Wednesday 4 September 2013

Brioche














This loaf completes me.



Brioche
from Donna Hay's A Cook's Guide

1 sachet dry yeast (8g)
1 tablespoon lukewarm water
55g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes
2 tablespoons lukewarm milk
250g "00" flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
225g butter, chopped into small dice and brought to room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten for brushing

Grease a 22cm x 8cm loaf pan with cooking oil spray.

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt and milk.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, place the flour, yeast mixture and eggs and turn the mixer on to a low speed, mix for 1 minute. Add the milk mixture and mix on low for 10 minutes.

Add the butter cube by cube while continually mixing the dough and keep beating for another 6-7 minutes or until you have a smooth, glossy dough. The dough will be quite sticky.

Spray a large mixing bowl with cooking oil spray and scrape the dough in. Spray the top of the dough lightly with cooking oil spray and cover the bowl with cling wrap and set aside in a warm place for 2-3 hours, until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 4 even portions and roll into balls on a floured work surface. Place the balls side by side in the prepared loaf pan. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise to double and in bulk again for about another hour.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Take a pair of kitchen scissors and snip a long cut into the centre of each ball. Brush with the extra beaten egg and bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minute before removing.


18 comments:

  1. Yum Jen. I will definitely be trying this one :)

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  2. Looks delicious. I imagine it will be so good with (more) butter and jam.

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    1. Haha Belle. So you noticed the amount of butter in the dough, yes? They don't call it enriched for nothing.

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  3. Looks so good! I've always thought brioche would be quite tricky to make but I think I could manage with this recipe:)

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    1. Thanks Sara. Some brioche recipes are quite involved, with overnight risings and so on. I've made lots of brioche, and this one is probably the simplest, but doesn't compromise on flavour or texture at all... it's real brioche.

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  4. You're amazing! Your brioche looks absolutely PERFECT! I'm inspired!

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    1. Thanks Marie. This brioche could be on a table near you :)

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  5. It completes me too!!! Oh gosh this looks good. Full of butter and yuminess, I'm going to have to control myself not to do it right away :)

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    1. Oh yeah, full of butter, with more butter for spreading... the only way to go.

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  6. Wow so good! Definitely a recipe to try!

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  7. I love Brioche but I've never made it-you make this look so easy!

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    1. Hey Dawn. There are a lot of complicated instruction on how to make brioche out there, but this is simple and totally delicious.

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  8. These have just come out of the oven and smell delicious. I was skeptical of the ratio of liquid to flour and did a little research on Brioche's on the hinternet. The dough hook wasn't adequately mixing the dough so I just used the flat paddle. Once I added the cup of butter, the dough came together nicely. The only other change: I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour. Baked them special for a church member whom I'm taking dinner to this evening, and I get to enjoy a couple myself!

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    1. Thanks so much for your feedback Jo-Anne. It's a VERY sticky dough, but that's what makes it so delicious to eat. I hope your friend (and you) enjoy it.

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