October 25, 2013 - 5:56pm
Brioche Video
TFLer's,
In early December, I hope to be teaching a class on 'Brioche for the Holidays' in Big Sky, MT. I thought a video would be a great preview for those interested in the class and would also function well as a review for people who take the class. I'll keep you posted on the class and if it happens I'll try to get some pics.
Anyway, in this latest video I hand-mix the dough and then shape it into the two classic shapes, brioche à tête and brioche Nanterre, plus I make a variation of the Belgian sweet bread, Craquelin. Hope you enjoy the show!
-Mark
In the video below, I made 1.5x as much and used my mixer:
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Hi Mark,
Thank you so much for this video, demonstrating your beautiful, hand-mixed brioche.
Can't wait to break out the butter and the brioche molds, and try this.
I hope everything works out for your class - really enjoyed this preview!
:^) breadsong
Thanks for the compliments! Once you're baking them again you'll remember how wonderful the smell of brioche in the oven is!
-Mark
Hi Mark,
Your video couldn't have arrived at a better time - I was planning to make babas and the dough has some similarities to brioche - so I wanted to give your process a try.
The baba dough had a little less salt and butter, a little more sugar and egg - but was mixed and fermented as shown in your video. The dough was really easy to work with and shape, cold from the fridge this morning.
Thank you so much for this mixing technique and fermentation schedule - very convenient!
Baked baba (very happy with the rise in the oven - and the aroma while baking!)
Thanks again!
:^) breadsong
That really looks spectacular and the coloring is perfect! Nice job and I'm glad that the mixing method worked well for your Babas!
-Mark
Hi Mark,
That is so kind of you to say - it means a lot coming from a talented pastry and breadmaker like you -
thank you very much!
The mixing method did work really well. It was a good dough, delighted with how these proofed, the oven spring, and the lightness after baking (all helping to make sure they soaked up
decentindecent amounts of rum syrup?!):^) breadsong
Breadsong, do you have a baba au rhum recipe you'd like to share? The photo looks delicious and I'd love to try it out!
-Mark
Hi Mark,
I'm so happy you want to try making these! The flavor was really lovely, I thought.
Here's the recipe I used :^)
The rum syrup was warm when I soaked the babas.
After soaking, I glazed them with some warmed, spiced apple jelly, although recipes I've looked at usually list apricot glaze.
Happy baking!
:^) breadsong
I will be sure to let you know when I try it out!
-Mark
Hi Mark,
You are so welcome. I would love to hear how these turn out and really hope you like them!
:^) breadsong
That's how the "mix and let sit" method works with something like brioche. Hm. Nice.
Now what you need to do is get that sheeter going and make some laminated brioche. That's good stuff.
I've be working with deadly chemicals and practicing my pretzel shaping - so let me know when you need a pretzel girl :>)
Pat
Pat,
You'd be happy (and jealous probably) to know I'll be doing some more experimenting with the sheeter during the slow season. Thought I'd try some grissini, pasta, and that kind of stuff for fun. The possibilities are endless :)
I'll bet when you're working with all of those chemicals you let out a loud MUAHHAHAH!
I have found the use of a deadly chemical drastically improves the crust on bagels. I add it to the malt water at 1% by weight, instead of the 3% solution for pretzels. The bagels come out of the oven closer to pretzel coloring, but then they went into the oven already having reached a golden brown due to the alkali induced Maillard reaction.
You definitely want good ventilation for the boiling solution.
cheers,
gary
Since I'm likely to miss your class this will have to do. Thank you. -Varda
Glad you like the tutorial. I'm sure you can manage making brioche, even without the short course :)
-Mark
Hi Mark,
I love your videos. Simplicity at it's best and this one is no exception.
I had never seen the 2 other shaping for brioche dough so you have given me something new to have fun with next time I make brioche :) Holidays rapidly approaching - like a roar just outside of my window….
Good luck with your class and I hope you are enjoying your fall this year. Ours has turned out to be very colorful despite the flooding and early snow.
