Brioche my way

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g flour (type 550)
• 10 g yeast, fresh
• 3 tbsp milk, warm
• 200 g butter, first-class, soft
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk for brushing
• 2 dashes of milk
• 1 pinch of salt, dissolved in very little water
• 15 g sugar, dissolved in a little water
• a little water to dissolve
• Flour for the work surface

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 5 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 5 hours 50 minutes

French specialty

The yeast dough needs to rise three times, so patience is required. First, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Sift some flour onto a work surface, make a well in the center, and pour in the milk and yeast. Then gradually work the flour into the milk, starting from the outside, until you have a firm pre-dough. Shape the pre-dough into a ball, make a cross-shaped indentation, and cover and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Carefully knead this dough with the remaining flour, the dissolved salt and sugar, the softened butter, and the eggs until everything is well combined. Cover and let the dough rise again in a suitable container in a warm place for at least two hours. Now tap the dough several times on a floured work surface to release any gas that may have formed. Then shape it into the desired form and place it either in several small molds or as a whole in an oblong loaf pan. There the dough rises a third time for at least another 2 hours. A small head is usually placed in the center of small brioches. This is formed from the dough of each small brioche and inserted into a hole made with your finger. I wouldn’t do this for a whole brioche. Mix the egg yolk with the 2 splashes of milk and brush the dough with it. Bake at 180°C for just under 20 minutes, or about 12 minutes for smaller ones, then test for doneness with a long skewer. When you pull the brioche out, no dough should stick to it. Do not remove it from the tin until it has cooled.