BRIOCHE .- Easy recipe for amazing bread at home! Pretty foolproof too!

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BRIOCHE.- A lovely egg bread with a toasted top, smooth and melts in your mouth. Ever have Brioche French Toast?...

Here is a very simple procedure to make a Brioche Loaf at home:

Ingredients you will need:

A stand-mixer with a dough hook. By hand is a long process.

A loaf pan

Parchment Paper

250 g of all purpose flour

25 g sugar

1 tsp of salt

3.5 g of dry yeast

3 - 4 whole eggs (3 if they're large / 4 small)

200 g butter room temperature

1 extra egg

HOW-TO:

1-    Put all dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough hook. Flour, sugar, salt, yeast. Mix it up well so its evenly combined. Put the bowl of the mixer into the machine and turn on at medium speed to get the flour ready. 

2-    You will be adding the eggs -one at a time- allow to mix before adding another one. Keep the mixer working. It takes about 5-6 minutes for all the eggs to combine and make a pretty elastic dough.

3-     Notice when the dough changes texture, not as wet, elastic and doesn't stick to the bowl as much and slides off the dough hook. THIS IS THE TIME TO ADD THE BUTTER. A little at a time, just like the eggs, you add some and wait for it to be incorporated into the dough, then you add a little more....

4-    Be patient with the butter, it can take 20 minutes! The dough no longer sticks, from the dough hook or the bowl.  Put all the dough into a glass bowl to do the first rise, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot in the kitchen, 1 1/5 hr or double the volume, sometimes 2 hours.

5-    Once it's risen, put some flour onto your work table and put the dough over it. You need to work the dough to absorb the flour and stop being sticky. You need to deflate the dough and then place it back in the bowl. This time the second rise will be 1 hr 15 minutes in the REFRIGERATOR. 

6-    Now prepare your loaf pan by using a spray or butter. Over this cut a piece of parchment paper fitted to the mold to prevent any sticking. Believe me you want to do this!  

7-    Once the second rise is done, put some flour on the work table and place the dough there. Work the

dough so it's even and shape it to your liking. I've seen 3 large balls, or a long piece covering the mold.

8-    You will need to rest the dough before baking. You can wait until it doubles its volume or about 30 minutes is good.  Be sure to pre-heat your oven to 180 C or 350 F so it will be ready when you are.

9-    Get your extra egg in a dish, your food brush and beat the eggs until even color. Dip the brush into the egg and use it to paint over the entire top of the loaf. Cover it well.

10-  Place the loaf into the oven for 25 minutes but watch it around the 20 minute mark. Once it's nice and golden, you'll know it's time to take it out of the oven. Enjoy!!

I have been wanting to make Brioche, since sometimes there is none at the Bakery, thought i'd give it a go, and here you are. It's a simple recipe, just follow the steps, it's worth it. The bread is lovely, light and airy, a sweet butter egg flavor and I can see making more to make Brioche French Toast or our ever favorite for the holidays, Brioche Bread Pudding!!!