SOURDOUGH BRIOCHE BREAD

A friend recently shared a recipe that I had to make. It uses sourdough starter and is a brioche style of bread. My friend uses a baguette baker to make several small loaves from this dough. The recipe makes one loaf, about a one kg size loaf. In the ingredient list, I provided two kinds of measurements for the ingredients. I used a scale for measuring everything except the dry yeast and salt and used a teaspoon to measure those two ingredients.

The dough mixture doesn't use a lot of sourdough starter, about 1/3 cup. I fed a bit of starter the day before and left it overnight on the kitchen counter to activate and get bubbly. I highly recommend using a mixmaster to knead the bread. I think it is far easier to knead the texture of this bread with some powered help. I decided to use small baking loaf pans to bake the bread. You could use a baguette baker, Emil Henry or other kinds of bakeware. As I read the baking directions rather quickly the first time, I didn't realize you needed to save the beaten egg that is used as a glaze as you glaze twice, before and after the second rise. After I glazed it for the second rise, I cooked the remaining beaten egg in the microwave and the dog enjoyed some cooked egg. I then had to crack another egg and slightly beat it to glaze the breads before baking.

The breads rose nicely in the three small loaf pans. Because of an errand that I had to do while the dough was rising for the second time, it was left to rise for over three hours. It worked out fine with the extra rising time. As difficult as it might be, it is recommended that you let the bread cool on a rack before slicing into it. While cooling, the smell of the bread was intoxicating. The bread has a wonderful texture and lightness and tastes as good as it smells. 

Starting to mix the dough batter.

After kneading using a mixmaster.

After the first rising.

Cutting the dough into three portions.

Starting the second rise.

Just out off the oven.

Cooling on a rack.

Starting to sample the bread

Prep and Cooking Time:

Mixing and kneading: 15 minutes
First rising: 60 minutes
Second rising: 90 minutes to 2 hours
Baking: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
500 gm (4 cups) flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
135 gm (1/2 cup) room temperature water
3 eggs
75 gm (1/3 cup) sourdough starter
2 tsp dry yeast
10 gm (2 tsp salt)
25 gm (1/4 cup) dry milk powder
35 gm (almost 1/4 cup) sugar
75 gm (1/3 cup) softened butter, plus extra for greasing the pans

Glaze:
1 egg, slight beaten

DIRECTIONS:
It is best to knead this bread using a stand mixmaster with a bread hook attachment. You can do it by hand but it is far easier to use a bread hook.

Put the flour, water, eggs, sourdough starter, dry yeast, salt, milk powder and sugar into the mixmaster bowl with the dough hook attachment. Knead for five minutes at low speed, then 6 minutes at high speed. Add the butter and knead for another four minutes. 

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a ball on a cutting board dusted with flour. Cover it with a slightly dampened kitchen towel. Leave it to rise for an hour. 

Dust a work surface such as a large cutting board or your counter with flour. Butter two or three small loaf pans. I used 8.5 X 4.5 inch pans. Divide the dough into two or three equal pieces depending on the number of pans you are using. Fold each piece over itself and roll between your hands to shape it into a small loaf. Place each one into a loaf pan. 

Brush the dough with the slightly beaten egg. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and cover the group of them with a large kitchen towel. If you have cold counters such as granite, I place the pans on a cutting board to sit on the counter. Let the dough rise for at least 90 minutes. I would let it rise for over two hours especially if making smaller loaves. 

Place a small or medium sized baking sheet with at least one inch sides on the bottom shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the brioche with the slightly beaten egg. Just before putting the bread pans into the oven, pour at least 1/4 cup of water onto the preheated baking sheet. The water will help steam the bread while baking.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bread sit for a few minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool. 

Adapted from 'The Larousse Book of Bread" by  Eric Kayser