Classic Brioche Loaf
Raisin Brioche Twist
Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread
Guatemalan Hot Chocolate Bread

Starting a bakery is a tremendous amount of exhilarating work. During the first months after Macrina opened in August of 1993, I was working sixteen-hour days, as most new businesses require. But after a year or so, I was able to take a long weekend to attend a bread seminar in Berkeley, California. The seminar, “French Traditional Breads,” was sponsored by the Bread Baker’s Guild of America and hosted by the Acme Bread Company.

Our instructor was Professor Raymond Calvel, the revered French baking master. He was a true delight. In his white lab coat, and speaking through an interpreter, he had a presence and charisma similar to that of the amazing Julia Child (herself a former student of Calvel). The professor taught us how to mix and form a variety of traditional French breads, including pain au levain and a poolish baguette. I was fascinated by the entire lesson, but I was most taken by La Mouna, a loaf similar to brioche and flavored with a hint of orange. We were not yet making sweet breads like this at Macrina, and I was suddenly inspired to introduce a few.

The loaves in this chapter are what we call enriched breads. Unlike most of our daily breads, enriched loaves generally include the added ingredients of eggs, sugar, or butter. And, as you’ll see, we sometimes throw in a little something extra. Who can resist, for example, a warm slice of Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread oozing with sweet apple butter or brioche that’s studded with raisins and coated in cinnamon sugar?

Our retail bakery provides us with endless opportunities to be creative, and we can count on our customers for instant feedback. The following recipes were developed at different times in Macrina’s history, and all have become popular weekly standards at our store. I think you’ll enjoy returning to these recipes again and again, whether you eat a whole loaf by yourself or share it with friends and family.

CLASSIC BRIOCHE LOAF

This buttery French breakfast bread is traditionally baked in fluted brioche molds. The molds can be found in specialty kitchen shops and are available in every size imaginable. Personally, I like to bake brioche in a loaf pan so it can be sliced for toast or croutons. For best results, I recommend mixing this dough in a stand mixer.

Makes 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf

¼ cup warm filtered water
½ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
¾ cup whole milk
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature,
cut into dime-sized pieces
Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water

• Place warm water and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top and mix with a whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes while yeast blooms.

• Add remaining sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, milk, flour, and salt. Using the hook attachment, mix on low speed for 3 minutes to start bringing dough together. Switch to medium speed and slowly drop pieces of butter into dough. Mix for 10 to 12 minutes. Dough will be wet and sticky and will have good elasticity when stretched.

• Pull dough from bowl onto a floured surface. Using extra flour on your hands, form dough into a ball. Place dough in an oiled, medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Proof in a warm room, 70 to 75°F, for about 2½ hours. Dough will almost double in size.

• Pull dough from bowl onto a floured surface and flatten it with your hands, releasing excess air bubbles. Form dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle and position it so that a long side is facing you. Fold the 2 short ends onto the top so they meet in the center. Starting with the closest end, roll dough away from you into a tight log.

• Lift loaf into an oiled 9 x 5 x 4-inch loaf pan, seam side down. Using your hands, push down on the dough to make sure it extends to all corners of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm room for about 1½ hours. Loaf will rise to top of pan.

• While loaf is proofing, preheat oven to 360°F.

• Remove plastic and brush top of loaf with egg wash. Place pan on center rack of oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes. Loaf will be golden brown on top and sides. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then run a sharp knife around sides of loaf to release it from the pan. Invert pan to remove loaf.

RAISIN BRIOCHE TWIST

This braid is a sweeter version of our Classic Brioche Loaf recipe. With the addition of plump raisins, cinnamon sugar, and butter, it’s as satisfying as a gooey cinnamon roll.

Makes 1 (9 x 5-inch) braided loaf

¾ cup seedless raisins
1 recipe Classic Brioche Loaf dough (page 43)
1 cup Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit for 10 minutes while raisins plump, then drain and set aside.

• Prepare Classic Brioche dough through the mixing process as instructed, and let rest in the bowl for 5 minutes as instructed.

• Pull dough from bowl onto a floured surface and flatten into a rectangle. Sprinkle plumped raisins over entire surface of dough. Starting with a narrow end, roll dough away from you into a log. Fold ends underneath to form a loosely shaped ball. Place ball in an oiled, medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let proof in a warm room, 70 to 75°F, for approximately 2½ hours. Dough will almost double in size.

• Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spread Cinnamon Sugar Mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.

• Place dough on a floured work surface and pat it into a 6 x 12-inch rectangle. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope approximately 10 inches long. Brush the strands of dough with melted butter, making sure they are thoroughly coated. One at a time, roll the coated strands of dough in the cinnamon mixture. Line the strands up side by side and, starting at either end, braid the pieces (see photos, next page). Pinch ends together to form a seal and fold ends underneath. Lift braid into lined loaf pan. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm room for 1 hour, or until loaf rises to fill three-quarters of the pan.

• While loaf is proofing, preheat oven to 360°F.

