05Add a tablespoon of butter and beat until it has been incorporated into the dough. Repeat with the remaining butter, adding one tablespoon at a time.
06Once all of the butter has been added, keep beating for about 10-20 minutes on medium-high speed.
07The dough is ready when it is soft, sticky and elastic in texture, and when it comes away from the sides of the bowl instead of sticking to the sides. I also recommend doing the "windowpane test", which is to stretch a piece of dough from the dough hook, until it is thin enough that you can almost see through the "window" of dough, and without the dough breaking as you do this test.
08Lightly oil a large bowl. You will need a bowl that is large enough for the dough to at least triple in size.
09Use a dough scraper to scrape the brioche dough into the oiled bowl.
10Place the bowl somewhere warm for the dough to prove for about 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
11Do not touch the dough. Cover the bowl with the risen dough with some clingfilm, and place in the fridge to chill overnight (8 to 10 hours). The dough will continue to rise a bit more in the fridge.
12Day Two: Generously butter a loaf pan (or use a non-stick baking spray). I use a loaf pan which is 25 x 10.5 cm/10 x 4 inches.
13The dough will have risen more overnight in the fridge.
14Punch down the dough to release the air from the dough.
15Gently knead the dough into a smooth ball.
16Weigh the ball of dough and divide this measurement by 6, so that you can portion the dough into six pieces equally. You can, of course, just eye-ball the measurement.
17Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball, and then gently elongate the balls of dough into a small fat log.
18Arrange the six logs of dough into the loaf pan.
19Place the loaf pan somewhere warm for the dough to rise and at least double in size. This should take 1-3 hours. I generally aim for the edges of the brioche dough to rise to about 1-2 cm (1 inch) below the rim of the pan. Once you bake the brioche, it will continue to rise a lot more.
20Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) (without fan).
21Place a metal baking sheet in the oven.
22Gently brush the top of the brioche loaf with the eggwash.
23Sprinkle the brioche loaf with pearl sugar.
24Place the loaf pan on the metal baking sheet (which has been preheating in the oven).
25Bake the brioche loaf for 30-35 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. You might want to check your brioche at about 10-15 minutes to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If so, place a sheet of foil over the brioche to stop it from browning further.
26If you have a digital thermometer, the brioche is cooked if the internal reading is 85°C/185°F.
27Remove the brioche loaf from the oven and let it settle in the pan for about 5-10 minutes before unmoulding.
28Let the brioche cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
29I recommend using a serrated knife to slice the brioche.