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from weekendbakery.com
250 g French Type 55 flour / all purpose flour / plain flour
100 g fresh dairy butter, melted
70 g water at room temperature
2 organic eggs (medium, about 110 g)
50 g runny honey / 2.5 tablespoons (flower /acacia)
5.5 g / 1 teaspoon salt
3 g / 1 teaspoon instant yeast
In a bowl, combine eggs, honey water, salt and melted butter and whisk,
somewhat vigorously, for about 30 seconds. We do this with a Danish dough
whisk. Add the instant yeast to the flour and sift it into the mixture. Again,
with enthusiasm, whisk for 30 seconds until your dough looks smooth and
homogeneous. Cover your bowl and let the dough rest for two hours at room
temperature.
Take the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured work surface and do one or
two stretch and folds (full fold ones, left over right, right over left, bottom
over top, top over bottom; see our bread movies to observe this technique if
you are not familiar with it). If your dough is very elastic and cooperative,
do a few, if it starts to resist you can just stop.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with clingfilm and take it to the fridge
where it will stay for 24 to 48 hours. I have made several versions using both
dough that had rested 24 hours and dough that was allowed to rest for 48 hours
and I can say the results are both fine, not that big of a difference. So you
can be a bit flexible when it comes to that.
Take the dough out of the fridge. Now it is time to shape. You can choose any
shape you want of course but this is how I do it most of the time. Divide the
dough into 4 or 6 equal pieces and shape them into balls (shaping quickly while
the dough is still very cold from the fridge goes best). Place the balls two by
two in a baking tin, well buttered or lined with baking paper.
Cover and leave to proof for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature of the
dough and of the room. You might also want to check out our tips on dough
temperature to help you improve your baking results.
It is best to cover the brioche with something that does not stick to the dough
or weighs it down. That is why I just turn my mixing bowl upside down and use
that as a cover. It works really well.
Alternatively you can brush it with some beaten egg (with a splash of water
added to make it easier to brush on) just after shaping. Give it a thin layer
and repeat with another thin layer just before baking, same as with making
croissants.
Preheat your oven at 190 C / 375 F.
Brush the brioche with some egg wash before you put it in the oven, brush it,
with some melted butter directly after baking.
Bake at 190 C / 375 F for about 10 minutes, then turn down the thermostat to
160 C / 320 F and bake for another 15 minutes. If the top browns too quickly or
gets too dark, cover it with some aluminum foil to protect it.
After taking it out of the oven, I find it is best to leave it for a few
minutes before turning it out of its tin on a cooling rack. Then leave to cool
completely before slicing it. You could slice it while warm, but the crumb
needs to set a little bit and slicing it too soon could press it together and
make it sort of sticky. If you cannot wait please slice with a very sharp knife
that easily cuts the slices without having to put too much pressure on it.
The brioche keeps very well for a few days (in container or bag) and even after
that it can be given some oomph by toasting it lightly. Delicious! You can also
reheat them in your oven, preheated at 170 C / 340 F until the outside is
crisp, about 7 minutes should do the trick.