Brioche

If you want to make this completely from scratch, you’ll need to make some Brioche. In bakeries, this rich, buttery, egg-y bread is often sold as rolls, which are delicious but not as useful to me as loaves.

In loaf form, Brioche makes great toast and sandwiches; I am particularly fond of it spread with a bit of sweet butter and some marmalade. If you have any left, it also makes french toast to die for.

I use James Beard’s recipe from Beard on Bread, although I use a stand mixer for the kneading.

Brioche Bread

1. 1 1/2 packages active dry yeast
2. 2 tablespoons sugar
3. 1/2 cup warm water (100-115 degrees, approximately)
4. 1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6. 4 cups all-purpose flour
7. 4 eggs
8. 1 egg yolk mixed with 1/4 cup evaporated milk or light cream

Combine yeast, sugar and warm water, and allow to proof. Mix the melted butter and salt. In a large bowl (the stand mixer bowl, if you are using one) combine the flour, eggs, melted butter and yeast mixture. Mix until smooth, using either a spoon or your mixer. (This will be a sticky-ish dough). Place in a buttered bowl, turning to butter all surfaces, cover and set in a warm, draft-free place until light and doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape into two loaves. Fit into buttered 8x4x2 loaf pans and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Brush the yolks with the egg yolk-milk wash. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, until the loaves are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with the knuckles. Cool on a rack.