Brioche
- 1 ounce fresh cake yeast, or one ( 1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 7 large eggs
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- Proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water in a medium bowl.
- Let stand for 5 minutes until foam appears (this indicates the yeast is active).
- Add 6 of the eggs to the dissolved yeast, whisking to combine.
- Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or use a handheld electric beater.
- Begin mixing on low speed.
- Add the egg mixture in 3 additions, stopping the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the paddle and the sides of the bowl.
- Mix for a good 5 minutes to blend well (the dough will be thick and a bit lumpy).
- Add the butter, a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing well between each addition.
- When all the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky, about 5 minutes.
- Scrape the dough from the bowl and shape into a round.
- Place in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel.
- Set aside in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Test the dough by pressing 2 fingers into it; if the indents remain, the dough has risen adequately.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gently fold it over several times to deflate.
- Do not overwork or the dough will be dense and difficult to shape.
- Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
- Roll it into a cylinder and place in the prepared pan, seam side down.
- Make sure the dough touches all sides of the pan.
- Loosely drape plastic wrap over the dough and set aside on the counter to rise until the top of the dough is level with the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the loaf pan.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the loaf with the beaten egg.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until well browned on top, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
- Remove from the oven and immediately turn the brioche out on a wire rack to cool.
- When cool, cut into 1-inch slices.
- Trim off the crusts and cut each slice in half to give you 2 rectangles.
- Use as directed in the Pain Perdu master recipe.
cake yeast, water, eggs, flour, sugar, kosher salt, unsalted butter
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/brioche-master-recipe (may not work)