Brioche A Tete Recipes

BRIOCHE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour sugar and salt. Make a well in center of the bowl and mix in the eggs and yeast mixture. Beat well until the dough has pulled together, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
• Flatten the dough and spread it with one third of the butter. Knead this well. Repeat this twice to incorporate the remaining butter. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes between additions of butter. This process may take 20 minutes or so. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. It needs time to chill in order to become more workable.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, form into loaves and place into prepared pans. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans (see Cook's Note to make rolls). Beat the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water to make a glaze.
• Brush the loaves or rolls with the egg wash. Bake in preheated oven until a deep golden brown. Start checking the loaves for doneness after 25 minutes, and rolls at 10 minutes. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes before moving them to wire racks to cool completely.

BRIOCHE A TETE

Steps:

• Place lukewarm milk and yeast in a small bowl; stir to dissolve.
• Place =flour, salt, and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with dough hook attachment; add yeast mixture and mix on low speed to combine and knead, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula; knead on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Add a few small pieces of butter mixture to dough; with the mixer on low, add remaining butter mixture, a little bit at a time. When all the butter mixture has been added, increase speed and continue mixing until smooth, shiny, comes away from the sides of the bowl, and is elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Butter a large bowl, transfer dough to prepared bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Lift dough from bowl and drop back into bowl to deflate; repeat process once or twice. Cover bowl and transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
• Butter two brioche molds that are 8 inches across the top and 3 1/2 inches across the bottom. Divide dough in half. Cut off one-quarter of each piece of dough; you should have two pieces that are about 15 ounces each, and two pieces that are about 5 ounces each.
• Shape the large pieces into balls and place one piece in the bottom of each mold. Press two fingers into the center of each to make a deep indentation. Shape the small pieces of dough into a ball and roll each at an angle into an elongated oval. Lightly flour middle and index fingers on one hand and gently press the narrow ends of the ovals into the indentation in the large ball so that only the top parts are left visible.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and remaining 1 tablespoon milk. Brush dough with egg yolk mixture, reserving remaining. Spray two pieces of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray; cover dough in both molds, cooking spray-side down and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees on a convection oven or 425 degrees on a conventional oven.
• Working from the outside inward, brush each brioche very lightly with reserved egg yolk mixture. Using a pair of very sharp wet scissors, make five 1 1/4-inch deep cuts around the large pieces of dough on an angle. Transfer molds to oven and bake until brioche just begins to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees on a convection oven or 375 degrees on a conventional oven and continue baking until deep golden brown and internal temperature reaches 205 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 20 to 25 minutes more.
• Remove from oven and let brioche cool in mold for 5 minutes. Unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

BUTTERY BRIOCHE HAMBURGER BUNS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer , combine the milk and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add the flour and sugar. With the paddle attachment, mix the sponge until you have a smooth batter.
• Remove the beater, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let stand for about 30 minutes, or until you see bubbles over the surface of the dough.
• Using the dough hook, mix the flour, salt, and beaten eggs into the starter. Once the dough is formed, knead with the dough hook for about 4 minutes. Scrape the bowl down a few times, adding more flour by the teaspoon if it is too sticky.
• Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time. Continue kneading with the machine, scraping the bowl from time to time, for about 5 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and shiny.
• Oil a large bowl with the olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Using a bowl scraper or spoon, scrape the dough into the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch the dough down; fold over a few times.
• Cover with plastic wrap again and let rise for 45 minutes.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, shape into about a dozen balls. Flour your palm and flatten the balls to make thick disks.
• Arrange the rolls on the parchment-lined pan. Cover with a lightweight kitchen towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 400 F.
• Sprinkle the tops of the buns with a little cornmeal , then gently turn them over so the cornmeal dusting is on the bottom.
• Make the egg wash by combining the egg with the water; whisk to blend well.
• Brush the egg mixture gently over each roll. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, if desired.
• Bake for 7 minutes at 400 F.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 10 to 13 minutes longer, until golden brown.
• Serve and enjoy.

BRIOCHES

Steps:

• To make the brioches , start with the dough. Add the flour and sugar 1 to the bowl of a planetary mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Next, add the yeast (crumbled) 2 , the seeds from one vanilla bean 3 ,
• and the zest of one lemon 4 . Turn the planetary mixer on medium speed and pour the water in slowly 5 . Once the water has been fully absorbed, add the salt 6
• and then the egg yolks one at a time, waiting for each one to be absorbed before adding another 7 . Continue working the dough until it clings to the hook 8 . At this point, you'll be able to add the butter, which should be soft but still pliable, adding it one pat at a time 9 . Wait for each pat to be well absorbed before adding another. Don't rush, or else it will be difficult to get the dough to cling to the hook again. During this step, you can stop the mixer several times and use a scraper to remove any dough that's sticking to the sides of the mixer bowl.
• Once the dough is clinging to the hook again 10 , having pulled away from the sides of the bowl, transfer it to a level work surface 11 . If the dough is very sticky, you can work it a little using the slap and fold technique, without beating it. To do this, just lift the dough gently, stretch it and fold it back on itself 12 . If it's still too sticky, wait a couple of minutes and then repeat the slap and fold process.
• Next, round the dough, using a scraper to help remove it from the work surface, shaping it into a ball 13 . Transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap 14 and leave to rise for an hour and a half at a temperature of between 78°F and 82°F (26°C to 28°C). An ideal place would be in the oven with the oven off but the light turned on and a saucepan of hot water placed on the bottom of the oven. If this isn't possible and you leave the dough at room temperature, protected from air currents, at a temperature lower than indicated, it may need more time to rise. Once the dough has doubled in size 15 ,
• turn it out onto the work surface 16 and divide it into 18 1.75-oz (50 g) pieces 17 . Take the first portion and give strength to the dough by making folds quickly, then lift an outer edge of the dough and bring it toward the center. Repeat this process several times. Round the dough pieces, quickly shaping them into little balls 18 .
• Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 19 . Leave to rise again for one hour. Beat the egg yolk with a little cream and use it to brush the surface 20 . Bake in a conventional oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven 21 and serve once cooled.
• Instead of balls, you can also create braids . In this case, you'll have to use more dough; you'll need around ¼ lb (90-100 g) of dough for each braid. Mold the dough into a little loaf shape 22 . Using a knife or scraper, make three cuts in the loaf to form three strands that are still joined at one end, so be sure not to cut all the way to that end 23 . Start to intertwine the ends 24
• to form the braids 25 . Besides braids, you can also make little brioches with topknots . Take around 1½-1¾ oz (40-50 g) of dough and shape it into a little ball 26 . Then, use your index finger to form two balls, one smaller than the other 27 .
• Transfer to a scalloped mold 28 and press the bottom part down lightly 26 . Next, for both shapes, leave the dough to rise for an hour, then brush the surface with the egg yolk and cream glaze and decorate with braids with nib sugar. The braids will need more cooking time (around 25-30 minutes), while 20 minutes will be enough for the topknot brioches. Remove from the oven 27 and serve once cooled.