The Brioche Wars, Part 2

Pass on the jam !

And so I went on, mounting my faithful destrier Google on a crusade for a good brioche recipe...

Oh I found many. It seems everyone and their mother have one to share with you. That's the good news, I did not have to travel far. But which one do I choose? Trying them all is nearly impossible, I needed a strategy, a method to weed them out to the One.

After reading a few, I noticed a common theme: lots of kneading. While fun at first, kneading can become a chore and is not appropriate for everyone. That became my first (and only) selection tool. The remaining recipes fell into two categories:

- bread machine, for easy kneading and rising

- no kneading

My first attempt used a bread machine and its own brioche recipe. I wasn't thrilled with the result. I was yearning for something different. The no-kneading recipe got me really curious. Would it be possible to cut out the kneading part and still come up with a fluffly brioche ? Brioche pans in hand I accepted the challenge, raided the fridge for butter and warmed up the oven.

I settled for a recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, a busy site full of recipes and matching pictures. Head out to Brioche Dough for ingredients and directions. Though amounts are to make 4 loaves, they claim the dough can be kept in the fridge up to 5 days, and the remainder can be frozen for later use. Imagine making the dough on Saturday, then waking up early on Sunday and wake up your honey, or your family, with wafts of freshly baked brioches in just 30 minutes. Could it be any better?

Well, it can. Simply put, all you have to do is beat the eggs, add all the other liquids (including melted butter and dissolved yeast), then incorporate the flour by portions while stirring with a wooden spoon. Leave the dough rising in a warm spot for 2 hours then chill it in the fridge for an hour. I used it right after an hour in the fridge and overnight, I saw no difference. Once in the oven the dough more than doubled in size in both cases. Make sure to brush the top with an egg glaze (1 egg+ 1 tps sugar) for a brown coloration.

Best consummed right out of the oven, the brioche is still soft and chewy after a day. But I doubt it'll last longer than that :)

Below are some pictures. I used up all the dough over the week-end, ending with a braided brioche.

Happy baking !!!