Making your own bread at home is so tempting! Buttery, sweet and delicious, brioche is easier to make than you might think.
You can replace the apricots in this recipe with apples, plums, nectarines, peaches or any other seasonal fruits. Good as a sweet bread, brioche can also be used in place of plain bread when making bread and butter pudding.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
8 tbsp soft unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2-3 apricots, sliced
2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
Makes two breads
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is just lukewarm. Pour the milk into a small bowl and whisk in the yeast. Use a spoon to stir in 1 cup of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until it is bubbly and slightly risen, about 20 minutes.
Combine the butter, sugar and two eggs in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or dough blade. Pulse until the butter is finely chopped and equally distributed throughout the mixture, which will appear curdled and separated.
Pour the yeast mixture into the food processor and pulse few times to mix. Add a cup of the remaining flour and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Add the rest of the flour and pulse again until well mixed.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it a few times. With your hands divide the dough into two balls and these balls with a knife into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thick, even rope about 30cm long.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place all six ropes lengthwise on the sheet, with about 2cm between them. To make the braided brioces, start by placing the ends of each rope on top of one another and start braiding by lifting one rope over the other. Don’t forget to stuff apricot slices and chocolate chips into the dough while braiding. Tuck both ends of the braid underneath and lightly press.
Cover the braids for another hour until doubled in size. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C and prepare to bake the braids on the middle rack. Just before baking, brush the braids lightly all over with egg wash from the remaining egg. Bake until the bread is well risen and beautifully golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.
Jurgita Vaskel is a food blogger. Visit her blog at duonosirzaidimu.wordpress.com
