I have extended our brioche practice because there is so much to do! Brioche is also fitting this time of year as it’s decadence and versatility finds a nice home on the spring holiday tables. Since we have the basic butter brioche under our belts, I thought a reasonable next move would be donuts! In addition, I also wanted to experiment with an olive oil brioche with orange zest that we could use for a sweet cream bun, called a Maritozzi, which can be found for breakfasts in the spring in Sicily along with a refreshing citrus granita. I have included another experimental sweet bun in the mix by combining the olive oil brioche with a cream fraiche and sugar. This can be done with the butter brioche or the olive oil brioche and you will find that with these two formulas, (that are mere sisters to eachother), you can create pastry buns anyway you feel fit. My hope, as always, is that you will experiment with me and come up with variations on these themes that suit your kitchen and table during festive times and seasonal shifts.

DONUTS

To run donuts you will have to follow the Butter Brioche Recipe here. Once you have made the dough and it has chilled overnight you can start the shaping and frying process. You will not cut and scale out the dough before chilling overnight in the fridge. Instead you will place the dough on a sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap and then chill. When you pull it from the fridge and flip it onto your table it will be a slab of dough you can easily roll out and start cutting for donuts. Once the donuts are cut, and trayed, you will let the dough rise until double in bulk. This can be roughly 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Just keep an eye on the dough so that it doesn’t over proof. Once the dough is proofed sufficiently you can fry!

DONUT VIDEO TUTORIAL

I fry in peanut oil although you could use crisco too. Canola oil will smell like a carnival in your kitchen so I stay clear. Heat the oil and test out some of the donut holes you saved to see if the temperature is ready for the bigger donuts. Drop them in with the parchment you proofed your donuts on. This will help keep the proofed donuts from deflating as you transfer them to the pot of oil. Once you gently drop the donut into the oil the parchment paper will slide off and you can remove it from the pot.

Once your donuts are fried you are ready to decorate however you wish. I choose classic sugar glaze, a chocolate with coarse salt, coconut, sprinkles and a blueberry compote which is one of my favorites not only for flavor but also spectacular color.

For the Sugar Glaze: 2 cups confectioners powdered sugar, 4-5 tablespoons milk, a dash of vanilla and a pinch of salt.

For the chocolate Glaze: Follow the chocolate glaze recipe from the Profiterole recipe page here.

For the Blueberry Compote: In a saucepan combine 2 cups blueberries, 2-3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons water and a little lemon zest if you would like. Cook down over medium high heat until desired consistency.

With the extra dough or if you would prefer something other than donuts, you can fry into beignets and top with sifted sugar

This formula is almost verbatim the butter brioche. The process is exactly the same so I suggest following the tutorial on the Brioche page, but with the formula that follows: The only difference will be olive oil in place of butter and honey in place of sugar. I also added in a handful of orange zest. I used this brioche dough for the sweet Maritozzi bun with whipped cream as well as an experimental bun with creme fraiche and sugar.

FORMULA FOR OLIVE OIL BRIOCHE

1000 grams Artisan all purpose flour or bread flour, 28 grams of salt, 120 grams of honey, 10 grams dry yeast, 500 grams large eggs, 220 grams milk, 300 grams levian, 300 grams poolish, handful of orange zest, 400 grams olive oil

You will also need 2 eggs and 4 tablespoons heavy cream for egg wash

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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, honey, levian, poolish.

Add the dries: flour, salt, yeast, orange zest

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. Then slowly add in the olive oil. 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 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 shape the rolls the following day. The rolls will proof for 1 1/2- 2 hours before you egg wash and bake off in a 400 degree F oven until golden brown.

For the rolls with creme fraiche and sugar follow the video tutorial for more information

VIDEO TUTORIAL

For the Maritozzi I make a thick vanilla whipped cream. Slice the buns in half and fill them up!

To make granita you need juice, a simple syrup and a freezer.

I decided to make one with orange juice and one with lime juice. I squeezed two cups of juice each. Next whip up a batch of simple syrup. 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. This means for example 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water, in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil and let simmer until all of the sugar has dissolved and it thickens slightly. Remove from the stove. Add roughly 1/4 cup simple syrup to your 2 cups of juice. I added a bit more to the lime juice as it was tart. You can adjust measurements based on taste. Pour juice into a shallow wide container and place in the freezer. Every 20-30 minutes take a fork and drag it through the juice as it freezes. Do this for up to 3 hours. This makes for a uniformly shaved ice. When ready to serve, pull the granita from the freezer and put in a bowl or cup. You can serve it simple or serve it with a little whipped cream for a creamsicle flavor and texture. Enjoy!