One of my favorite words in the baking language is brioche. Never had it or baked it but I always liked saying it. Needless to say, it sounds so hoity-toity. So French. We were in France in last fall and in search for many foods, among them, the perfect croissant. Brioche never came to mind and I am feeling somewhat regretful. Note to self.
Brioche toast with butter, and French toast made with "old" brioche bread come to mind. Such versatility for a bread made with eggs and butter. I decided to make the Rich Man's Brioche version. I figure if you're going to make something with butter, you may as well go all the way. No holding back. So the Bill Gates' Brioche it is.
Brioche toast with butter, and French toast made with "old" brioche bread come to mind. Such versatility for a bread made with eggs and butter. I decided to make the Rich Man's Brioche version. I figure if you're going to make something with butter, you may as well go all the way. No holding back. So the Bill Gates' Brioche it is.
I made the sponge with flour, fresh yeast and 2% milk. I dissolved the fresh yeast in the bowl of warmed milk. We don't have whole milk in the house, so will be interesting to see how this will affect the final outcome. I covered and fermented the sponge for 30 minutes; the kitchen room thermometer read 63 degrees so I let it sit out longer.
I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl. In the mixer bowl, I mixed the sponge and five fresh farm eggs (from our chickens!) with paddle for 2 minutes. Added the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl. I let it rest for 5-8 minutes. Gradually added the lovely sticks of unsalted soft butter, mixing for about 7 minutes total. I was amazed at how the butter blended in so easily to the dough.
I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl. In the mixer bowl, I mixed the sponge and five fresh farm eggs (from our chickens!) with paddle for 2 minutes. Added the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl. I let it rest for 5-8 minutes. Gradually added the lovely sticks of unsalted soft butter, mixing for about 7 minutes total. I was amazed at how the butter blended in so easily to the dough.
Lining a sheet pan with parchment paper, I misted a 6x8 area with canola oil spray. I covered the dough with a clean garbage bag and refrigerated overnight. Based on my experience with bagels sticking to plastic, I sprayed the bag with a good amount of oil.
I decided to bake them in loaf pans since I had no brioche molds to play with. I divided the dough into 3 pieces. Each chuck of dough was made into 6 balls and arranged in the loaf pan like so. Last minute, I decided to make 3 larger balls with the 3rd chunk of dough. I was going to shape and knead one piece, as PR recommended, but it would be impossible. My warm hands made the dough so sticky in a matter of minutes that it would've have been quite impossible to handle without adding plenty of flour or oil in my hands.
Awfully cold tonight, so they proofed next to Tiger, our fire-loving feline, closer to 3 hours. They increased by about 80%. I placed all three loaves in a sheet pan and placed it right on the new baking stone. I forgot how clean these baking stones look like when you first use them! I invested in a fibrament, 2 inches thick!! Will see if it will help my lousy oven stay hot. Right before baking them, I painted the tops with egg wash. The recipe was very vague in how long to bake it for. Less time for small pieces, longer time for larger portions. Okay. So I started with 30 minutes. Added another 5 minutes times 2. The largest of the loaves I baked 20 minutes longer. Decided on the extra time once I heard a thump (I think) when I turned it over to percuss.
As soon as they came out of the oven, the loaves easily popped out of their pans, and onto the cooling rack. As usual, I can never wait for the bread to cool before cutting the first slice! Always premature just so I can taste it warm with a smear of butter. Then I can't resist taking a picture of the first slice. Naturally, the pictures turn out "crummy" because it needed to sit for an hour. But I never have regrets. Delicious. I actually felt my coronaries tighten up. And no, I didn't use any (more) butter to eat with this bread.
Voila! The entire family loves it! Kids had slices of toasted brioche with homemade strawberry jam (infused with balsamic vinegar). Definitely a two thumbs up. In the future, I probably will bake brioche with LESS butter. We are heading out to Paris in the fall, and brioche pans may just be the perfect souvenir! And I'm definitely going to look for them in the bakery. Looking forward to making brioche bread pudding with leftovers tomorrow....if there's any left. Needless to say, I would definitely make these for special occasions.