It has been a while since I have last blogged due to housemove (I now have a perfectly functional kitchen although still on the small side) and a wedding to organise there has not been much time for anything else.
My other half (now husband) eats exactly the same thing every morning, the only thing that changes is the smoothie/juice I serve with the petit dej and the homemade jam he spreads on a large slice or two of brioche. He is also very particular about his brioche - he only likes one specific brand. He likes to tell the story that about a year after we met I announced to him that the price of brioche had increased by 30 cents...it was not the price hike that got me baking brioche but the fact that no supermarket in easy reach of the new appartment stocks his favorite brand. The quest for the perfect home made brioche began.
I tried a few recipes before I came on this one, which I have to say is much better when made with help from my kitchenaid. I normally make 4 brioche loafs at a time and freeze three. That way I can take one out the night before I need it. I leave it in a buttered bread tin (I still have not gotten around to buying a proper brioche tin!) egg wash it, then pop it in the oven in the morning while I am taking my shower.
The only thing that can really go wrong is the yeast if you are not used to working with it, always make sure that you buy your dried yeast from a shop where there is a regular turnover of product and check that there is still a long expiry date. Also make sure you use good butter and flour.
I also have to say that even with buying good quality organic ingredients it is at least 50% cheaper to make brioche than to buy them in a supermarket or worse still in a Parisien bakery where you will pay about €15/kg
To make 2 loaves you will need:
225g good quality unsalted butter cut into small cubes
450g of strong white flour
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
50g caster sugar
2 x 5g packets of dried yeast
Ten simple stepq to the perfect brioche:
1. dissolve sugar and yeast in approx 70ml of tepid water in a mixing bowl (I use the kitchen aid bowl)
2. beat the eggs and add to the yeast mixture
3. next add the flour and salt to the bowl and if using a kitchenaid or other food processor mix to a stiff dough using the dough hook
4. once you have a smooth dough start to beat in the butter cubes gradually (I keep the dough hook) this can take up to 10 minutes with the kitchen aid on a slow speed, and will give you a shiny dough at the end
5. transfer the dough to a large well oiled bowl (I use sunflower oil), cover with clingfilm and leave in fridge overnight
6. next morning I knead the dough and divide in two, I wrap one half very well in several layers of cling film and put in the freezer
7. heat oven to 180°c
8. put other half in either a well buttered brioche tin, if you have one, or an ordinary loaf tin if not, egg wash the brioche and leave in a warm place to rise, it should double in size
9. egg wash the brioche again before putting in preheated oven, I normally set the timer for 25 minutes after which time I test it with a skewer, iif it comes out clean the brioche is done, if not leave in oven for another 5 minutes and do the skewer test again, repeat until skewer comes out clean.
10. serve hot from the oven with homemade jam
This brioche is moist and keeps for 5 days or so, if you wrap it well in greaseproof paper and tinfoil, that is it any of the brioche makes it past breakfast!
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