Waking up to Brioche

Last month, I took decided to write up a list of dishes to attempt this summer in the hope that I will - no matter how painful it may be - step out of my comfort zone. I have been slowly but surely making my way down the list, with alternately disastrous and tasty results.

The pistachio eclairs were quite an ordeal that nearly left me weeping on the floor. I have always adored the combination of pistachio and chocolate, so I knew immediately that pistachio pastry cream was the way to go with these eclairs. Unfortunately, I didn't have the bottled pistachio paste the recipe called for, so I - silly girl - thought that I would just make my own nut butter and mix it into the cream. Resourceful, yes? No. I discovered that my blender is completely ineffectual and unable to properly purée nuts. Instead, I tearfully spooned the -chopped pistachios first into a food processor (it refused to start because I couldn't assemble it correctly) and then desperately into a mortar (impossible with my nonexistent muscles). Pistachio cadavers peppered the kitchen counter, along with an embarrassing number of dirty dishes, and I wanted nothing more than to sit down and cry.

But lo! I must have had a fairy pistachio-mother looking over me, because I decided to let the nuts (whether halved, chopped, slivered, or semi-puréed) infuse in the milk. It did the trick, and I ended up with a lovely pistachio pastry cream. I will not, however, even think about battling it again until I am wielding a formidable bottle of pistachio paste. It is not worth my sanity.

The second item on the list that I have attempted is the brioche. You may remember my first try, which resulted in the Ugly Duckling Loaf, but these were most certainly swans. Surprisingly, these were baked according to a no-knead brioche recipe on Tartelette, one of my favorite blogs. At first, I was a bit skeptical. A bread without kneading? 

It is possible, my friends. What a wonderful way to start the morning! You can make a sizable batch of dough, stick it in the fridge, and bake pieces as you need - I've even found that the longer the dough is chilled, the better it tastes. And who doesn't like brioche? Soft, fluffy, buttery bread (these are stuffed with chocolate pieces) - it's irresistible!

I used to have a Nutella bottle with a picture of everyone's favorite spread slathered on toast, next to milk, orange juice, and a piece of fruit. "A healthy and nutritious breakfast!" it proclaimed proudly. This is a lie. No amount of calcium and fruit can hide the fact, and I won't hide it from you now with my brioche. It is not healthy. It is full of butter and chocolate. Oh, and did I mention that it is wonderful? Ah, the small indulgences!


The proportions in the recipe are primarily from Tartelette (I added a bit of a sugar), and the technique is adapted from Dorie Greenspan.

Bubble-Top Brioche
Serves 12

1/3 + 1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
Salt
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons honey
6 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water and let proof for a few minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

In another small bowl, break one of the eggs and beat lightly. You will use about 1/3 of this egg and reserve the rest for the glaze.

Using a stand mixer, combine the yeast, salt, honey, and sugar on medium speed. Add the whole egg and then pour 1/3 of the beaten egg. Wrap the remainder of the egg and reserve. Add the butter in little by little and increase the speed on your mixer.

Gradually add the flour, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl when necessary. Continue mixing until the flour is incorporated and the dough detaches easily from the sides of the bowl.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hours. Using a rubber spatula, lift the sides of the dough to gently deflate it. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight. The dough keeps for four days in the fridge.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 385°F .

Divide the dough into twelve balls. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each dough ball and add about half an ounce of chocolate, broken into pieces by hand. Roll again and divide into three smaller balls. Place in a greased muffin tin and repeat with the remaining dough. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour.

Mix the remaining 2/3 egg with a teaspoon of water and lightly brush the risen dough. Be sure not to let the glaze drip into the muffin cup, which will cause the brioche to stick to the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Gather your willpower. You will need it.