The Battle Of The Brioche

As documented here before, I'm battling with a very old, dodgy oven in an even older, dodgier kitchen. From the first day we moved in the oven has been busted, none of the settings work & it's stuck on oven bake. As soon as I turn it on, both elements heat up with the ferocity of a blast furnace. This makes for some very creative cooking, as things turn black almost immediately on the top & bottom, while remaining uncooked in the centre. However, I steadfastly refuse to pay good money to get it repaired, as MOTH keeps saying along with the entire kitchen, the oven is being attacked by his sledge hammer soon & totally demolished. Yeah, yeah.

I focus a lot of energy on this oven, not wanting to let it get the better of me. I like to cook, but some days taming the beast are easier than others. This weekend I had a shocking craving for brioche & not being flush with French Boulangerie's up here in the Hills, I thought I'd get in the zone & have a go myself. Here's the results, as best as I could do with the Linda Blair of ovens. I really like this easy recipe, so thought I'd pass it on. Even though they wouldn't have won any prizes in the looks Dept., as I didn't have the requisite fluted brioche tins, they tasted sensational.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons (1 sachet/7g.) dried yeast

¼ cup (60ml.) warm milk

¼ cup (55g.) caster sugar

2 cups (300g.) strong plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

3 eggs, lightly whisked

125g. soft butter, cut into 2cm pieces

1 extra egg, lightly whisked

2 tablespoons demarera sugar

butter, extra to serve

strawberry or raspberry jam, to serve

You can use this recipe to make one large brioche also. Follow the same steps but cook in hot oven for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

METHOD

1. Combine the yeast, milk and 1 tbs of caster sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until frothy.

2. Combine the flour, salt and remaining sugar in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour yeast mixture and eggs into the well and stir until just combined. Turn on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes or until smooth.

3. Add 1-2 pieces of butter to the dough and knead until well incorporated. Gradually continue to add butter cubes, 2-3 at a time, and knead until well incorporated. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.

4. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease 8 small brioche pans. Use your fist to knock back the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Divide into 8 even portions. Cut ¼ of the dough off a portion. Roll dough into a smooth ball and place in a brioche pan. Roll reserved dough into a small ball and place on top of the dough ball. Push a bamboo skewer through the middle so they stick together. Repeat with remaining dough. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes to rise.

5. Brush each brioche with extra egg and sprinkle with the demarara sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature with extra butter and jam, if desired.

My finished product - apologies for the deadful images, a Food Stylist/Photographer I'm not!

Images: 1,7,8 Millie Images: 2,3,4,5,6 + recipe: Notebook