -ɒʃ, briˈɔʃ /

noun

brioches plural

1. a light, sweet bun or roll made with eggs, yeast, and butter.

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brioche British  

/ ˈbriːəʊʃ, -ɒʃ, briɔʃ /

noun

1. a soft roll or loaf made from a very light yeast dough, sometimes mixed with currants

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brioches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brioche

1820–30; < French, Middle French (Norman dial.), equivalent to bri ( er ) to knead (< Germanic; see break) + -oche noun suffix

Explanation

Brioche is a soft, slightly sweet French bread made with butter and eggs. A toasted slice of brioche slathered with jam would make a delicious afternoon snack. Brioche, like challah or fluffy dinner rolls, is enriched — that means it's a yeast bread with extra ingredients that give it a richer flavor and a tender texture. You can eat brioche for breakfast, use it for sandwiches, or turn it into French toast or bread pudding after it's gone a bit stale. The first use of brioche in French dates from the 15th century, and the word derives from brier, "to knead the dough."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brioche brioches

Dinner was supposed to be crab brioche at a seafood restaurant mentioned on the BBC show “Remarkable Places to Eat.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

Small plates with buckwheat brioche and whipped herb butter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

These folks are way beyond asking if the boulangeries are out of brioche as well as baguettes.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 2, 2026

One standout sundae, cheekily titled No Mamey's, features Roasty + Toasty Ice Cream from Little Fox—made with toasted brioche cream, parmesan crisps, and a mascarpone swirl.

From Salon ● May 24, 2025

I went in and stood at the zinc bar and an old man served me a glass of white wine and a brioche.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

A popular French bakery brand has issued a recall of some chocolate-and-hazelnut-filled brioches over concerns they may pose a choking hazard.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026

Later, the counter began to crowd with flaky croissants, sticky pastry, brioches with amber sheen.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026

In mid-July, Dominique Ansel, the inventive pastry chef best known for the Cronut, will be opening a kitchen and store specializing in viennoiserie, a category of pastries that includes croissants, brioches and kouign-amann.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2021

It is an absolute no from HTE to all baps, buns, brioches, barmcakes, cobs, teacakes, morning rolls, oven-bottoms, soda farls and other regional bread roll variations.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 7, 2020

Would you prefer croissants or brioches or plain bread-and-butter?

From Jason by Forman, Justus Miles