BRIOCHE

/ Makes 12 small or 6 medium

Although a sweet dough, brioche has the texture of a cake rather than bread. It’s enriched with eggs and butter, which gives it a distinctive yellow crumb. It can be eaten for breakfast and with afternoon tea, but can also be enjoyed toasted and served with terrines and pâtés.

  1. Put the flour into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other.
  2. Add the milk and eggs and mix on a slow speed for 2 minutes, then on a medium speed for a further 6 to 8 minutes until you have a soft, glossy elastic dough.
  3. Add the softened butter and continue to mix for a further 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl periodically to ensure that the butter is fully incorporated. The dough will be very soft.
  4. Tip the dough into a bowl, cover and chill overnight or for at least 7 hours until it is firm and you are able to shape it.
  5. Grease 12 small (7.5cm) or 6 medium-sized (11cm) brioche moulds with butter. Take the brioche dough from the fridge. Tip it on to a lightly floured surface and fold it in on itself a few times to knock out the air. Divide it up into 6 or 12 equal pieces, depending on the size of the moulds you are using. Pinch a grape-sized piece from each ball to use as the top knot.
  6. Shape each larger piece into a smooth ball by placing it into a cage formed by your hand and the table and moving your hand around in a circular motion, rotating the ball rapidly. Do the same with the smaller pieces. Make a hole in the middle of the larger balls of dough and stretch the hole so the ball looks like a tall doughnut.
  7. Shape the smaller balls into cylinders and taper one end of them. From the tapered end, cut the cylinders halfway up and pull the two parts apart. Feed the tapered ends through the hole in the large ball and tuck underneath. Form the top of the cylinder into a ball.
  8. Put the dough into the moulds on a baking tray, then cover with a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for 2 to 3 hours or until doubled in size.
  9. Preheat your oven to 190°C/Gas 5.
  10. Before baking your brioche, brush each one with the egg wash. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until risen and golden brown. Bear in mind that the sugar and the butter will make the brioche colour up before it is fully baked, so check that they are done by carefully tipping one out of its mould and tapping the bottom. It should sound hollow when done.
  11. Remove your brioche buns from their moulds and let them cool on a wire rack.