Brioche – the original and some variations

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 125 g flour
• 1 cube of yeast or 1 sachet of dry yeast
• 125 ml milk, lukewarm
• 300 g butter or clarified butter
• 60 g sugar
• 6 eggs
• 500 g flour
• 1 tsp, leveled salt
• 1 lemon(s), untreated, zest thereof or
• flavoring (lemon peel flavor)
• 1 egg yolk for brushing
• some cream for spreading
• Butter for the mold
• Flour for the mold
• 4 tbsp almond(s), chopped, if desired
• Almond flakes for the mold, if necessary
• 1 cup sultanas, marinated in sherry, if desired
• 3 tbsp Sultanas, if desired
• 50 g candied lemon peel, if desired
• 50 g candied orange peel, if desired
• some cinnamon, if desired
• some cardamom, if desired
• some granulated sugar, if necessary

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 13 hours; Total time approx. 13 hours 30 minutes

a bit time-consuming, but definitely worth it!

Mix flour, yeast, and milk to make a starter dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the egg dough. To do this, cream the softened, divided butter (or clarified butter) with the sugar until creamy. Add the lemon zest and salt, then alternately mix in 1 egg and about 4 tablespoons of flour, finally adding the remaining flour. Then knead in the yeast starter dough and continue kneading vigorously until the dough is smooth and glossy. Form a ball and place it in a yeast dough bowl in the refrigerator overnight (in winter, an unheated, cold room will do). The next morning, knead the dough again and pour it into the buttered and floured pan. Let it rise again at room temperature for 30-40 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 160°C fan/convection oven. Beat the egg yolk with a little cream until smooth and brush the surface of the dough with it. Place in the oven with a bowl of water to prevent the crust from becoming too hard and dry. Remove the bowl of water after 15 minutes. The baking time depends on the size of the pastry. A classic brioche in a wide ribbed or panettone dish takes 30-40 minutes. A ring dish takes about 25 minutes. Portion brioches are baked at 200°C for 15-20 minutes. No bowl of water is necessary. Variations: Mandelbrot: Add 4 tablespoons of chopped almonds to the dough (or perhaps a cup of sultanas soaked in sherry). Dust the dish with flaked almonds instead of flour. Panettone: Mix 3 tablespoons of sultanas and 50g each of finely chopped candied orange and candied lemon peel into the dough. Lightly flavor with cinnamon and cardamom. Breakfast pastries: Shape the cold dough into small rolls, pretzels, or braids and sprinkle with sugar. The dough can also be mixed with chopped nuts or almonds, candied fruits or even sultanas.