Bread is such an essential part of our lives, and our history with the food stretches back thousands of years. There's something in the transition of the ingredients with the gradual fermentation of the yeast and the stretching of the dough as gluten develops that is magical. It brings families around the table and together in the kitchen. Bread is love, nourishment, and enjoyment.
Think about it: what is better than slicing a freshly baked, still-warm loaf and spreading a thin layer of butter over the white or wheat or chewy or crunchy slice? Watching as the butter melts and sinks into the surface, moist and slightly salty as you bite into it. Or sitting in a restaurant and the waiter offers you fresh bread, which tears deliciously under your fingers into perfect bite-size pieces ready to be dunked in olive oil? For me, there is few food experiences better than that. My mouth is actually watering thinking about it as I write these words with the baking smell of the brioche still lingering.
As I said before, bread is love. So give it a go to take round to a friend's house, or gift to your family to have for breakfast the next day. Even if it turns out to be a massive behemoth of a loaf that has split from end-to-end from steam like one of my loaves did, it is still tasty, it still holds all the love and effort you put into it, and it is still deliciously homemade.
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| If you and your family can't eat two loaves, wrap one up to give to a friend. Good bread is never unappreciated. |
This brioche is only the third bread I've made, including the croissants and the simple soda bread of six months ago, and I'm really enjoying trying different breads. The process is way different than cake making, and although it is more involved it isn't super complex. It's actually great stress relief, especially this type as it requires a bit of beating and kneading.
When looking at bread recipes, try not to be put off by the proving times or the prep times. Although some breads take 17 hours before you can put them in the oven, in reality the hands-on time is often much shorter, maybe one hour of the prep time. And rising and proving can take place around your schedule unless the recipe stipulates the bread will suffer by letting it rise too much. So give it a go on a weekend or for a special occasion. I promise this recipe is worth the effort.
Brioche
Makes 2 loaves
Prep Time: ~10 hours
Baking Time: 40-45 minutes
5g fast action or instant yeast
85ml milk
250g plain/all-purpose flour
250g strong/bread flour
30g sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs
350g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into walnut-size pieces
For glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP milk
In a small saucepan, heat your milk to just below a simmer. Remove from heat and cool to body temperature (about 38ºC/98ºF if using a thermometer). Measure your yeast into a small bowl, and when the milk is cool enough, whisk together until the yeast dissolves.
In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then whisk in the milk/yeast mixture. Pour the egg/milk mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes until the dough is stretchy and smooth. Note: it will be a very wet dough and difficult to mix. If you have a stand mixer, you can mix it with the kneading hook for 6 minutes.
On a floured surface, tip the dough out. With your hands, work in the butter one piece at a time, stretching and pulling the dough, adding another piece when the first is fully incorporated. This will likely take about 20-30 minutes.
When all the butter is incorporated, place in a lightly oiled bowl (use vegetable oil or melted butter), cover with lightly oiled cling film. You made need to use a scraper to do this as the dough is pretty sticky. Let rest and rise for 2 hours.
After two hours, knock back the dough in the bowl with your hands and knead it by turning and stretching again a couple of times. Then re-cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.
When the dough is ready, prepare two loaf tins by brushing them with melted butter and dusting with flour. Halve the dough and shape into two loaves. Place in the loaf tins, cover with lightly oiled cling film, and let rise at room temperature for about 3 hours.
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| If you want to make sure the loaves are exactly the same, weigh out the dough when you separate it before you put it in the pan. |
When the dough has become level or almost level with the top of the tin, place back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 200ºC. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and milk together for the glaze. Take the loaves out of the fridge and brush the glaze over the tops, being careful not to let any run down the sides to prevent uneven rising in the oven.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. The tops will be a dark brown, and the loaves will come out of the pan easily and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom with your fingers.
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| The fresh brioche used for a ham and cheese toastie. Brioche can be used in both savoury and sweet recipes. |
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