Brioche is a classic french bread. Made with eggs, milk and butter, it exemplifies a simple decadence at your table. Although, here, I focus on Brioche as bread it is often associated with pastry and is considered Viennoiserie. The dough is made like bread, but the ingredients of eggs, butter, milk and sugar make a dough much richer, lighter, more fine and puffy. It is considered in this sub group of levained dough used for pastry work and baked with fruits, chocolate or other additions to contribute to a breakfast or brunch table. This being said, it is also used as a savory dough or can stand alone as a loaf of bread for you evening table. I have found this basic variation of a brioche loaf is stunning toasted with butter and jam in the morning or is rolled with cinnamon and sugar can make the most delicious sweet swirl almost akin to a cinnamon roll, but more modest and breakfast ready when sliced and warmed under the broiler with butter.

Brioche is said to be a bread of antiquity that progressively improved by bakers and pastry makers over many years, finding it’s formula as we know it now, with eggs and butter. The word Brioche comes from the old french verb “brier”, which is from the Norman dialectal form, broyer, which means to work the dough with a broye or brie. A broye was a wooden roller used for kneading dough.

The dough is used in many ways to create numerous varieties of baked goods. It can be found in a simple form as the Brioche e tete which consists of the dough being shaped into a ball and placed in a fluted tin. A smaller ball is made and placed on top of the larger ball and called it’s head or Tete. Brioche rolls can be found served for breakfast with jam or vanilla cream fillings. Eaten on hot mornings in Sicily with almond granita. They might be served with savory meat fillings as well, such as beef filet, sausage or foie gras. Stale broiche is often topped with frangipane and baked twice for bostock or can be made into a delicious bread pudding or simple french toast. I have also found it a delightful dough to use for donuts. And as for afternoon or evening events, you can find the brioche roll a staple for sandwiches or hamburgers.

I will give you this formula to start you on your way. I will add on next month with a few other recipes for day old brioche and perhaps a donut tutorial, but for now we will start with three basics. So here we go!

FORMULA:

1000 grams Artisan all purpose flour or bread flour, 28 grams of salt, 120 grams of sugar, 10 grams dry yeast, 500 grams large eggs, 220 grams milk, 300 grams levian, 300 grams poolish, 450 grams butter

You will also need 2 eggs and 4 tablespoons heavy cream for egg wash and cinnamon and sugar mix for dusting you cinnamon swirl loaves

* * * *

This formula calls for a sourdough levain and a poolish. These two preferments are made 7 hours prior to mixing your dough.

Levain: 200 grams water, 200 grams flour (100g white, 100g whole wheat) , 2 tablespoons sourdough starter

Poolish: 200 grams water, 200 grams white flour, 3 grams dry instant yeast

PROCESS:

In a mixer, combine milk, eggs, levian, poolish.

Add the dries: flour, sugar, salt, yeast

Mix until fully incorporated and the dough has come together in a smooth mass, roughly 5-8 minutes.

Let rest for 10 5-10 minutes. The add the butter at room temperature. Add it gradually so it all mixes in to the dough completely.

Transfer dough to a bowl or bin. Let rest and ferment for 2 hours. For the first hour do a dough turn every 30 minutes. Then let dough rest the last hour.

After two hours scale the dough and pre shape. Place on a sheet tray with parchment and dusted with flour. Plastic wrap and place in freezer. Before going to bed for the night pull the dough from the freezer and place in the fridge.

You will do a final shape the following day. The loaves or rolls will proof for 2-3 hours before you egg wash and bake off in a 400 degree F oven until golden brown.

* FOLLOW THE VIDEO TUTORIALS BELOW FOR PROCESS AND SHAPING TECHNIQUE: THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE YOU TWO DAYS

ON THE FIRST DAY: MIXING AND PRESHAPE:

For your preshape you will be scaling your brioche loaves at 800 grams and your brioche rolls at 100-110 grams: You can get up to 4 loaves in a batch, or 24 rolls in a batch or a bit of both with 2 loaves and 12 rolls.

ON THE SECOND DAY: FINAL SHAPE AND BAKE OFF

Shape your loaves and rolls and let them proof out for 2-3 hours before you bake off. When they are proofed and ready, egg wash your loaves and buns, dust cinnamon sugar on the cinnamon swirl loaves and a little flaky salt on your brioche buns. Then bake off at 400 degree F until golden brown.