Brioche II ……..In a Loaf

I think falling in love with something that you like is really a very wonderful feeling…..you just wanted to see it every now and then, and you won't get bored of it no matter how many times it appears in front of you, and you just wanted to have it 24 hours a day………..true or false? Haha……..no lah, I'm not talking about me, but to those people who are in love…….hehehe ;) Anyway, my love affection for Brioche is so much so reach the level where I just wanted to make it whenever I have the time……..and that is exactly what I did today. I have been collecting recipes of almost everything from cupcakes to cheesecakes, muffins to bread, cookies to brownies and so forth, the list is just endless. At first I have a ring file full of recipes of about 100 pages in the bookshelf……..then within a month, it increases with a 2^nd ring file and a few cookbooks…………then the collection increased again……..to 4 ring files and more than 10 cookbooks………..now, it's been a year already, the collection is endless and so are the cookbooks. I sometimes even think I must have gone crazy when I actually read a cookbook like I'm reading a novel…..…..geez, I hope I have company here, LOL ^_^

Well, that's how crazy I can be at times……..so, I have a few good ole 'Brioche' recipes that I have collected while browsing the WWW. I have tried one of it before where you can find it here. This time I attempted the other recipe where I got it from the Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine – June 2010 issue. It was a Brioche made into a loaf instead of the previous one where I made them into individual buns.

I totally agree with the article commenting that Brioche would have to be one of French cuisine's greatest gift, as this bread is so rich and delicious, that it is a 'star' in its own right, and needs little in the way of embellishment (as quoted in the magazine). So true !!

Well, needless for me to introduce it further……some of my friends who saw the picture of my Brioche in Facebook, couldn't wait for me to post the recipe up, hehe……because it's just so tempting. Here it is as promise………;)

 BRIOCHE II (IN A LOAF)

Ingredients

160 ml milk (I used low fat milk)

1½ tsp instant dried yeast

5 eggs yolks, at room temperature, lightly beaten

375gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting

30gm castor sugar, plus extra for dusting    

A pinch of salt

150gm butter, dices and softened, plus extra for greasing

Some Egg yolk for eggwash

 Method

1. Warm milk in a small saucepan over low heat until lukewarm. Combine yeast and ½ the milk in a bowl, stirring to dissolve. Stand in a warm place until foamy (8-10 minutes).
2. Whisk remaining milk with egg yolks in a bowl and set aside.
3. Mix flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a dough hook, until combined. (FYI, this recipe does not requires hand –kneading). Make a well in the centre, add yeast mixture and yolk mixture. Beat on medium speed until a smooth dough forms (4-5 minutes).
4. While mixing, gradually add 1/3 of butter at a time, beat until dough is elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl (8-10 minutes).
5. Transfer dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover and stand until doubled in size (1½ -2 hours).
6. Knock back dough, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, shape dough into a loaf and place in a 11cm x 24cm loaf tin buttered and lined with baking paper. (I did not lined with baking paper, I just lightly greased the loaf tin only and it did not stick too). Cover, stand until doubled in size (30 minutes – 1 hour). Meanwhile preheat oven to 180 degree C.
7. Brush top with eggwash, dust with sugar, bake until golden and risen (25-30 minutes).
8. Remove from tin, place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, return to oven until sides are golden (8-10 minutes), cool on a wire rack.
   

Happy Brioche Baking folks!