Take Care,
Janet
Thanks. The loaf (Nanterre) came out really nice and quite light too. Plus I think it would be great to do with a kitchen full of 'helpers' since it's easy to shape and looks fancy.
Things are going well and I'm enjoying the fall. I think today was the last day of autumn, since we have a blizzard warning for tomorrow with 10"-20" of snow expected in the mountains and 3"-6" here in the valley. Here we go.
Take care.
-Mark
You have such a quiet confidence-it is relaxing and riveting, all at once, and ALWAYS full of knowledge. I learn something every time. Thank you for sharing these videos
Grateful regards and keep going!
It's always nice to hear the feedback of regulars here at TFL such as yourself, and I'm very happy to contribute videos to this site!
-Mark
It was so interesting to see the way you shaped the brioche, rolling the dough into the log and then spreading it for the hole to be made and tucking the end up to make the tete! I have only ever seen it made by adding a small dough ball to the larger one, and think that is clumsy in comparison! thanks for the inspiration. Hope I remember that!
I think this method works well with the small brioche à tête, although for the large ones, it might be easier to shape it forming two separate balls. Glad you enjoyed the video.
-Mark
Great video upload, Mark! thanks, and best wishes for the upcoming classes. you have rebounded, and i'm happy for you.
-Khalid
I should know in the near future about the class, and if it happens I'll ask someone to take some photos so I can share them here on The Fresh Loaf. Thank you for your compliment and well wishes and hope all is well with you.
-Mark
You make it look oh, so simple Mark. Wonderful video. Thanks!
The only brioche I've had was in the form of french toast, served with vanilla mascarpone & fresh berries. It was good, but yours looks better. Will definitely give your formula a try - but with a mixer. That dough doesn't look like the easiest to hand mix.
LOL, Northern Michigan's ahead of Belgrade on snowfall. Here's what we had October 24. Didn't even have a chance to put away my kayak paddle.
I hate when there's an early dump of snow and I'm left digging for the tools and other goodies outside, "I'm pretty sure it was around here somewhere..."
I juuuust posted a video up there at the top of the page where I'm working with the same recipe, but with my mixer, to show the difference. Yes, it's definitely easier with the mixer - just thought I'd provide a method (in the first video) for those without mixers to make brioche :)
-Mark
I have become very dependent on my mixer to get great texture on my bread by getting it to windowpane. Which is kind of funny because I started this bread journey, in part, to discover how my grandmother made legendary bread products for 12 people every week in the early 1900's. I know she had a large "mixer" but it was the bucket and crank variety and unfortunately it is gone. Legend has it she made all manner of breads and kuchen (German heritage) and layered them in a large copper boiler for keeping.I still have some of her handwritten recipes (more like notes-to-self) written in lovely tiny handwriting using a fountain pen.
You are inspiring me to revisit handmixing totally on my next brioche.
Thank you!
I too use my mixer for just about everything for convenience and efficiency, but it still is nice every once-in-a-while to mix the dough by hand. I'd like to think that working with it by hand is a sort of 'universal language', and that bakers can learn a lot about the hydration and dough development just by seeing how it behaves in my hands.
Thanks for your compliments.
-Mark
I am REALLY late to the party ! We were traveling from here in AL up to Canada and then across through upstate NY and back down the state to NYC and then NC and home. Gone almost a month . I make Pogne de Romans from Clayton's French book and it is very like a brioche. I shall give brioche a try over the holidays. I have classes scheduled for 2 different students and I am sure they would love to learn this too. Thank you for posting. I look forward to your class pics. c
Bernard Clayton is one of my favorites, although I've never made Pogne de Romans. One day I'd like to travel around like he did, visiting and working in some of the small rural bakeries - learning the local specialties and meeting the local bakers.
I hope your holidays are good ones.
-Mark
A question about the machine mix...do you rest between each of the 3 min. mix times ? I never did get around to making the brioche...would love to do it for next weeks festivities. Hope all is well in your snowy land. Our son spent the Fall in Polson MT. He loved it and is planning on coming back to live up there this next year . We will be cycling up there and definitely have your bakery on our radar :) c