FOOD FRIDAY - BRIOCHE OF SORTS

“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” - John Gunther

When I lived in Amsterdam I often woke up very early in the morning, sometimes as early as 4:00 am. It was winter and in the warm kitchen I sometimes made this brioche for breakfast, while having my first milk coffee. The recipe is easily adapted for other uses.

BRIOCHE OF SORTS
(ALL PURPOSE YEAST CAKE)
Ingredients

1 packet of active dry yeast (7 g)

1/2 cup of warm water

1 cup of warm milk

2 teaspoonfuls sugar

1 teaspoonful salt

500 g plain flour

4 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Method

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the warm water/milk mixture.  Add the yeast stirring thoroughly until dissolved.  Add three to four handfuls of the flour and whisk well to form a gruel.  Put in a warm place and wait for it rise until it is two to three times in bulk.  Melt the butter and mix in the oil, beating in the eggs one by one.  Add the yeast mixture little by little, all the while mixing well.  Add the flour and whisk to form a soft, sticky elastic dough.  Leave in a warm place to rise until double in bulk.  Punch down, pour into a well buttered brioche tin (loaf tin is fine) and let the dough rise in a warm place.  Bake until golden brown in a moderately hot oven (175˚C for 45-50 min). You may brush the top with egg or milk, if you wish it to have a glossy surface.  Allow about 2 hours preparation for this (mostly rising time).

Variation:

Savoury Brioche-of-Sorts (“Fioche”)

The brioche can be made savoury by sprinkling on the bottom of the baking dish with chopped, dried rosemary, parsley, thyme, marjoram, dill, mixed herbs, rock salt, pepper and paprika, before pouring in the dough.  Grated cheese may be incorporated into the dough.  Once the brioche has almost baked, sprinkle grated parmesan and gouda mixed with herbs on the top of it and continue baking until golden brown.  This makes a very light savoury bread, a “fioche” (a cross between a foccacia and a brioche)!

Variation:

Alternatively, the brioche can be made into a baba-of-sorts by preparing some syrup and pouring it on top.  Serve with lashings of whipped cream.

Baba-of-Sorts

Syrup

3 glassfuls of water

3 glassfuls of sugar

2 teaspoonfuls vanilla essence

2 tablespoonfuls of kirsch

Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Boil the sugar and water and add the vanilla essence.  Boil until the syrup has set (test by dropping some syrup into cold water; it is ready if it forms a little globule).  Remove from the heat and add the liqueur, and the lemon juice stirring well.  Pour the very hot syrup over the cold brioche.  Allow to cool and serve with whipped cream flavoured with Cointreau and garnish with orange peel strips.

Share your own favourite recipes by using the Linky tool below: