Another year bites the dust and I’m just over here, happily eating a fresh piece of brioche bread and slurping a very hot cup of coffee. We’ve got a short week left of 2018, what will I do with it? Making croissants with my friends has been on the list, as well as cleaning out the closet and don’t even get me started about the pantry.
As we press forward, as us human beings do, we should first honor all the big and small moments of our life lived in the 365 days before us. It’s the big moments I’m remembering right now: the achievements, the goals, the awards (yay!), the move, the people, etc. However, I’ve loved the smaller moments too. The ones that will surely be forgotten as I leave 2018 behind me. So, I’ll solidify them here on the innerwebs:
A sweet note from a friend. Daniel giving a very poorly executed, albeit hilarious impression of Josh Groban in our kitchen as I wash the dishes. The St. Johns Bridge coming into view after a long day’s work and being comforted by it becoming home. Watching a lot of sunrises from the seat of an airplane. Seeing my little Madsters with her graduation cap and gown. Recognizing the deterioration of a loved one. The confidence a new dress can give. Wearing said dress to a party and realizing I’m no longer on the outside looking in. 2 a.m. talks with a dear friend in a very tall San Francisco condo. Stealing a salty chip at the end of a Feast afterparty. Bouncy yellow curls and the longest eye lashes on a Wednesday morning. Walking down squeaky wooden steps after my last and final cake order. The embarrassment of my glowing insulin pump shining in the dark through my white tee at the beginning of Haunted Mansion.
I’m truly sad to see 2018 go, but we are here for dough.
I’ve been laboring over creating the best brioche dough. And man, I’ve tried a fair few times. I’ve had some that are too dry, some that fall apart, some that over-rise, and plenty with an unremarkable taste. The challenge was this—I want a perfect recipe that will work without weighing the ingredients. For the everyday cook. For the person that is so very disinterested in dirtying an extra bowl.
So, I’ve dirtied all the bowls for you, and this is what I’ve found, a standing mixer and a half-hour of slap-against-the-bowl-kneading is all it really takes. In addition, a sure-fire way to make sure the measuring cups are filled consistently? Fluff up the flour a bit before measuring and we are well on our way to perfection.
The high performance kneading will heat up your standing mixer and could cause it to move around a bit. Barricade the mixer, put it on the floor, do whatever it takes, it’s so worth it. It transforms the dough into this silky, shiny, stringy dough that is the reason this dough works every time. Worth it, friends. Worth it.
A Basic Brioche Dough
Find my recipe for the perfect and basic brioche dough recipe. It’s simple and straightforward. The easiest and most successful recipe for brioche around.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
|| The Starter ||
1/3 cup warm whole milk
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
|| The Dough ||
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter at room temp.
|| Egg Wash ||
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon whole milk, or cream, or half and half
Instructions
|| The Starter ||
In a standing mixer, lightly mix the whole milk, yeast, and large egg together. Add one cup of the flour until the starter comes together. Sprinkle the remaining cup of flour on top of the starter so that it is completely covered. Let stand at room temperature for 40-60 minutes. You will know it’s finished when the flour on the top looks like it’s cracking.
|| The Dough ||
Add the sugar, salt, eggs, and 1 cup of the flour to the starter. Attach the dough hook and knead on low until it looks like the dough is coming together. Slowly add the rest of the flour. Once the dough has come together, turn the mixer on medium speed and let knead for 15 minutes. You may want to barricade your mixer since it might have the tendency to move while going at this speed. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl and make a slapping sound while kneading.
Once the 15 minutes is up, add the room temperature butter 1 tablespoon at a time.
Continue to beat dough on medium speed for 15 more minutes. If the dough looks too loose after 7 minutes of kneading, add up to 3 tablespoons of flour until you get the correct consistency. The dough should look shiny and loose but not like a batter. Do not skimp on the full beating time. Your mixer will be hot but continue on.
Once the last 15 minutes are up, your dough will be stretchy and stringy and ready for its first rise. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 2 – 2 1/2 hours.
Once the first rise is finished, punch the dough and pull up the edges of the dough and push into the center. Turn the dough over and re-cover with the plastic wrap. Put the dough into the fridge to chill overnight or for at least 6 hours.
|| Baking ||
For basic rolls, cut the chilled dough in half and cut into equal pieces. Cut those pieces into 21 small pieces and roll into balls. Place 3 balls into buttered or oiled muffin tins. Brush with egg wash and cover with greased plastic wrap. Set out to proof for an hour and wash with the egg wash again prior baking.
Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.
|| Chocolate Roll ||
Roll out half of the dough and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with some cocoa and chocolate chunks. Roll dough tightly and cut in half lengthwise. Twist the two pieces together and place in a buttered or oiled loaf pan. Brush with egg wash and cover with greased plastic wrap and let proof for an hour. Brush egg wash again prior baking.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.
Keywords: brioche
Hello, I have a question about the brioche. Just made the dough and will bake off on Wednesday (tomorrow) am I correct that it 1/2 the dough makes the rolls and the other half the chocolate log?
That’s correct! it was just for example sake so feel free to do whatever you want 🙂