My morning coffee was a piping hot cup of fragrant roasted beans. It deserved something better than the charred toast that was in my plate. Definitely. I grabbed my notebook and flicked through the many recipes collected over the years: there must be some sweet bread that I could bake with the few ingredients available in my fridge and that could take my breakfast to the next level.
And there it was! This slightly sweet bread is perfect with jam but just as good with salmon, cream cheese or scrambled eggs. If you have a stand mixer with a hook attachment that’ll make your life easier, otherwise you can knead it by hand as well: you’ll just make your muscles stronger! For a good result it’s important that eggs are at room temperature and butter is soft. Other than that it’s pretty straightforward and a little practice will help you to get the right dough consistency. I just warn you to be patient, as the rising time is a bit unpredictable and depend on the heat and humidity of the day. Good luck!
Brioche bread
Ingredients
- 200 gr strong bread flour
- 150 gr cake flour
- 170 gr softened butter
- 4 medium eggs at room temperature
- 20 ml whole milk lukewarm
- 20 gr caster sugar
- 20 gr fresh yeast
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 scant tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk+1tsp powder sugar to glaze
Directions
- Step 1 Put the milk in a small ball and dissolve the yeast
- Step 2 In the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment, put the two flours, sugar, honey, milk with yeast and eggs lightly beaten
- Step 3 Start kneading at medium low speed until all the ingredients are all blended and the dough has a nice smooth texture
- Step 4 At this point start adding the softened butter little at a time, allowing to be thouroughly incorporated
- Step 5 At last add the salt and knead for a few more minutes
- Step 6 Place the dough in a big bowl lightly floured, cover with cling film and leave to rise until it doubles in volume
- Step 7 When ready, punch down the dough and knead by hand for few minutes on a floured worktop, divide the dhough in three equal parts, give them a round shape and place in a loaf pan lined with baking paper. Set aside for a second rising
- Step 8 Preheat the oven at 180ªC, combine the egg yolk with a little powder sugar and brush the surface of the dough
- Step 9 Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown
*Tips and notes*
- Recipe adapted from here
- This bread can be stored for a couple of days maximum. If it’s not that fresh anymore, I recommend to slightly toast it. As an alternative, you can freeze it after baking
- Fresh yeast is not always available in grocery stores; some bigger supermarket have an in-site bakery who sell loose fresh yeast by weight
- Each flour absorbs liquids differently: if you find your dough too sticky add a little more flour to make it workable
- If you like the brioche sweeter you can increase the quantity of sugar up to the double
