BYOB: Brioche

Now that I am the proud owner of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, I can really say, "I can bake bread". It's amazing how easy it was. My first creation was Brioche, a sweet, buttery, rich bread best enjoyed with tea or as a breakfast pastry.

Marie Antoinette is often quoted as saying "qu'ils mangent de la brioche" which means "Let them eat brioche" instead of the more famous quote, "Let them eat cake". Historians believe it may have been an earlier queen who made the insensitive remark, but Marie is credited with it nonetheless.

The stars of the show.................

Every really good bread baker I know recommends King Arthur flour so that is what I used. It's more expensive than other brands but everyone thinks it's worth it. And when you figure the cost of a good loaf of bakery bread compared to how many loaves you can make from one bag, it more than pays for itself with one loaf.

Begin by mixing yeast, salt, eggs,honey and melted butter with the water in a 5 quart bowl. I used my stand mixer bowl since I was going to use it to mix the dough anyway.


Just be careful when you add the melted butter that it isn't too hot or it will cook the eggs. I just let it sit for a few minutes and then poured it in very slowly, whisking constantly.

Then add the flour and mix. If you are using a stand mixer, use speed 2...no higher, just until the dough is mixed well. Don't knead. The dough may be a little lumpy but it will smooth out during baking.


Then cover it let it rise at room temperature. for at least 2 hours. It may take longer depending on the temperature of your room...mine took about 3 hours. See how the top has flattened and sort of collapsed in the middle? That's what you want.



Place the dough in the refrigerator and cover with a lid that is not airtight. Chill overnight or freeze for later. If you freeze the dough, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.

When you're ready to bake, cut off a 1 pound piece (this recipe makes four loaves so just quarter it), dust it with a little flour and shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom while turning a quarter turn each time. I can't show you a picture of this because I needed both hands and there was no one home to help. But it's in the book.

Elongate into an oval and place in a lightly greased loaf pan. I love the silicone pans but because of the moisture content, they should be greased when baking breads from this book.


Let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour 20 minutes. 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the loaf with egg wash and place it in the center of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven.....



Bon Appetit!

Brioche
from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus butter for greasing the pan
7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Egg wash (1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

1. Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter with the water in a 5 quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. The dough will be loose but will firm up when chilled; don't try to work with it before chilling. (You may notice lumps in the dough but they will disappear in the finished products)

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used as soon as it's chilled after the initial rise. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond the 5 days, freeze the dough in 1 pound portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. When using frozen dough, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using, then allow the usual rest and rise times.

5. Defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. On baking day, grease a 9x4x3 inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 pound (grapefruit size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go.

6. Elongate into an oval and place in the prepared pan. Allow to rest for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

7. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If you're not using a stone in the oven, 5 minutes is adequate.

8. Using a pastry brush, brush the top crust with egg wash.

9. Place the bread near the center of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a medium golden brown. Due to the fat in the dough, brioche will not form a hard, crackling crust.

10. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.