06.Aug.2011 Brioche À Gogo

Before I start babbling about brioche: I’m aware there was a big ad problem on the site, some hacking job apparently. I believe it’s all taken care of now.
Please let me know if you see anything out of whack? More out of whack than usual, I mean.
If there’s anything I’ve been reminded of thanks to this, it’s that you need to make sure the plugins you use are up to date. If you don’t use them, remove them.
Stick to using themes from trusted sources. Change your passwords often and make them so infuriatingly complicated you have to write them down to remember them.
Finally: backups, backups, backups.
Join me in hoping there’s a commando of karma monsters with their sharp, pointy teeth at the ready to better chomp on the butts of those who do that kind of crap.

About the food now: I wasn’t pulling your leg when I said I’ve been briocheing rather frantically lately. So much so that it’s apparently become a verb in this house.
From the top: brioche waffles with amaretto-flavored agave nectar, sliced standard loaf, mini brioches, mini brioche loaf in the background, whole standard loaf and oh, you can even make stuffed French toast wiz eet.

All brioched out? Maybe. I’m not saying that if I ever see brioche again, my first reaction will be to punch it in its buttery face, but…no: we’re good, we’re good.

There are so many ways to shape this dough that I added them all in the instructions. I trust you will sound the alarm if anything doesn’t make sense.
Follow the instructions rather religiously because batter dough is a bit moodier than regular yeast dough.

If anyone reads the ingredient list and is preparing themselves to go all oh no you didn’t! on me due to the amount of yeast, know that I’ve tried it in various ways, but I’ve found that using less yeast sadly kinda nips the buttery flavor in the bud. And it’s not plain white bread we’re looking for here.

Couple of notes:
This is not a dough that can be kneaded by hand, it’s too sticky and would require so much extra flour that the buttery flavor would be but a sad memory. Feel free to use a bread machine (dough setting) or a food processor (with the dough blade) if you don’t have a stand mixer.
The fridge time is not optional – it helps the dough develop its flavor, and also improves the texture. No shortcuts, s’il vous plaît.

Brioche

1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
1/2 cup (120 ml) full-fat coconut milk at room temperature
3 tablespoons (36 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour (pretty please, weigh the flour instead of measuring)
1 tablespoon (12 g) instant yeast
4 tablespoons (56 g) cold nondairy butter
Non-stick cooking spray

Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water to it and stir to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons (90 ml) water, and bring to a boil either in the microwave (be sure to use a deep microwave-safe bowl, as the mixture will have a tendency to bubble up) for 1 minute, or in a small saucepan until it is slightly gelatinous and cloudy, about 1 minute. Set aside and let cool completely before using, preferably in the fridge. It will become a bit thicker as it cools.

Thoroughly combine cooled cornstarch mixture, milk, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Add flour and yeast on top. Mix on medium speed for 2 whole minutes, starting the countdown once the ingredients are starting to combine.
Add butter, 1 tablespoon (14 g) at a time, as it mixes. Once the full 1/4 cup (56 g) of butter has been slowly added and you’ve taken the time to place the tub of butter back into the fridge, let the mixer work the dough on medium-high speed for a total of 4 minutes, making sure to push the straying butter down with a spatula if it sticks to the higher sides of the bowl. Do not worry if the dough looks a greasy, wet mess when you add the butter, it will come together as it gets mixed.

Keep in mind the dough will look like batter, be sticky and not form a ball even when it is done mixing. Gather it in the center of the bowl with a rubber spatula, tightly cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let stand 45 minutes in a not-too-hot, not-too-cold and not-too-drafty room. Don’t worry about it having doubled or not after those 45 minutes, as they mostly serve to ensure the dough is moist and well.

Use a rubber spatula to gently deflate the dough, and gather it in the center of the bowl again.

Tightly cover with plastic wrap again and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 18 hours is best. The dough should be really cold and stiff.

Use a rubber spatula to gently deflate the stiff dough again.

To make a standard loaf: Place the dough in an 8 x 4-inches (20 x 10-cm) (no larger than that, slightly smaller is even better!) greased loaf pan. Slightly moisten your hands, and gently smooth out the top if needed. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours (this will depend on how cold the dough is and on the room temperature), until about doubled.

Be careful to slowly remove the plastic wrap from the dough as it might stick a little. Do not rip it like a Band-Aid!
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Bake the brioche for 10 minutes and lower the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), baking the brioche for another 15 to 20 minutes, until it reaches a deep golden brown color on top.

Carefully remove from the pan, transfer onto a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.

To make 2 mini loaves: Lightly coat two mini (5 3/4 x 3 inches [14 x 8 cm]) loaf pans with spray. Divide the dough into 8 (71-g) portions, shape them into rounds and place 4 in each mini loaf: they will be snug but that’s just fine. Slightly moisten your hands, and gently smooth out the top if needed. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours (this will depend on how cold the dough is and on the room temperature), until about doubled.

Be careful to slowly remove the plastic wrap from the dough as it might stick a little. Do not rip it like a Band-Aid!
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Bake for 10 minutes and lower the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), baking for another 15 minutes, or until the tops reach a deep golden brown color. Loosely cover with foil if the tops brown up too quickly.

Carefully remove from the pans, transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

To make mini brioches: Divide the dough into 8 (about the size of a large golf ball, 71 g each), shape it into a round and place in eight 3-1/2-inch (9-cm) lightly greased brioche pans. Slightly moisten your hands, and gently smooth out the top if needed. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours (this will depend on how cold the dough is and on the room temperature), until doubled. Let stand 1 hour.

Be careful to slowly remove the plastic wrap from the dough as it might stick a little. Do not rip it like a Band-Aid!
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Bake the mini brioches for 10 minutes and lower the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), baking the brioches for another 6 minutes, or until their tops reach a deep golden brown color. Loosely cover with foil if the tops brown up too quickly.

Carefully remove from the pans, transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

To make waffles: This one is a bit trickier because everyone’s waffle irons are different. I use 1/2 cup of batter per 2 large rectangles on mine, and it works just fine. Most manufacturers say the batter should not cover more than 2/3 of the surface, but this one swells up a bit because of the yeast and you won’t be able to spread it when you add it on the iron, since it’s the pressing down of the machine that will take care of the spreading. So play around with the first waffle, then you’ll figure out what size works best for your own iron.

Divide the dough into 4 (if you have a big waffle iron), 6 or 8 (if you have a small, standard waffle iron) portions. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and bring the dough back to room temperature for approximately 1 hour.

Follow the waffle iron manufacturer’s instructions, coating with cooking spray in between each waffle, once the machine has been sufficiently preheated. Add a portion of dough onto the iron. Don’t try to flatten the dough, it won’t work. Just place the ball of dough in the center of the iron, press the iron closed for a few beats, and let it bake for about 4 to 6 minutes until golden brown and the dough on the side is cooked through. For extra crispness, toast the waffles again before eating.

To make sandwich/burger rolls: Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Shape them into balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Be careful to slowly remove the plastic wrap from the dough as it might stick a little. Do not rip it like a Band-Aid!
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Bake the rolls for 10 minutes and lower the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), baking the rolls for another 6 minutes, or until their tops reach a deep golden brown color.

Transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 10 slices or 8 mini brioches or 2 mini loaves or about 6 to 8 waffles or 4 large sandwich/burger rolls