Anyway, my brother sent me Ruhlman's recipe for brioche and it did not look nearly as terrifying as I thought it would. If you follow the directions exactly, you really can't screw this one up. I am shocked with how amazing it turned out. This bread literally melts in your mouth. Toast a slice and shmear it with butter, jam, or a hunk of foie gras. I'm gonna use my loaf to make banana french toast and croque madames for the next couple days. Mmmm, croque madames.
Addison's Brioche
Recipe from http://www.ruhlman.com/
1 package active dry yeast (.25 ounces/7 grams)
3 ounces milk
1 pound bread flour (About 3 3/4 cups if you do not have a scale)
Three fingered pinch of salt
2.5 ounces sugar (about 1/4 cup)
5 eggs
12 ounces butter (three little sticks, each cut into four pieces. make sure butter is room temp.)
Combine milk and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add about 1/4 of the flour (a scant cup) and mix it well with the dough hook. Allow this mixture to sit for one hour to ferment.
Add the salt, sugar, eggs and the remaining flour. Mix until the dough forms and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
Add the butter one chunk at a time until it’s all been incorporated and a smooth soft dough has formed. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise to double its volume.
Turn the dough out on floured surface and knead to deflate the dough and redistribute the yeast. Shape it to fit in what every mold your using, cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator one to two hours before baking it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the dough is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
