Brioche

Hey you…are you ready to take on a baking challenge this weekend?! The result will be a golden-brown, ultra-fluffy loaf of the most delicious bread of all that has endless uses….THAT CAME OUT OF YOUR OWN KITCHEN!!!  French toast?  Check!  Bread pudding?! Mos def.  Croque monsieurs?! I’m all in.  A piece of toast with jam?  I’m not mad about that.Brioche is the king of enriched breads, in my very carb-loving opinion.  Butter and eggs make the dough so rich, fluffy and flavorful and it toasts up to be the most delicious shade of golden-brown.  It’s also time-consuming and best for a weekend baking project…but the results are so so worth it.  It’s hard to find, even in my moderately-sized city, so I wanted to find a good, reliable recipe for those times when the very similar challah just won’t do (and it does a lot of the time).

I turned to one of the baking queens, Rose Levy Beranbaum, and her The Baking Bible because she’s notoriously meticulous and her recipes are incredibly thorough and well-tested.   Her Classic Brioche recipe did not disappoint!  Best of all, it was already converted into metric weights, so I didn’t have to do that.  I highly recommend using a scale to weigh your ingredients for the best results (this is the one I use) and using the brand of flour suggested in my recipe.  I exclusively use King Arthur flour as my all-purpose, cake and bread flours, but Rose suggests using Gold Medal brand in her recipe.  If you use Gold Medal, replace all of the bread and all-purpose as outlined in my recipe with Gold Medal bread flour.  You do not need to use half bread, half all-purpose as my recipe states.  The original recipe was tested using different brands of flours, and states that the best texture and rise came from all Gold Medal bread flour, or half bread, half all-purpose of another brand.  There is only a scant amount of water called for in the actual recipe; this is not a mistake!  The remaining moisture comes from the egg whites and water in the butter.  I promise it will work!  The dough will be very sticky, but after resting in the refrigerator, it will set up and be workable.  You can always add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky to work with after chilling.  Bread-making is all about practice and getting a feel for what the dough should look, smell and, well, FEEL like.

I highly recommend seeking out a high-quality European-style butter, like Plugra, Lurpak, Land ‘o Lakes European-Style or even Trader Joe’s cultured butter in the little blue packs!  It will make your bread all the better for it (and more rich).  Don’t fear if you can’t-or don’t-want to use this.  The bread will be delicious with store-brand, American-style butter too!You can use this brioche dough as a base for many other sweet dough recipes, like monkey bread, cinnamon rolls or pull-apart breads.  Experiment to your heart’s content and let me know what you come up with!  

Brioche

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: one loaf

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Description

A light, fluffy homemade bread loaf enriched with butter and eggs!  Perfect for French toast, bread puddings, sandwiches and toasting up with a schmear of jam.  Plan ahead because this recipe does take some time.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

SPONGE STARTER:

• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) room temperature water
• 1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (35 grams) King Arthur bread flour
• 1/4 cup (35 grams) King Arthur all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) instant yeast
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

DOUGH:

• 1/2 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons (78 grams) King Arthur bread flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1-1/2 tablespoons (78 grams) King Arthur all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 teaspoons (3 grams) instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 grams) butter, at room temperature (very soft)

EGG WASH:

• 1 large egg yolk
• Splash of heavy cream

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Instructions

1. To make the sponge starter: In a small mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, flours, yeast and egg.  Whisk for about 2 minutes, until very smooth, but very sticky.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
2. For the dough: Combine the flours, sugar, yeast and salt, stirring to combine.  Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the sponge starter, forming a flour blanket.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  When ready to use, the dough starter should bubble through the flour blanket in places.
3. To finish the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the dough starter and the 2 remaining eggs.  Beat together on low speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is combined.  Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating on medium speed for another 5 minutes.  The dough will be smooth and shiny but will not pull away from the sides of the bowl.  On medium-low speed, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the butter is almost completely incorporated before adding another piece.  The dough will be very soft and sticky but should roughly form a ball.  If it is still incredibly sticky, you can beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour but be careful not to add it unless you absolutely need it (and don’t add too much!).  Brioche is a very soft dough at room temperature.
4. Let the dough go through the first rise: Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl.    Lightly coat the top of the dough with cooking spray.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
5. Once risen, transfer the dough to the refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.  After 1 hour, gently deflate the dough by stirring with a rubber spatula.  Cover and return to the refrigerator for 1 more hour.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and press out into a rectangle (it doesn’t matter what size, so long as you can fold it onto itself), flouring both the work surface and the dough to ensure it doesn’t stick.  Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds and press it out into a rectangle again.  Turn the dough 90° and fold into thirds again.  Seal the corners by pressing together.  Ensure it is lightly dusted with flour.  Wrap it loosely in plastic wrap, ensuring it is closed so no extra air can get it to dry it out and place the wrapped dough in a gallon bag.  Return to the refrigerator and refrigerate overnight and up to 2 days to continue to rise and allow the flavors to develop.
7. Lightly spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or lightly coat with butter.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and press out into a 8 x 5-inch rectangle.  Roll it onto itself lengthwise in three turns, pressing down again to seal the dough.  Transfer the dough to the prepared pan.  Cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Let the dough rise at room temperature in a warm place until it reaches just above the top of the pan, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
8. To bake: Preheat the oven to 350° about 30 minutes before your dough has finished rising.  Once the rise is complete, prepare your egg wash by mixing the egg yolk and cream together.  Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash.  Using a sharp knife or lamé, slash the dough lengthwise starting about 1 inch from each side and about 1/4 inch deep.  Place the pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a rich golden brown.  The temperature inside should be 190° using an instant-read thermometer.  Remove from the pan onto a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature.

Notes

Inspiration: Classic Brioche from The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum

• Category: Breads, Bread-y Things