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Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
Using a spatula, gently turn the dough upside down and compact it back to its original volume (we are redistributing the yeast, but take care not to “bash down” the dough too much).
Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
With a sharp knife, gently slice your dough into 3 sections. Cut each section into 6 pieces. You may gently roll those pieces into balls, but you can also leave them sort of square.
Get three standard loaf pans***. If using nonstick bakeware, you can skip greasing, but if using uncoated bakeware, I recommend greasing with butter. Place 6 balls each into each pan, then cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 2 hours.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the tops of the loaves with egg wash, if desired.****
Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, until the interior measures 190F using an instant read thermometer. If during the baking process your brioche browns too much, loosely cover the loaves with aluminum foil. Sometimes moving the brioche down a rack in the oven is sufficient to prevent overbrowning as well.
For superior texture and to prevent gumminess inside the loaf, let cool on a wire rack at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. However, you may find that you cannot resist eating some of the brioche warm out of the oven, and that’s okay too. Let the loaves cool completely before storing, and enjoy!
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