Sicilian brioche

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 330 g wheat flour type 405
• 70 g sugar
• 40 ml water
• 20 g fresh yeast
• 3 eggs, size M
• 100 g butter
• 6 g salt
• 10 ml Marsala
• Lemon zest from 1/4 untreated lemon
• Orange zest(s) from 1/4 untreated orange
• 2 tbsp condensed milk or cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 25 minutes

makes 8 pieces

Take the eggs and butter out of the refrigerator. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Warm the water until lukewarm. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the water. Crumble the yeast into the water. Using a mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve the yeast in the water, stirring in just enough flour to form a semi-liquid, even dough. Let this pre-dough rise for about 30 minutes (you can leave the dough hook in; you’ll need it shortly). After the rising time, add the eggs, salt, citrus zest, and Marsala. Knead everything together on low speed for 1 minute. Then knead for about 5 minutes on high speed, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The long kneading time is important; it really takes about 6 minutes. Add the butter, knead in, and knead for at least another 6 minutes at high speed. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the bowl completely again. Let the dough rise for 2 hours at room temperature, until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough in the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This makes it easier to work with for the next steps. After 1 hour, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a floured work surface. With the palm of your hand, flatten it into a rectangle, knocking out any large bubbles. Fold the dough in half along each short side (like a letter). Flatten it again and fold it in half along the short sides again. Roll out the dough from the long side into a sausage about 60 cm long. Divide this into 8 equal pieces. Dust your hands with flour and roll each piece of dough between your hands into a sausage about 40 cm long. Make sure to continue rolling the dough in the original direction. This should be done quickly so that the butter in the dough doesn’t get too soft. Shape each sausage into a knot and place it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Cover everything with a cloth and let it rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-assisted oven or 180°C conventional oven. Brush the brioche with condensed milk or cream immediately before baking. Place on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes. After baking, quickly transfer the brioche to a wire rack and let it cool.