500 grams | flour |
150 grams | water (4 degrees Celsius) |
100 grams | whole beaten egg |
50 grams | sugar |
25 grams | milk powder |
20 grams | fresh yeast |
8 grams | salt |
150 grams | butter (85% fat) |
250 grams | butter (85% fat) |
Transfer the flour on your worktop and make a well in the middle. Fill it with the water, the whole beaten egg, the sugar, the milk powder and the fresh yeast. Now mix it and then knead it into a firm dough for around 5 minutes. Then add the salt and knead it for another 5 minutes till it’s a nice elastic ball of dough. You can also do this in the machine. But I just wanted to show that you can do it by hand. In the machine you need to knead it for 3 minutes. Then add the salt and knead it for another 3 minutes. Now cut a cross in the dough and fold it open. Then add the 150 grams of butter and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes till all the butter is incorporated. You need to be able to pull the dough apart and see some light through the dough. Then ball it up and transfer it into a bowl. After cover it with some wrap and let it proof for 45 minutes at 25 degrees Celsius. Now gently remove the wrap and keep it for later. Then deflate the dough and ball it up again. Once that’s done cover it again and let it rest overnight in your
fridge. The next day you can place the 250 grams of butter on some parchment paper and cover it. Then roll it into a square that’s 15 by 15 centimeters. The butter I use contains 85% fat. Now
let it set in your fridge for 1 hour. Then transfer the dough on your worktop and roll it into a rectangle that 15 by 35 centimeters. Place the butter square in the middle and fold the dough on top. Make sure it’s completely closed up. Then gently roll it into a long rectangle. Don’t press to hard, otherwise the butter will break and then the layers will fall apart. Now fold the sides to the middle and then fold it once more. In total that’s 4 folds. Then turn it 90 degrees and roll it into a rectangle once more. Again don’t press to hard. Now fold the dough in three. Then cover it with some foil and let it rest in your freezer for 10 minutes and then in your fridge for 20 minutes. After that roll the dough into a sheet
that’s 5 millimeters thick and portion it into a desired size. You can see all the beautiful layers. Now shape it into the desired shape. I like this zigzag pattern, but it's also nice to roll it up. Then transfer the dough into a baking tray and when necessary, fix the shape. Now fill a bowl with hot water and place it in your oven. Put the brioche in there as well and then let it proof for 60 to 90 minutes at 27 degrees Celsius till it has double in size. Then bake them at 170 degrees Celsius till the core has a temperature of 94 degrees Celsius. Once baked brush a thin layer of melted butter on top. This will create a beautiful shine. Then remove the brioche from the baking trays and let them cool down completely. It’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the outside.