Easy Brioche

Last week, a package was delivered to my door.

I was not expecting a package, so this was quite a surprise.

I was even more surprised when I opened it. My friend  had sent me a present. A culmination of birthdays and Christmases and any other occasion you can think of, I think. 

I am now the (very) proud owner of a beautiful food processor.

This is a very good friend who knows me very well. And is very thoughtful. And is truly appreciated.

After thanking my friend profusely, I immediately started to search for what recipes I could now make! Holy smokes, there is so much that you can do in a food processor. Seriously, I have so many recipes bookmarked and pinned right now...

But the recipe that caught my eye as a must try was for brioche. Because... brioche? In a food processor? And the recipe says it's easy?? How in the world can that not be tried as soon as possible??

And, believe it or not, it really is easy to make!!

Aside from dissolving the yeast into some warm milk, absolutely everything about this dough is prepared right in the food processor.

And the resulting dough is beautifully soft, smooth and very sticky.

You don't even have to move the dough to let it rise! Just keep the lid on the machine and let it sit!! I couldn't believe that worked!

Now, you may remember that little miss's favorite part about baking bread is punching down the dough after it's risen. She even loves doing that with the food processor version of bread dough.

Yup! Just give it a quick pulse and it's ready to go!  Just turn the dough out onto a floured work surface (but be careful of the dough blade that gets stuck in there!! See it??)...

...and start shaping balls of dough.

The dough balls are placed into prepared loaf pans, where they rise once more...

...and that's it! Pop them into the oven for a mere 15 minutes, and you have...

...absolutely beautiful, golden, wonderful-smelling brioche bread!

And it really feels and tastes like brioche, too - a deliciously rich, smooth crumb that practically melts in your mouth with each bite.

Now I totally want to try this dough for cinnamon buns. I bet those would be delicious!!

And, in case you're wondering, I've used the food processor probably a dozen times already. In a week. I have plenty more food processor recipes to share. Because I'm totally addicted to using it.

I am a very lucky girl. 

As for this amazing friend of mine? You know who you are. You know I love you!

Easy Brioche

(from sophistimom)

1/4 cup warm milk (about 100-110 degrees)

1 package (or 1 tablespoon) instant dry yeast (I used active-dry)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

4 eggs, cold from the refrigerator, plus one for egg wash

Dissolve yeast in the milk. Fit the food processor with the dough blade (This is usually the one with shorter, blunter blades). Place 1 cup of the flour, the yeast and milk mixture, salt, sugar, and butter into the food processor. Pulse a few times until it looks mostly incorporated - it will look like a crumble topping for a pie.

With the processor on, use the feed tube to add the remaining flour and each of the eggs, one at a time. Process the mixture until the dough starts to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the power off, and let the dough rise in the food processor for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size. 

Pulse the dough a time or two to “punch it down.”

Grease two 9×5″ loaf pans. 

Take the dough and divide it into 16 equal parts. Roll each section of dough into a small ball and line the bottom of each loaf pan with 8 balls of dough. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with a teaspoon of water), if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven. Place pan on its side on a cooling rack for cooling, then remove when you feel like you’ve waited long enough, about 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.

* To make individual brioches, butter 16-20 brioche molds, or line a muffin tin with paper liners. Follow the same baking instructions as above, but reduce cooking time to 12-14 minutes.

Enjoy!

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