The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Brioche Question

Yuval35's picture
Yuval35

Brioche Question

Hello,

recentlly i am trying to improve my brioche skils.

I made 2 classic brioche receips but unfortuantlly the dough wasn`t rise enough.

finally i found another receipe from KAF which was very good in a matter of texture but the flavors was poor( in my opinion).

anyway i was searching the web for other brioche receips and found several differences and methods.

1. some of them are not using any liquid instead of butter and eggs and some of them using around 1\4 to 1\2 water\milk\orange juice.

    the receips whice i faild with them was without water. the KAF was with water which was easier to handle.

2. another issue is the butter temparature. some of them insist to use cold butter and some of them using  soft butter.

can anyone put some light about those methods ?

kimemerson's picture
kimemerson

I learned this from a French baker over 30 years ago. He learned it from his mother, who learned it from hers. He had also been one of the pastry chefs aboard the S.S. France. When I made this and sold at the local farmer's market, the French people who bought it scared me the most but also offered the highest praise of anyone. So I suspect it's a good one.

I use K.A. bread fllour

Unsalted butter, room temp .

Flour 100%

Sugar 6.5% (.066)

Salt 1/8 % (.008)

Yeast 2.2% (.022)

Water 22% (.22)

Eggs 1/8% (.008)

Butter 50% (.5)

 

Blend the flour, salt & sugar in the mixing bowl.

Disolve the years in the water and add to the flour, sugar & salt.

Beat the eggs slightly and add to the dough.

When  all the above is blended, put the mixer on high and begin adding the butter gradually, allowing each adition to become incorporated into the dough.

After all the butter has been added, continue mixing at high until the bowl comes clean. The dough should be be able to do a very nice windowpane at this point.

Remove the dough to a large bowl, cover and set out and allow to rise at least double in bulk. After the dough has risen, punch it down and give it a turn. Cover again, place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, though overnight is preferred.

After that, it's up to you.

Knock your socks off and enjoy it! I use it primarily for pain aux raisins.

dscheidt's picture
dscheidt

um.  You sure that recipe is correct?  I expect brioche to have rather more eggs than salt. 

kimemerson's picture
kimemerson

No, you're right. That's a typo. And it's not even close. Thanks for letting me know.

The eggs are about .5, or 50%.

In my experience I have known large eggs to range in weight from about 50 gr. to 65 gr. or so. So it's still an average.

For the 450 gr. of flour in this recipe, I use 4 large eggs. Frankly, I don't weigh eggs. Just knowing their average weight and their % is good enough.

(Also note in the above recipe I mean to say add the yeast - not the years - to the water. Adding years just takes too long.)

So, to recap:

Flour 100%

Eggs  Approx. 45% - 50% (.45 -.5)

Butter 50% (.5)

Water 22% (.22)

Sugar 6.5% (.066)

Yeast 2.2% (.022)

Salt 1/8 % (.008)

 

TuzaHu's picture
TuzaHu

can someone put this is measurements?  is the 100% based on the flour and the eggs butter are 50% of the flour amount?

I'm scratching my pointed little head trying to figure this out

kimemerson's picture
kimemerson

I measure exclusively by weight. It's absolutely accurate whereas volume - especially of dry ingredients - can vary.

Using the baker's percentage, flour is 100% and all other ingredients are based on that 100%. Whatever your flour weighs, is assigned the value of 100% and all else is a percentage of that weight. So, 450 gr. of flour = 100%.  50% of that 450 would be 225 gr. If an egg weighs 55 gr., four of them is short of a full 50% but for me it's close enough.

And follow it down.I have rounded out amounts. so that, 99 gr. water is shown as 100 gr. etc. And yes, I weigh the water

450 gr. flour = 100%

4 eggs = 50% (more or less)

225 gr. butter = 50%

100 gr. water = .22%

30 gr. sugar = 6.5%

10 gr. yeast = 2.2%

4 gr. salt = 1/8%

 

Does this help at all?

 

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

The "Handbook" tab at the top of every page here is very helpful in explaining some of the terminology used here, and also covers a lot of other "bread basics".

Handbook > Bread basics > Baker's Math:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/handbook/baker039s-math

Welcome, and good luck.