Brioche french bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 slices brioche

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, beaten together (egg white reserved)
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 10 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

How to make brioche:

Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix all the ingredients together on low speed for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. This process can take up to 15 minutes. Alternately, you can use a bread machine for the kneading portion of this recipe. Allow the machine to fully complete the dough cycle before moving on to the next step.

Gather the dough into a ball place it in a large, greased bowl or dough container, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl, and then allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes at room temperature. This will kick start the fermenting process to give the brioche its signature flavor. Refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Do not allow the dough to rise for more than 12 hours.

Place the risen dough in a greased brioche pan, loosely cover it with lightly greased plastic wrap, and then allow it to rise for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until it has doubled in size. Brush the dough with the reserved egg white.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake the brioche for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 350F, and continue baking the bread for an additional 30 minutes. The bread is done when a digital thermometer reads 190F. If the bread begins to brown too fast, before it tests done, cover it with foil to avoid burning the brioche. Alternately, bake the bread in 12 muffin tins for 20 to 25 minutes, until they test done.

Allow the large brioche to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, or the individual rolls for 5 minutes, and then transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool. For the best flavor and texture, serve it slightly warm or at room temperature on the first day.