Brioche Bread

Unlike cakes, breads have never disappointed me. So, this year, as a part of my NY Resolution, I have decided to concentrate more on baking with yeast. So to start off, I baked this brioche bread and it turned out quite well. Now, you can find different variations of brioche if you google for it. I choose to bake the one which had come in the latest issue of Vanitha Pachakam.

 

Ingredients:

Recipe Source: Vanitha Pachakam (Issue:Dec 2012-Mar 2013)

1. All purpose flour - 500 gm

    Sugar - 90 gm

    Salt - 10 gm

    Dry Yeast - 10 gm

    Butter - 125 gm

    Eggs - 2

    Milk - 100 ml

2. Cardamom/Nutmeg powder - 4 gm

3. Golden raisins - 5 gms

 

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients listed under #1 in a large bowl and knead the dough.
• Add the 2nd and 3rd ingredients to the above mixture and knead well to form a smooth dough.
• Place the dough in a loaf tin and cover it with a clean wet cloth.
• Allow the dough to proof for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs or until it has risen well above the top of the loaf tin. It should spring back when gently tapped on the top with a finger.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 C.
• Bake the briohe until it is well browned on top for about 25-30 mins. It should sound hollow when tapped on the top.
• Remove from the oven and turn the brioche onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool.

 

Notes:

• I halved the recipe that was mentioned in the magazine.
• The original recipe uses cardamom. Since, I don't like the taste of cardamom, I substituted it with nutmeg.
• The time taken for blooming depends on the quality of the yeast used. So, make sure that the yeast used is new.
• Soak the raisins in water for sometime before adding it to the dough.
• The original recipe says to bake the brioche for 15 mins. However, if you need to get the brown color,you need to bake for atleast 25-30mins (my experience). Anyways keeping checking after 25 mins.