Bonsoir Brioche!

Now that I have purchased 5kg of bread flour, I really need to get rid of it by making more bread. The frugal no knead bread is definitely simple and delicious as the recipe only calls for flour, salt, yeast and water. I don’t think it can be simpler than that! This time I tried to be more ambitious and gave the brioche recipe a try.

Brioche is a French bread which is famous for its high egg and butter content. It is definitely not recommended for those who are on a diet but I guess everyone needs a treat once in awhile. Just don’t come back and complain if you can’t fit into your skinny jeans! I have used a simple recipe from a blog called La Tartine Gourmande. The recipe calls for 1 stick of butter for a small 10” loaf! It is definitely not something that I can make frequently. The instructions on the blog is rather simple but I do find the dough to be extremely wet, so I have added around 2/3 cups more to the mixture in order to make the dough more workable.

Simplest Brioche

Ingredients:
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 Tbsp dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup warm milk
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk for glaze

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix the flour with the yeast.
2. Make a hole in the middle of the mixture and add the warm milk into the mixture.
3. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Then, add the soft butter, piece after piece, waiting each time that each piece is mixed thoroughly.
4. Then one by one, add the eggs, mixing well between each. Work the dough until it is elastic and detaches from your fingers more easily.
5. Cover and let rest in a warm place, away from drafts, for two hours, until it doubles in size.

Since it’s still rather chilly in the house, I have place the bowl on top of some hot water to help the yeast do their job.

After two hours the dough should look like this:

6. Work the dough again for 10 min and divide it in four balls. Place them in a greased rectangular mould and cover. Let rise for an hour again.

7. Preheat the oven at 400 F.
8. Brush the brioche with the egg yolk mixed with a dash of sugar. With a pair of scissors, make small cuts at the top of each ball.
9. Place in the oven to bake for 10 min then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for about 20 to 30 min.
10. Remove, unmold and let cool on a rack.

The final product is rich and buttery, kind of like a piece of unsweetened cake. However, I do find that there are too many kneading involved. I started making the dough after lunch and by the time that I finished baking, it’s already evening. I have to say I truly admire people who can make fresh bread for their breakfast!

If you want to make brioche as well, you can also checkout this tutorial from melissamakesbread.com: