Quelle réussite! La brioche française!

Before

Today I baked my brioche! After a very long wait and now lots of sore muscles- mixing that dough by hand was painful! I can finally share this delicious buttery bread with you. I chose Dorie Greenspan's recipe because I had yet to try one of her breads so I was hoping for the best. And it was splendid!After letting it rise for the last 2 hours during our family hike, I came back and glazed it and popped it in the oven. This is SO buttery and tasty- but I find it tastes even better the next day, toasted and smothered with jam or nutella. :)I used a loaf pan and a brioche pan for the dough, but isn't the brioche

one so much cuter? A worthy investment if you ask me. :) I hope you enjoy this brioche, all you French Foodies!

Golden Brioche Loaves

(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
• 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk (I used buttermilk)
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For the Glaze:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place 1/3 cup warm water, warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves and let proof for 10 minutes.Add flour and salt, mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs on low speed, then add sugar.
3. On medium speed, beat until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, two tablespoons at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next.
5. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
7. Punch the dough down to deflate it every 30 minutes until it stops rising (it will take 2 hours in total). Cover bowl with plastic and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
8. The next day, butter and flour 2 large loaf pans. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Cut each dough half into 4 logs. Arrange logs crosswise in bottom of each prepared loaf pan. Place loaf pans on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 2 hours.
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the brioches with the egg wash and bake until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30-35 minutes.
10. Let cool to room temperature, then run a knife around the side of the pans and turn the loaves out onto a rack.
11. The loaves can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.

Happy Baking! (and waiting)

Jessica