Easy Brioche

I am so excited about this recipe it's ridiculous. Brioche is a classic French bread that consists of an enriched dough and has a rich buttery crumb. It is extremely versatile and can be savoury or sweet and can be baked in many different loaf sizes. I used this recipe to bake brioche in mini loaf tins which I served with a pork terrine as a starter. Normally a brioche requires an overnight prove but with this recipe you only need prove it for an hour. Easy peasy :)

The Recipe:

• 10g yeast
• 100ml warm water
• 270g strong flour
• 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
• 3 whole eggs and one yolk - plus an extra egg beaten for egg wash
• 115g melted butter 

Put the yeast in a little warm water to wake it up and leave until bubbly.
Put all the other ingredients apart from the melted butter in a mixer and add yeast when ready.
Mix for 5 minutes.
Add the melted butter (not hot!) to the other ingredients slowly while mixing.
Mix for 2 minutes.
Allow to prove for one hour.
Put in moulds/loaf tin, brush with egg wash and cook at 180 degrees.
Baking times will differ depending on size of tin, the bread is ready when the top is a golden brown, you can employ your best guesswork here really - a regular 9" loaf tin will take about 25 minutes.

Try brioche with different components to see what you like. In the restaurant where I work we serve it toasted with fois gras. In France I have seen it served with a custard baked through the dough as a dessert. It's also commonly baked into buns and served as hamburger or sandwich bread.

:)