Brioche Bread

Since this week started out with me making a recipe that’s been bubbling up my list of must makes, croissant dough, I felt like ending the week with another. At least this one I took enough pictures I could update this long ignored blog.

I have this old duct taped up Beard on Bread. Every time I purge cookbooks I think about purging this one, but do keep referencing it. Brioche Bread was a recipe from it that I’ve thought about making for a long time. It’s not a traditional brioche, but it is a nice bread.

The recipe is actually pretty simple. I didn’t get quite the rise out of it that I thought I would, but it’s tasty. The crumb is nice and it smells incredible baking.

Brioche Bread – James Beard

1 1/2 packages of active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100°F – 115°F )
1 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp salte
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs lightly beaten
1 egg yolk mixed with 1/4 cup evaporated milk
or light cream

Combine the yeast, sugar and warm water and allow to proof. Mix the melted butter and salt. In a large bowl combine everything together with a wooden spoon until smooth. (I did this in my stand mixer.)

Place in a buttered bowl and allow to rise to double, 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down, divide into two pieces and form into loaves. Place in loaf pans and let rise again until double, about an hour or so.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg/milk mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Cool on a rack and try to resist cutting the end off an buttering it up .