So, this is how they survived before bakeries were invented...!

I am already so used to getting fresh rolls on weekend mornings from the bakery downstairs, that as this Saturday, because of All Saint's day, it was exceptionally closed, I had to make my own bread. It gave me a reason to bake brioche, something that has been on my list for a long time, but what I never actually got to making myself. It just seemed to be to much work compared to the fresh things the bakery has to offer.
Brioche is not the quickest thing to make but now that I tryed it out for the first time, I have to say it was fully worth all the waiting and dough rising. It's best enjoyed with butter and marmelade fresh from the oven, when it is still warm and moist from the inside.







Brioche (makes 12 muffin sized buns)

500 g all-purpose flour
20 g fresh yeast or half tablespoon active dry yeast
200 g warm milk
5 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
75 g soft butter (use the real stuff, not margarine!)
2 eggs


Put the flour into a bowl and make a hole in the middle. Crumble or sprinkle the yeast in it, dependeng on which one you are using, and pour just enough warm milk in to cover the yeast. Then mix the yeast and milk mixture once or twice. Leave in a warm place, covered with a kitchen towel for 15 to 20 minutes, until the surface starts to look bubbly.

Add the rest of the ingredients and knead well, either with a kitchen machine or with your hands until the dough is easy to remove from the bowl and isn't sticky anymore. Add more flour one tablespoon at a time if needed.
Cover the bowl again with a towel and let it rest for one hour, this time not in a warm place.

If you want to bake the brioches in a muffin tray, grease a 12 hole tin with some butter or fill the holes with paper cups. It is also possible to bake them in one bigger springform cake pan or in glas jars, as I did (I just didn't have a muffin tray or paper cups, so I got creative). Anyway, what ever you are using - grease it!

Heat the oven to 200 ° C.

After a hour should the dough be about double sized. Knead it once more in the bowl and then put it on a floured working surface. Cut it into 12 equal sized pieces and set aside a small amount for the small balls put on top of the brioches for their typical look.
Roll the pieces in your hands into 12 same sized balls and place them either in the muffin holes or in a cake pan (leave one or two cm space between them).

Press a small hole on top of each brioche with your finger, roll small balls from the dough that you set aside and place them on the holes.

Brush the brioches either with some egg or melted butter and let them rest for a final 15 to 20 minutes, again covered - this time with foil.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. If they start to get brown too early you can cover them with parchment paper.

When ready, take out of the oven and release them carefully from the tins. These ones taste the best when fresh from the oven, with some butter and marmelade!




Recipe adapted from Designspongeonline.com