Let yourself be enveloped by the unmistakable scent of freshly baked brioches: soft and fragrant, to be dunked in milk or in the foam of your steaming cappuccino, they are the best way to start your day.
Makingbrioches at home takes time and patience, but it is a process of creation that gives satisfaction at every step: the excitement of watching the dough rise, shaping the brioches with your hands and waiting impatiently for them to color in the oven. And then, finally, the pleasure of savoring the first bite, feeling the crisp crust break under your teeth to reveal the soft, fragrant interior.
In this article we will guide you step by step through therecipe for homemade brioches. No matter if you are a beginner in the kitchen or an experienced cook, we promise that you will eventually be able to create delicious brioches.Let's get ready for this culinary adventure!
INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING BRIOCHES
- 500gr. flour W 300
- 105gr. egg whites
- 95gr. yolk*
- 20gr. yeast
- 100gr. butter at 20°
- 90gr. sugar
- 8gr. acacia honey
- 5gr. salt
- 45gr. fresh whole milk
- Vanilla as flavoring
BRIOCHES RECIPE: PROCEDURE
- Pour the milk, previously brought to 20° - 22°C, into a planetary mixer, add the yeast, sugar, honey, vanilla and start kneading. If you do not have a planetary mixer, pour the ingredients into aterrine, then start kneading until the ingredients are well mixed.
- Continue mixing, add the egg yolks, egg white and salt.
- Cut the butter into cubes, bring it to 20°C and add it a little at a time to your dough.
- Take the dough out of the bowl, place it on a flat surface and knead it until it is smooth.
- Take a lightly buttered bowl, place your ball of dough inside it, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a cool (15-16°C) environment for about 8h, or in a warm (25°C) environment for 3\4h.
6. When the rising is over, sprinkle some flour on a pastry board, take your dough and roll it out keeping a 5mm thickness. Using a pastry wheel, cut out equal-sized triangles (c.a 5cm the base and 10cm the height). Alternatively, you can use ourrorcrotissant cutter: with this tool you can cut up to three triangles at a time perfectly equal.
7. Roll your croissants starting from the base of the triangle: if you want to stuff yourhomemade brioches, spread a small layer of jam, cream or chocolate before rolling the triangles of dough. Polish with a beaten egg.
8. Place your croissants on a drip pan covered with baking paper, cover them with clingfilm and let them rise until they double in volume.
9. Heat the oven, polish a second time, with egg or milk, and bake at 180°C for 15 min if ventilated or 180°C for 20 min if static. When they are nicely browned, yourhomemade brioches will be ready to serve!
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, make a good cappuccino and serve with a big smile to start your day in the fullness of your energy!"
BRIOCHE TRIVIA
Thebrioche is a leavened pastry of French origin. Its history dates back to the time of Louis XIV, when bakers began making brioche with an increasing amount of butter, an ingredient widely used in the northern half of France. The first recipe for one of the best-known variants, thebrioche à tête orbrioche parisienne, is dated 1742.
In Italy, thebrioche has taken different forms and names depending on the regions. For example, in Sicily it is known asbrioscia cu tuppu, a dessert that, according to legend, originated in a noble Sicilian family with numerous female daughters. The family confectioner is said to have made this soft goodness with the female breast in mind. Today in many regions of Italy,brioche and cornetto are basically the same thing. However, the Italian recipe for the cornetto was originally slightly different from how we know it today.The cornetto, in fact, differs from the croissant in that there is egg in its dough, as well as higher percentages of butter and sugar.
EACH INGREDIENT HAS ITS ROLE: FLOUR
For leavened and enriched products with ingredients such as butter, sugar or eggs, the most suitable flour is one with a high content of gliadins and glutenins: insoluble proteins that create gluten, an elastic structure that holds carbon dioxide produced by yeast fermentation within the dough. The percentage of protein that yeast flour should have is 14-14.5 percent with a W of 300.
EGGS AND EGG YOLKS
The role of eggs is to hydrate the dough and allow the flour proteins to bind to the gluten. For the preparation of leavened products, the use of yolk is normally preferred over egg white, which aids dough formation and dough structure due to its fat (32%) and lecithin (0.6-0.8%) content. In addition, the yolk when brushed into the product to be frozen increases its shelf life, preventing it from drying on the surface, and ensures even coloring during baking.
SUGAR
Sugar is the nourishment for the yeasts in the dough: it helps the union of the ingredients due to its binding power, which is due to its viscosity that is generated after it is dissolved in the dough. Possibly the sweet side can be replaced by honey in the amount of 1-2%, which increases the coloring in baking and the shelf life of the product.
THE FAT PART
The fat material to be used is undoubtedly butter, which gives a characteristic taste to the finished product due to the 82% fat it contains. The role of the fat part in leavened products is threefold:
- Generates flavor to the product;
- Defines structure;
- Increases shelf life.
The greater the amount of butter in the dough, the denser the structure of the baked product will be, e.g. for a dough of 1kg flour with 20g yeast:
- 200 g butter > 2-2.5 h of rising
- 500 g butter > 4-4.5 h of rising
YEAST & LEAVENING
Lye is the ingredient that promotes the fermentation of dough. During this process, simple sugars are engulfed by yeast cells, which produce carbon dioxide, swelling the dough.
The temperature at which the dough ferments is the real crux of the success of a leavened product. If we want a product that produces fragrance, we must ferment it in a cold environment; but if we want the dough to rise, that is, for the yeasts to breathe and consume oxygen, the temperature must be between 24 and 27°C.The final leavening periods are delicate points in the process: the yeasts increase their vitality as the temperature increases and slow down as it decreases.
In the home environment, one can use a warm oven in the winter time, with a bowl of warm water placed in the bottom, or store the products in tall containers by covering everything with cling film. This operation creates a microenvironment in which the yeasts themselves automatically generate moisture, so in summer room temperature and in winter the help of the lukewarm oven.
Blog edited by Enrico Gumirato pastry chef and trainer
