Brioche moulds are special moulds for making the breads called brioche in.You can make brioche without them, but you won’t get the classic “brioche à tête” form.
They are round, with fluted, sloping edges, and wider at their top than at the bottom.
They are made in metal, glass, silicone or porcelain. Metal versions come in tinned steel or non-stick coated metal.
The tinned steel ones are not dishwasher-safe. Before storing tinned steel ones after use, hand-wash, dry thoroughly, lightly oil the mould, place in plastic bags, seal and store.
Some typical sizes (width refers to width at the top):
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- 6 inches (15 cm), holds 1 3/4 cups (400 ml) in volume
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- 7 inches (18 cm), holds 3 cups (700 ml) in volume
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- 8 inches (20 cm), holds 4 3/4 cups (1.1 litres) in volume
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- 7 1/2 inches (19 cm) at the top, 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) at the bottom, holds 6 cups (1.4 litres) in volume
- mini ones: 2 1/2 inches (6 cm), 3 inches (7 1/2 cm), 4 inches (10 cm)
Substitutes
Muffin tins, tartlet pans, ramekins. You won’t get the fluted, sloping sides, but you’ll get the general shape and you can still form the top-knot on top.