• Remove plastic and place loaf on center rack of preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes. Top and sides of loaf will be dark golden brown. The hot loaf will be very fragile, so let cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before removing from the pan. After 20 minutes, lift loaf out of pan and continue cooling on a wire rack. If needed, run a sharp knife around the sides of loaf and invert pan to remove it. (It’s important to remove the loaf from the pan before the sugars cool and stick to the sides.)

CINNAMON SUGAR MIXTURE

This is the cinnamon sugar recipe we use at the bakery. It can be made up in advance and stored in an airtight container for weeks at a time. You’ll see this recipe referred to throughout this book.

Makes 1 cup

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

APPLE CINNAMON MONKEY BREAD

Motivated by childhood memories of sweet, pull-apart monkey bread from my neighborhood supermarket, I decided to create an updated version for Macrina. This loaf has a different appearance than the original, but it’s even more satisfying.

Makes 1 loaf

FOR THE DOUGH:

½ cup whole milk
1½ teaspoons dried yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 eggs
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup barley flour*
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE APPLE BUTTER:

1 medium Granny Smith apple
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

FOR FINISHING THE LOAF:

½ cup Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (page 45)
Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
*available in specialty shops and some supermarkets

PREPARING THE DOUGH:

• Warm milk slightly in a small saucepan and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar on top and mix with a whisk to dissolve yeast. (If mixing by hand, place warm milk, yeast, and sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a whisk.) Let stand for 5 minutes while yeast blooms.

• Add eggs, all-purpose flour, barley flour, salt, and melted butter. Using the hook attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute to combine ingredients. Increase speed to medium and mix for approximately 12 minutes. (If mixing by hand, add eggs, flours, salt, and butter and mix with a wooden spoon. Knead with your hands for 12 to 15 minutes.) Dough will have a satiny sheen and will stretch easily.

• Transfer dough to an oiled, medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Proof in a warm room, 70 to 75°F, for 1 hour. Dough will double in size.

PREPARING THE APPLE BUTTER:

• Peel and core apple. Cut into ½-inch pieces and set aside.

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add cut apples, cinnamon, and sugar and cook over medium heat until apples are fork tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and mash apples with a fork until texture resembles coarse applesauce. Let cool.

ASSEMBLING THE LOAF:

• Pull dough from bowl onto a floured surface and flatten with your hands. Form dough into a 6 x 14-inch rectangle, approximately ¼ inch thick. Spread apple butter over entire surface of rectangle and sprinkle evenly with Cinnamon Sugar Mixture. Roll each of the 6-inch sides inwards until they meet in center, then carefully flip loaf over so the smooth side is on top.

• Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Place loaf in the lined pan, seam side down, and cover with plastic wrap. Let proof in a warm room for 1 hour. Loaf will rise to fill approximately three-quarters of the pan.

• While loaf is proofing, preheat oven to 375°F.

• Remove plastic. Brush top of loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place pan on center rack of oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Loaf will be golden brown on top and sides. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Grab ends of parchment paper and lift Monkey Bread from the pan before sugars cool and loaf sticks to the sides. The apple butter will still be hot, so let the bread cool on a wire rack a little longer before eating. Any leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored for up to 2 days.

GUATEMALAN HOT CHOCOLATE BREAD

The bakers at Macrina first baked this bread in an effort to raise funds for a fire-damaged library in Panajachel, Guatemala. Slightly sweet, with chunks of bittersweet chocolate, toasted almonds, and a hint of cinnamon, the loaves sold out as fast as we could bake them. Our customers were eager to help rebuild another neighborhood’s gathering place, and a new loaf was added to my list of favorites. For best results, this recipe should be prepared in a stand mixer.

Makes 1 round loaf

⅓ cup whole almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons dried yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
2 eggs
¼ cup dark cocoa powder, sifted
2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (page 45)
Spray bottle of water

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool. Coarsely chop and set aside.

• Cut butter into dime-sized pieces and set aside to reach room temperature.

• Warm milk slightly in a small saucepan and pour into bowl of your stand mixer. Add yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix with a whisk to dissolve yeast, then let bowl sit for 5 minutes while yeast blooms.

• Add remaining sugar, almond extract, eggs, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Using the hook attachment, mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to bring ingredients together. Switch to medium speed and start dropping pieces of butter into dough. Continue mixing for 12 to 14 minutes. Dough will look satiny and stringy. Let dough rest for 5 minutes, then add chopped almonds and bittersweet chocolate and mix 2 minutes more to incorporate.

• Pull dough from bowl onto a floured work surface and form into a ball. Place ball in an oiled, medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let proof in a warm room, 70 to 75°F, for 2 hours. Dough will almost double in size.

• Remove cover and place dough back on floured work surface. Flatten dough with your hands to release excess air bubbles. Pull edges of dough onto the top, repeating this action until you have formed a tight ball. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place ball in the center. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm room for 1 hour. Loaf will almost double in size.

• While loaf is proofing, preheat oven to 350°F.

• Remove cover and lightly mist top of loaf with a spray bottle of water. Sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar Mixture on top. Place baking sheet on center rack of oven and bake for 1 hour. The finished loaf with be deep brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.