Well, technically, since u003ca href=u0022http://the%20first%20recorded%20use%20of%20the%20word%20in%20french%20dates%20from%201404/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eBrioche was made long before stand mixers were inventedu003c/au003e it is possible. But it's not easy without a stand mixer. You have to fold and u0022slapu0022 the dough on the work surface for a good 20-30 minutes to develop gluten. Traditional kneading with your hands would warm up the dough too much.