Best French toast ever
I never used to think brioche was that special. Until I made this brioche loaf this weekend and just felt I had to share the recipe. It makes a high, light, golden loaf of the most amazing brioche I've ever tasted. Forget bakery brioche, this stuff is amazing. It smells so rich and buttery, even days after it's made, and it still tasted fresh three days later (if yours can last that long!)
The recipe is apparently originally from Fleischman's Yeast but I couldn't find the recipe on the Fleishman's website. I mixed together the milk, water, egg, sugar and softened butter in the pan before putting in the dry ingredients. Use the "sweet bread" cycle if you have it.
* 3 large eggs
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1/3 cup milk (70º to 80ºF)
* 3 tablespoons water (70º to 80ºF)
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups bread flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
And of course, the best way to eat brioche is in pain perdu, or French Toast! Mix together about 1 egg per 1/4c milk, 1 or 2T sugar, small dash of vanilla and pinch of nutmeg (this will just coat two tall slices). Dip the bread slices in the egg mix (don't let it soak too long) and cook in a buttered pan. It'll be so rich and divine you won't need a thing on it - doesn't need maple syrup, butter, or anything more.
I just wish I'd taken a picture to share!
Perhaps the title of this post should be 'Best French Toast I've ever had'.... That's what I had a couple of days ago. It started with Hamelman's challah, and I used the French Toast recipe from 'America's Test Kitchen'. That recipe was a lot more complicated than what I've done it the past, and I didn't have enough vanilla, so I used some cognac. All in all, a very successful outcome!
Challah would make a great French toast too. I just checked the Test Kitchen French Toast recipe, I've never seen someone put flour into the batter, what was that like?
A bit of cognac is a nice grown-up touch.
I usually put cinnamon in my batter but decided to try a pinch of nutmeg instead and I have to say I prefer it. There's just something about nutmeg and eggs.
I made this for my foody, bread-loving friends in Waimea a day or so ago and they were as delighted with the results as was I. As French Toast, it has an amazing melt-in-your-mouth quality that I've been unable to duplicate with any other recipe before. And to me, the most remarkable thing was the amount of rise that the bread had while baking.
I have a pretty underwhelming, elderly Pilsbury bread machine that I picked up for $10 at a church rummage sale. And the recipe as written completely filled the nominal 2 lb baking container! Holy Smokes! Then fried in a little butter and with local fruit jams or honey on top this bread was the best. I can't wait to have my grandchildren try it out this summer...
Mahalo's (thanks) melbournebread - keep 'em coming!
aloha,
Dave Hurd, Hilo, Hawaii
I'm so glad the recipe worked for you! You're right, it rises up into such a gorgeous high crown doesn't it.
I should share that I made this a second time, exact same recipe as far as I could tell, and it came out all wrong. The top was flat as a pancake, it had lost that melt-in-your mouth goodness and the crumb was tough and dry. I've done a bit of searching and I think it rose too fast and collapsed which means either too much yeast or too much water ... I'm still a novice though so not 100% sure. I'll have to keep an eye on it next time!
It broke a little on me at the crown... but I slightly beat the eggs - added buttermilk. I have had it fail... my bad old yeast... didn't quite pull it off... so yeah - solid recipe in my book. I play with it and add this and add that but for the most part - this brioche turns out pretty consistent...
I had a life eating Pound English cake and never really understood the meaning of the game of tastes or French cuisine, until I decided to try it out cooking out something like this recipe and really it had another dull taste and very interesting. I was tempted really bad and nearly I was throwing away my pound cake habit for a French art cake.