Enriched dough

A yeast dough that includes butter, eggs, milk or sugar in addition to flour, water, yeast and salt, giving a soft, tender, richer bread.

Enriched dough: A soft, shiny ball of enriched yeast dough rising in a buttered bowl, eggs and butter beside it
  • Doughs, batters and pastry foundations

Enriched doughs include brioche, challah, cinnamon rolls, babka and most sweet breads and doughnuts. Fat and sugar tenderize the crumb and slow the yeast, so these doughs rise more slowly than lean bread doughs. Bakers often add butter after some kneading so the gluten can develop first.

Enriched doughs brown faster in the oven because of the sugar and milk, so they bake at moderate temperatures and are often covered loosely with foil partway through. They are soft and sticky when mixed, and chilling makes them much easier to shape.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. 13.1.3.2: Yeast Doughs, LibreTexts (Sacramento City College, Principles of Food Science)