Making brioche

I would like to attempt brioche. I dont mind making a whole brioche
loaf (as it were) rather than the small traditional cone or
muffin-shaped brioches.

I have never had much success making bread. Would I get a more
reliable result with brioche - because it contains eggs? I can order
and buy this loaf at a French bakery not too far away - but at $6 a
loaf, it is expensive!

I'd be glad for any advice or suggestions. Thanks

Daisy

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:50:28 -0800, kalanamak <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Daisy said:

I have never had much success making bread. Would I get a more
reliable result with brioche - because it contains eggs?
I'd be glad for any advice or suggestions. Thanks

My experiance is that the "richer and sweeter" a loaf is, the easier it
is to make. Post your recipe, and someone either here or the baking
USENET group would "talk" you through it, I bet.
blacksalt

Thank you. The recipe I planned to use is at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/brioche_1029.shtml

I like to work in "English-type" measurements because I never quite
know what a US cup (or part thereof) of butter is, or a stick of
butter. I think a packet of dry yeast yields about 2 teaspoons.

Thanks for the help.

Daisy

Daisy wrote:
My instructions are headed by a **

Quoted message said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/brioche_1029.shtml

I like to work in "English-type" measurements because I never quite
know what a US cup (or part thereof) of butter is, or a stick of
butter. I think a packet of dry yeast yields about 2 teaspoons.

Thanks for the help.

Daisy

gredients
Yeast Batter
2 tsp dried yeast or 15g/½oz fresh yeast
**A packet of yeast in the US is 2 1/4 teaspoons.

3 tbsp milk, hand-hot
1 tsp sugar
25g/1oz strong white flour
**In the US this would be bread flour

Other Ingredients
200g/8oz strong white flour
large pinch of salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
**In the US this would be superfine. Not essential.
50g/2oz butter
2 eggs, beaten

Method
1. Stir yeast into the milk. If using dried yeast leave
it to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in the flour and sugar and leave in a warm place
until frothy - about 20 minutes.
**Make sure this is actually a warm place, not just a room. One can warm
up the oven, turn it off, and then put it in there. If you have a tank
hot water heater, placing on that with a blanket over it would work too.
Don't go by time, but by result. Doughs rise by the temp. the yeast, the
moon, the humidity, menstrual cycle and god knows what else.
3. Sift together the flour, salt and sugar.
4. Rub in the butter.
5. Beat the eggs into the frothy batter.
6. Stir in the flour mixture and work to a soft dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and
knead until smooth and no longer sticky.
**add flour as needed just a sprinkle at a time until you have learned
to have a real feel for dough and how much it will need
7. Cover the dough and leave to rise until doubled in
size - about 1-1½ hours.
**Again in that nice warm spot.
8. Knock back the risen dough.
**I love British English. Knock back, to me, means take a stiff drink.
In the US we say "punch down".
9. Grease twelve brioche tins 7cm/3in in diameter or
twelve deep bun tins.
**Be liberal with the grease
10. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces. With
each piece cut off a quarter and form the
largest part into a ball and place in tin. Firmly press
a hole in the centre of the ball and place
remaining small piece of dough as a knob in this. Glaze
with beaten egg.
11. Cover and leave to prove until light and puffy -
about 30-40 minutes.
**Warm place!
12. Bake in a very hot oven 230C/450F/Gas 8 until
golden brown - about 18-20 minutes.
**Use a convection oven or don't over stuff. If you crowd baked goods
into such a hot oven, you will get uneven cooking. One can rotate. If I
have a small oven, I put have the dough on the last rise in a cooler
spot until the first set goes in, then I bring it out to a warmer spot
so I won't be over-rose (I heard that term in Keeping Up Appearances) by
the time it gets a chance to go in.
Cool on a wire rack.
**Be careful on extraction from pan. For such a bread, it should have
been greased so much it falls out, but give it about 5 mintues in the
pan before you take it out so it won't be deformed by the manuever. If
there is ANY hesitation, run a sharp knife around and fix the resistance
before forcing.

Let us know how it comes out.
blacksalt

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:19:47 +1300, Daisy <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:50:28 -0800, kalanamak <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Daisy said:

I have never had much success making bread. Would I get a more
reliable result with brioche - because it contains eggs?
I'd be glad for any advice or suggestions. Thanks

My experiance is that the "richer and sweeter" a loaf is, the easier it
is to make. Post your recipe, and someone either here or the baking
USENET group would "talk" you through it, I bet.
blacksalt

Thank you. The recipe I planned to use is at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/brioche_1029.shtml

I like to work in "English-type" measurements because I never quite
know what a US cup (or part thereof) of butter is, or a stick of
butter. I think a packet of dry yeast yields about 2 teaspoons.

