Wouldn’t it be delightful to celebrate a Brioche Day every week so you never run out of this tender, buttery bread? A whole day devoted to baking and enjoying brioche would be a small joy I’d gladly mark on my calendar. Growing up, we had a weekly Fish Day every Friday, so why not a Brioche Day?
Brioche is my favorite viennoiserie to bake and to eat. There’s a unique pleasure in making it at home: the soft, airy crumb, the gentle sweetness that tempts you to slice another piece, and above all the aroma of yeast as it ferments and fills the house. As a child, I would linger at home whenever my mother made brioche, preferring to stay close and watch each step. I’d lift the towel covering the dough just to check its puffiness and to steal a breath of that warm, yeasty scent. If I could have bottled that brioche fragrance to open whenever I wanted, I would have been a very happy child.
Although I adore brioche, I don’t bake it as often as I’d like—mostly because good brioche takes time. Like any enriched bread, it needs attention and patience. Recently I made two loaves instead of one: I needed stale brioche for another recipe project. Can brioche really become stale in our house? Rarely. Meanwhile, here is a simple brioche recipe for enjoying the pleasure of fresh, homemade bread. Ce n’est vraiment pas compliqué!
Ingredients
- 8 3/4 oz (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 3/4 oz butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 packet dry baker’s yeast (about 1 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp fine sugar
- 1/3 cup warm milk
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 egg yolk for glazing
Method
- Combine the flour and yeast in a bowl and make a well in the center.
- Pour in the warm milk and mix with your fingertips. If using a stand mixer, add the milk gradually while using the dough hook.
- Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the softened butter in small pieces, waiting until each piece is incorporated before adding the next.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Work the dough until it becomes elastic and pulls away from your fingers or the bowl.
- Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm, draft-free place for about two hours, until it has doubled in size.
- Punch down or work the dough briefly, then divide it into four equal balls. Place the balls in a greased rectangular loaf pan, cover, and let rise again for about one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Brush the brioche with the egg yolk beaten with a little sugar. Using scissors, make small snips on the top of each ball for the classic look.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 20–30 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven, unmold, and cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Ingrédients
- 250 g de farine
- 80 g de beurre mou
- 2 gros oeufs
- 1 sachet de levure de boulanger sèche (environ 5,5 g)
- 2 c. à soupe de sucre fin
- 80 ml de lait tiède
- 1 pincée de sel
- 1 jaune d’oeuf pour dorer
Préparation
- Mélangez la farine et la levure dans un bol et faites un puits au centre.
- Ajoutez le lait tiède progressivement et mélangez du bout des doigts. Si vous utilisez un robot, incorporez le lait lentement avec le crochet pétrin.
- Ajoutez le sucre et le sel, puis le beurre coupé en morceaux en attendant que chaque morceau soit incorporé avant d’ajouter le suivant.
- Ajoutez les œufs un à un en mélangeant entre chaque ajout jusqu’à obtention d’une pâte élastique qui se détache des doigts ou du bol (environ 8 minutes).
- Couvrez d’un torchon propre et laissez lever dans un endroit tiède, à l’abri des courants d’air, pendant environ 2 heures, jusqu’à doublage de volume.
- Dégazez légèrement la pâte, façonnez quatre boules et placez-les dans un moule beurré de 26 cm. Couvrez et laissez lever encore 1 heure.
- Préchauffez le four à 200°C. Badigeonnez la brioche avec le jaune d’œuf battu avec un peu de sucre. Faites de petites entailles sur chaque boule avec une paire de ciseaux.
- Enfournez 10 minutes à 200°C, puis baissez la température à 180°C et poursuivez la cuisson 20 à 30 minutes jusqu’à belle coloration.
- Sortez du four, démoulez et laissez refroidir sur une grille avant de trancher.