Place 1-½ cups of the flour, the yeast, water and eggs into the bowl of a mixer or the bucket of your bread machine. Beat at medium speed (or knead in the bread machine) until smooth. Cover the mixture and let it sit for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes the sponge will have developed some bubbles, but will not have raised much because the mixture is thin. The yeast is getting a jump start.

Add the remaining 1-¼ cups flour, the sugar and salt.

Beat for 8 to 10 minutes (switch to a dough hook if you’re using a mixer) or knead in the bread machine, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and becomes shiny and elastic.

With the mixer or bread machine running, add the soft butter 2 tablespoons at a time, letting the butter become absorbed before adding the next chunk. Repeat until all of the butter is added. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour. It’ll be very soft at this point, and should have grown by about a third. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently fold it over several times (use a bench knife to scrape up any bits that stick to the table). Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours and up to about 16 hours. The dough will firm up considerably.

To make individual brioche: Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Take a marble sized piece of dough from each of the 12 pieces and set it aside. Roll each larger bit of dough into a ball; place them in muffin tins. Roll the small pieces into balls. Set them aside and let them rise with the small brioche for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

To bake: When the dough has risen and is puffy-looking, preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease your finger and poke a “belly button” into the center of each individual brioche. Gently place the small marble of dough’s into these dents, then brush the tops with egg wash. Bake the brioche for 25 to 30 minutes, until the centers test 190°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Remove the brioche from the oven and cool on a rack before serving.