Golden Brioche

S.Kenney - Brioche - 2011

I adore making this bread.  If anything can send me into meditational bliss - it is the heady smell of brioche.  This bread brings back memories of my first trip to France when I was 17.  Knowing nothing of this sort of deliciousness, I hastily ordered a "bun" from a local patisserie in Paris.  Being young and always in a rush, I was mindlessly gobbling down a quick breakfast.


My young life stopped.  All taste buds went into over drive.  Every trip back to France is punctuated by that first bite of the wonderful french brioche.  I rejoice that they DO NOT readily sell it in the U.S.  I have been forced to take out the ingredients and make it myself.


I know so many of you have experienced the same near coma inducing brioche introduction.  Every trip back to France included a daily (sometimes multiple dailies) meditational indulging of this delectable bread.

S. Kenney- Brioche - 2011

I wish I could find the wonderful white chunky sugar that is always seen on brioche in France.  I look on the store shelves wherever I go but I just don't know where to find it.  If anyone out there knows, it would be such a magical touch.


Last fall, while in a small town called Valence ( 30 min. so. of Lyon), we went to their market.  I tasted a wonderful local brioche called "Dauphinoise".  It had yummy chunks of candied almonds nestled in the cracks.  I know it isn't polite but I had them cut a chunk for me and I nibbled on it and absorbed everything about that wonderful market.  I included a photo below of that loaf.

Recipe Below:  From the Bon Apetit issue February 2003
1/3 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1/3 cup warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
2 envelopes dry yeast
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, each stick cut into 4 pieces, room temperature
1 egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)


Preparation:
Place 1/3 cup warm water, warm milk, and yeast in bowl of standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves. Fit mixer with dough hook. Add flour and salt to bowl; mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 10 seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in 3 eggs on low speed, then add sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next (dough will be soft and batter-like). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 7 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Lift up dough around edges and allow dough to fall and deflate in bowl. Cover bowl with plastic and chill until dough stops rising, lifting up dough around edges and allowing dough to fall and deflate in bowl every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cover bowl with plastic; chill dough overnight.
Butter and flour three 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch loaf pans. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Cut each dough piece into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into 3 1/2-inch-long log, forming 12 logs total. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in bottom of each prepared loaf pan. Place loaf pans on baking sheet. Cover pans with waxed paper. Let loaves rise at room temperature until dough almost fills pans, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently brush top of loaves with egg glaze. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn loaves out onto racks; cool at least 1 hour. (Can be made ahead. Cool completely. Wrap loaves in foil; place in resealable plastic bags and store at room temperature 1 day or freeze up to 1 month. Rewarm room-temperature or thawed loaves wrapped in foil in 350°F oven about 15 minutes, if desired.)