Sicilian brioche burgers
Sicilian burger col tuppo
This brioche is a nice Sicilian creation, but not every region makes them with the little “head” on top. Tourists rave about brioche with ice cream, but many Sicilians prefer to eat it for breakfast with a bowl of granita, and these buns also make great burger holders. Just sprinkle some sesame seeds on the bun and add a savory filling.
Makes 6
Prep 2 hrs, plus 4 hrs resting time
For the filling
6 polpette di melanzane con scamorza e menta
1/3 portion broccoli affogati
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
51/2 oz (150 g) ricotta cheese
some basil leaves
For the brioche buns
1/4 oz (6 g) fresh yeast, or 3/4 tsp (3 g) active dry yeast
31/3 cups (420 g) “00” pasta flour, or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (200 ml) whole milk, plus 1 tbsp
1/4 cup (50 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
zest of 1/2 small organic orange
a few drops of orange oil
1 medium egg, plus 1 small egg yolk
1/3 cup (70 g) superfine sugar
31/2 tbsp (50 g) soft unsalted butter, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
black sesame seeds
Prepare the eggplant balls and broccoli, then set aside to keep warm.
To make the buns, dissolve the yeast in 4 tsp (20 ml) of lukewarm water.
In a saucepan, stir 2 tbsp (20 g) of the flour with 1/2 cup (100 ml) of the milk over medium heat until you have a flexible mixture. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
Use a food processor to briefly knead this cooled mixture together with the remaining flour, the dissolved yeast and liquid, the remaining milk, the orange juice, zest, and orange oil. Add the whole egg and continue kneading briefly. Sprinkle in the sugar, add the butter piece by piece, and knead in the salt. Continue kneading the dough for 6–10 minutes until it is stretchy. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave the dough to proof in a warm place for 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface and split the dough into 12 pieces (6 x 31/2–4 oz/100–110g and 6 x 3/4–1 oz/20–30g). Shape each of the pieces into a ball. Place the larger balls generously spaced out on the baking sheet. Make an indentation in the center of each and place a smaller ball in each cavity. Now slide into the turned-off oven and leave the dough to proof for another 2 hours with the door closed.
Remove the sheet from the oven and preheat to 340°F (170°C).
Beat the egg yolk with the 1 tbsp milk and brush each bun with this glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns for 25–30 minutes until golden. If the little “heads” start to become too dark, cover them with foil.
Leave the buns to cool before slicing them open. Stir 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper into the ricotta. Spread 2 tbsp of this mixture onto the base of each burger bun. Arrange the broccoli on each and top with 2 eggplant balls and some basil leaves.
Sicilian brioche burgers