Baking Brioche! Part 1

delicious individual brioche!

So it's probably to any of my Facebook friends, but I finally got the KitchenAid of my dreams!! After years of dreaming and yearning, the KitchenAid Pro600 Lift Stand Mixer is finally mine! I was very fortunate to get the color I wanted (dark pewter) during the Macy's Memorial Day Sale. A pretty decent discount, plus a rebate for an awesome ice cream maker attachment!

I decided to hit the ground running. The reason I wanted the Pro 600 series was for the 575w motor. It can do heavy duty breads and doughs, and I have been wanting to try my hand at brioche for a looong time (homemade sticky buns, anyone?). I got this book, Baking With Julia, from Will's mother about two years ago and it had the best looking bread recipes. So two days ago I decided to make my first batch. 

 This is definitely a time consuming recipe, and one that you follow to the letter. I had to get over my aversion to active dry yeast (as opposed to my awesome rapid rise). I split my dough in half and used part for midnight snack bread on Sunday, and sticky buns on Monday afternoon, so I am splitting this blog post up in to two parts. The recipe is also available online here.

i'm studying really hard, can't you tell?

It's a great weekend recipe: start it on Saturday and finish on Sunday morning for delicious brunch with brioche! Or get up early Sat and have some great bread for dinner and use the leftovers for sticky buns on Sunday. However you slice it, this brioche is delicious.

The Sponge: 
1/3 cup warm whole milk (100- 110 degrees F) 
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 large egg 
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

The Dough:
 1/3 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
4 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temp 
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (approx) 
6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature


Directions:
Add the warmed milk, yeast, egg and 1 cup of the flour to the bowl of a heavy duty mixer. note: I'm pretty sure you could make a batch in a 375w mixer if you halve the recipe.

Mix the ingredients together with a rubber spatula, mixing just until everything is blended.

Use the remaining cup of flour to cover the sponge. Let rest uncovered for 30-40 minutes. The flour coating will start to crack, indicating the process is working properly. note: I think my flour mixture would crack more if I had used a thermometer to double check the heat of the milk. I tested it on the inside of my wrist to check them temp, making sure it isn't too hot (or the yeast will die)!

Add the sugar, salt, eggs, and 1 cup of the flour to the sponge. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for two minutes, until the ingredients are just incorporated. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup more flour while still mixing. 


 Increase the speed of the mixer to medium, and beat for about 15 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. note: my mixer says do not use the dough hook above level 2, but I would do occasional bursts of speed at 4 to get the dough to pick up. The dough should come together, wrap around the hook, and slap the side of the bowl.

Before you add the butter, it must be the same consistency as the dough. In order to keep the butter cool but smooth and pliable, you can smack it with a rolling pin or use a dough scraper to smear it across a cold surface.

Add the butter to the dough a few tablespoons at a time with the mixer on medium-low (level 2). It will take a while for the butter to fully incorporate. note: the dough may look like it is falling apart at this stage--don't panic, that is normal.

When the butter has been added, raise the mixer speed to medium-high for 1 minute (level 4), then reduce the speed (level 2) and beat the dough for 5 minutes, or until the dough begins to slap the sides of the bowl again. Scrape down the bowl as you work, adding a tablespoon more flour if the dough does not come together.

The dough should feel cool to the touch. Transfer it to a large buttered bowl for the first rise. Cover tightly with saran wrap and let rise in a warm area for 2 - 2 1/2 hours (it should double in bulk.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up by the edges and letting it fall back. Rid of all major air bubbles before covering tightly again and letting chill in the refrigerator for 4-6 hour or overnight. note: At this point you can use the dough for whatever brioche recipe you like. I recommend watching a video of how to work with the dough--this series by Julia Child and Nancy Silverton (which is also hilarious). You can also freeze the dough and store for up to a month.

You can prepare regular brioche dough in a number of different ways. Loaves and individual buns are the most popular, so I tried one of each. This recipe can make 3 loaves of bread. However, I took half of my dough and left it in the fridge overnight to make a batch of sticky buns (see part 2).

So I used about a third of the dough to make a loaf, and the remaining dough to create individual buns. Create the loaves with 6 individual balls, rolling and shaping on a lightly floured surface. Each bun should be made with 3 individual balls. 

 

Place in greased loaf pans or muffin tins, spacing out evenly for a final rise (they will expand). Let rise for 2 hours at room temperature. 

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. note: my oven tends to run hot, so I would reduce the temp to at least 365 or 370.

Brush each loaf lightly with egg wash, careful to not let egg hit the bottom of the pan (it will impede the rise). Snip each ball of dough with a pair of small, sharp scissors, making a cross. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, letting cool at least 10 minutes on a rack before serving. 

this is definitely the hardest part.

We didn't wait long before eating that entire loaf warm. It was really amazing with butter and homemade strawberry preserves. Reward yourself for all the hard work and go to town!

And think about the delicious sticky buns you can make the next day. Stay tune for part 2!

Happy Snacking!

Antonia