Sourdough Brioche

We use it as a base for extra-delicious breakfast recipes, such as french toast, a must-have breakfast item on the menu of a good brunch café. Or take it even further and spoil yourself with scrambled eggs and hot smoked salmon on brioche, as found at Hardware Societé in Melbourne among others.

Story

Even though Brioche is a very traditional french yeasted bread, it doesn’t mean it should be left to french bakers only. Melissa Weller, an American baker who used to work as a chemical engineer in her former career, shared an excellent recipe for a sourdough brioche loaf in her book “A Good Bake”, which we have made several times with great success. Melissas science background translates directly into her baking. She is very precise with measurements and temperatures in her recipes. This might sound daunting at first, but it really helps to guide the amateur home baker.

This recipe uses sourdough for extra flavour. I’ll share a guide on how to create and maintain your own sourdough shortly. You could also just ask a friend to share a bit of theirs with you or order some online. As the dough is retarded in the fridge overnight, you’ll need to start this recipe one day before you intend to bake.

Recipe

Makes one loaf

480g all-purpose flour

76g sugar

6g instant yeast

12g fine sea salt

5 large eggs

80g whole milk (room temperature)

170g sourdough starter (at its peak)

283g unsalted butter (cubed and softened)

1 egg and a pinch of salt (for egg-washing)

You’ll need a loaf tin to make this. Mine measures 30 x 12cm.

Mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a bowl. Put eggs, milk and sourdough starter into a a large, separate bowl. Put your mixed, dry ingredients on top. If you’re the proud owner of a stand mixer, fit it with the dough hook and mix everything on low speed (2-3 minutes) to combine your ingredients. This will also work with a hand-held mixer. Make sure you’re using the dough hooks and combine everything well.

Next, incorporate your butter very thoroughly. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes. If your dough climbs up the hook(s), wipe them with a wet hand once or twice and continue mixing. Once done, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest in a warm place.

The brioche dough will be rested for a total of two hours. In this two-hour window, you’ll need to fold your dough twice. Your first set of folds is performed after the first hour. The second set of folds is performed right at the end of the two-hour resting period. To fold the dough, wet your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. Then, gently push your hand under the side of the dough furthest away from you. Grab a hold and stretch the dough upwards (without breaking it) and fold it down towards yourself. Turn the bowl 180 degrees (a half turn) and repeat with another fold. Turn the bowl 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat. Turn the bowl 180 degrees again (half turn) and do your last fold. This will look like a wobbly letter.

Cover the dough and put it in the fridge overnight to retard.

The next morning, lightly dust your work surface. Place your dough on the work surface using a dough scraper. Gently pat it into a rectangle, which should have about the same width as the tin youre baking it in. Grab the top of the dough and fold it towards the middle. Grab the bottom of the dough and place it on top. Put the dough into your greased baking tin, with the seam facing the bottom. Even it out with your hands. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and rest in a warm place for two hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 180°C (conventional). Mix the remaining egg with a pinch of salt and brush the top of your brioche dough with the egg-wash.

Place it in the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes until the top is beautifully browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. To remove the brioche loaf from the tin, just flip it over carefully. Greasing your tin well before baking is essential here 😅