Thanks for the help.

Daisy

If you have high speed access, I recommend the Julia Child video with
Nancy Silverton, when Silverton makes brioche. If you are more
comfortable with the measurements you have, that is fine and you can
use the video for technique.

I have made this brioche many times, as I have the original Julia
Child one, A mixer makes both easy to do.

If you have fresh yeast available, it is ideal for brioche.

Scroll down until you get to the brioche mention & click on it.

http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/silverton.html#

Boron

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 16:19:47 +1300, Daisy <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:50:28 -0800, kalanamak <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Daisy said:

I have never had much success making bread. Would I get a more
reliable result with brioche - because it contains eggs?
I'd be glad for any advice or suggestions. Thanks

My experiance is that the "richer and sweeter" a loaf is, the easier it
is to make. Post your recipe, and someone either here or the baking
USENET group would "talk" you through it, I bet.
blacksalt

Thank you. The recipe I planned to use is at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/brioche_1029.shtml

I like to work in "English-type" measurements because I never quite
know what a US cup (or part thereof) of butter is, or a stick of
butter. I think a packet of dry yeast yields about 2 teaspoons.

Thanks for the help.

Daisy

If you have high speed access, I recommend the Julia Child video with
Nancy Silverton, when Silverton makes brioche. If you are more
comfortable with the measurements you have, that is fine and you can
use the video for technique.

I have made this brioche many times, as I have the original Julia
Child one, A mixer makes both easy to do.

If you have fresh yeast available, it is ideal for brioche.

Scroll down until you get to the brioche mention & click on it.

http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/silverton.html#

Boron

kalanamak said:

Daisy wrote:
My instructions are headed by a **

Quoted message said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/brioche_1029.shtml

I like to work in "English-type" measurements because I never quite
know what a US cup (or part thereof) of butter is, or a stick of
butter. I think a packet of dry yeast yields about 2 teaspoons.

Thanks for the help.

Daisy

gredients
Yeast Batter
2 tsp dried yeast or 15g/½oz fresh yeast
**A packet of yeast in the US is 2 1/4 teaspoons.

3 tbsp milk, hand-hot
1 tsp sugar
25g/1oz strong white flour
**In the US this would be bread flour

Other Ingredients
200g/8oz strong white flour
large pinch of salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
**In the US this would be superfine. Not essential.
50g/2oz butter
2 eggs, beaten

Method
1. Stir yeast into the milk. If using dried yeast leave
it to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in the flour and sugar and leave in a warm place
until frothy - about 20 minutes.
**Make sure this is actually a warm place, not just a room. One can warm
up the oven, turn it off, and then put it in there. If you have a tank
hot water heater, placing on that with a blanket over it would work too.
Don't go by time, but by result. Doughs rise by the temp. the yeast, the
moon, the humidity, menstrual cycle and god knows what else.
3. Sift together the flour, salt and sugar.
4. Rub in the butter.
5. Beat the eggs into the frothy batter.
6. Stir in the flour mixture and work to a soft dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and
knead until smooth and no longer sticky.
**add flour as needed just a sprinkle at a time until you have learned
to have a real feel for dough and how much it will need
7. Cover the dough and leave to rise until doubled in
size - about 1-1½ hours.
**Again in that nice warm spot.
8. Knock back the risen dough.
**I love British English. Knock back, to me, means take a stiff drink.
In the US we say "punch down".
9. Grease twelve brioche tins 7cm/3in in diameter or
twelve deep bun tins.
**Be liberal with the grease
10. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces. With
each piece cut off a quarter and form the
largest part into a ball and place in tin. Firmly press
a hole in the centre of the ball and place
remaining small piece of dough as a knob in this. Glaze
with beaten egg.
11. Cover and leave to prove until light and puffy -
about 30-40 minutes.
**Warm place!
12. Bake in a very hot oven 230C/450F/Gas 8 until
golden brown - about 18-20 minutes.
**Use a convection oven or don't over stuff. If you crowd baked goods
into such a hot oven, you will get uneven cooking. One can rotate. If I
have a small oven, I put have the dough on the last rise in a cooler
spot until the first set goes in, then I bring it out to a warmer spot
so I won't be over-rose (I heard that term in Keeping Up Appearances) by
the time it gets a chance to go in.
Cool on a wire rack.
**Be careful on extraction from pan. For such a bread, it should have
been greased so much it falls out, but give it about 5 mintues in the
pan before you take it out so it won't be deformed by the manuever. If
there is ANY hesitation, run a sharp knife around and fix the resistance
before forcing.

Let us know how it comes out.
blacksalt

Isn't 50 gms butter to 225 gms flour sort of light for "real" Brioche?

del cecchi