Baking Brioche

When you look at a bowl of brown eggs with the sunlight on them through a window, it gives you a warm feeling– like Spring, new birth, nice weather, the immediate image in your mind of chickens happily pecking in grass that is so green– It’s a thought of all things good.  And if you really think about it, the foods made with eggs seem mostly cooked for comfort foods, which “may be consumed to positively peak emotions, to relieve negative psychological effects or to increase positive feelings.”  Not only are eggs tasty and healthy on their own, but they do produce filling, wholesome foods for meals that give you that warm “at home” feeling of goodness; complete satisfaction.

This bread, made into 2 loaves, calls for 7 eggs, though 1 is for brushing over the tops before baking for a nice crunchy and flakey crust.  That’s a lot of eggs!  It’s a sweet bread, ideal for thick- sliced French toast when it’s slightly dried, stale, “day old bread”.  When this bread is fresh out of the oven, you can’t keep from tearing it open with fingers, being careful not to get burned from the steamy heat rising from such a rich, thick texture, and it needs no butter.  It’s so good.

I don’t bake bread in the summer months; I bake it in the cold heart of winter, then rosemary yeast bread and hot-cross buns at Easter.  When it’s cold in the house, freezing temperatures with the weather, I like to help warm the house with  home-baked bread in the oven.  I have to admit that it smells pretty good!  To smell it baking is just as much a comfort of being home tucked in and warm as it is eating a warm slice of it with melting butter.

I basically used to rely on any brand of flour, mainly Gold Medal, until I discovered the quality of King Arthur flour.  It’s now the only kind of flour that I use unless I want to do something completely different– like baking with rice flour, tapioca flour, and other unusual flours once in a while… but for the most part, I stick with King Arthur flour.  It’s not bleached, it’s finer, and it’s enriched.   It always produces a much better texture.

Whisk 3 1/4 cups (17 3/4 ounces) bread flour, yeast, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.  

In another bowl, whisk 6 large eggs, 1/2 cup water at room temperature, and 1/3 cup sugar.  Melt 16 tablespoons unsalted butter; cool slightly.  In a narrow stream, whisk butter into eggs until smooth.  Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon until there is form and no flour is visible.  Cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.

With fingertips, and keeping dough in the bowl, gently fold dough over itself into the middle– on each side.  Do this for a total of 8 times, 2 circular turns around the bowl, turning the bowl while working the dough into gentle folds.  Cover again and allow to rise for 30 minutes.  Repeat folding and rising every 30 minutes for 3 more times.  Then after the 4th set of folds, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.  This will benefit the rise and texture of the brioche.

After refrigeration of 16 to 24 hours, transfer the dough to a well-floured surface.  Divide into 4 sections.  Pat each dough into a 4-inch disk.  

Fold edges into the middle on every side of each disk until formed into balls.  Loosely cover balls of dough for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes of rest, turn each ball over, the seam-side facing upward, and repeat the rounding process.  

Place into buttered loaf pans.  Cover and let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours, doubled in size.  Brush tops and sides of dough with beaten egg, a pinch of salt included in the egg.  

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake some bread.