Brioche
About this recipe:
The attractive appearance of this large, brioche loaf is made with 8 dough balls tucked into a loaf tin. Your patience with the proving time is required for this celebratory bread will be richly rewarded.
Equipment:
3 x mixing bowls, 1kg/2lb bread tin and pastry brush
Ingredients:
500g Doves Farm Organic Strong White Bread Flour
50g caster sugar
½ tsp salt
150g butter
2 tsp Doves Farm Quick Yeast
2 eggs
200ml milk
1 egg yolk
butter, for tin
Method:
200°C, Fan 180°C, 400°F, Gas 6
Step 1
- Put the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Chop the butter into small cubes and add it to the bowl.
- Using a fork or pastry blender, mix the butter cubes into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the quick yeast.
- Break the eggs into another bowl, add the milk and beat together.
- Add this to the flour bowl and stir gently to form a sticky dough.
- Invert a larger mixing bowl over the dough bowl and leave in a warm place until it has grown in size, about 2 hours.
Step 2
- Gather the sticky dough into a ball with floured hands and place it on a flour dusted work surface.
- Dust the dough lightly with flour and knead for 100 presses without adding flour.
- Invert a larger mixing bowl over the dough bowl and leave in a warm place for the dough to double in size, about 1-2 hours.
Step 3
- Rub some butter around the inside of a 1kg/2lb bread tin.
- Gather the dough into a ball with floured hands and place it on a flour dusted work surface.
- Gently pull and extend the dough then fold it back onto itself 5 times.
- Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently roll each into a ball.
- Arrange the dough balls in two rows of four in the bread tin.
- Invert a large mixing bowl over the bread tin and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Pre-heat the oven 20 minutes before baking.
- Gently brush the surface of the brioche with egg yolk.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes.
Breadmaker
I adapted this recipe to make bread machine brioche. I make a lot of bread using a Panasonic breadmaker with both a raisin and a yeast dispenser. I use 400g of this Doves Farm Organic Strong White Bread Flour with 4tbsp sugar, 2tbsp dried skimmed milk powder, 1tsp salt,, and 50g fridged unsalted butter in 4 cubes. I cracked 2 medium eggs (~100g) in a bowl and topped them up with cold water to a total weight of 280g. I whisked it with a fork, and poured the mixture into the bread pan. I put 1.5tsp Doves Farm Quick Yeast in the yeast dispenser and started the breadmaker on the brioche program. When prompted, after 55 mins, once the dough was mixed but not started to rise, I added 75g fridged unsalted butter in 6 cubes in the pan. The resulting brioche loaf was very nice. It rose above the top of the rim of the pan with a really even and soft crumb
Reviewing: Brioche
Remedios Lomax
Was apprehensive about trying this recipe but decided to go for it! Made a couple of changes having looked at different recipes. When seperating the egg to get the yolk for brushing, I added the extra egg whites to the mixture, and let it prove for 3 hours at room temperature, then for 35 minutes in an controlled over for 20 mines. then I put the dough into the tin, knocking back the dough every time I changed its surroundings. It continued to rise when I left it in the tin and has grown in the oven as well! The last change I made was letting my yeast bloom. Before adding to the recipe, I added one yeast sachet, with some sugar and water and allowed it grow before putting it into the flour as my research shows that it is more effective in this way rather than adding straight to flour and salt. I then cooked it in my oven on the bread setting which releases water throughout its cooking process to develop a good crust. After 44 minutes, I took it out of the oven. The top developed this amazing caramel colour and the inside feels lovely and soft and doughy, and the outside has a wonderful chewy crust. This ended up being a lovely recipe and my kitchen smells glorious !
Reviewing: Brioche