Brioche...BBA Challenge #4

I'm still tagging along with the Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge. I made #4, brioche, this weekend. Out of all of the breads so far, this one has taken me the longest to get around to for one reason or the other … the holidays, then getting settled back to normal routine, then waiting for the molds to be delivered….

Finally, however, I managed to start and finish the bread with much success. At first, I was really concerned about the dough. It did not seem to want to behave like normal dough or as in the instructions. Mostly, it seems timing was off.

The soaker was to sit for 20 minutes until it fell when the bowl was tapped. After 40 minutes, that never happened. I proceeded on with the bread making regardless. The next day then, the loaves were supposed to proof for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. After nearly 2 hours, the dough seemed cold still and had not budged an inch. I put the loaves on the stove, turned the overhead light on and in another 30 minutes, they had really puffed up and were ready to bake.

I made the Rich Man’s Brioche; all 5 eggs and 4 sticks of butter. Wow! But if I’m going to go through all the effort, I’m going to go all the way. I added it 1/4 stick at a time and the dough just got smoother and stickier as I continued adding more butter. I didn’t find it easy to work with but I managed to get it onto the sheet pan into the refrigerator overnight.

Working with the cold dough wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined. I made 2 medium loaves in molds, 4 petite ones in molds, and a 1-pound loaf for slicing. I gave the medium molded loaves away and the little ones were for ‘taste testing.”

I had never had brioche before and was quite pleased with the taste and texture. It's kind of like a croissant, perhaps a bit more dense and without as many flaky layers. I've tried to make croissants before. I'll stick with brioche - it's easier.

I think I like this treat in the petite size. Dinner rolls for Easter comes to mind. Or for breakfast with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on before baking. They could be easily baked in a large muffin tin or smaller cupcake pan. There is half a loaf left. I’m making a toasted ham and cheese sandwiches with for lunch. Mmmmm......

Next week:  Casatiello....a bread with meat and cheese baked in. After all the sweeter breads I've made, I'm up for something savory. Stay tuned.