Brioche

Since my last blog entry I have made bagels twice with less than great results, a yogurt sourdough and two types of brioche. I did not want to write about the bagels because I was not happy with them, nor was I pleased with the results of the yogurt sourdough, but the brioche... the brioche deserves some exaltation.

First, a little background. Brioche is a rich bread made with milk, eggs and butter or LOADS of butter, depending on the style of brioche being made. There are three basic styles of brioche: Rich Man's, Middle Class and Poor Man's. Since butter is an expensive ingredient, the names for the styles have to do with who can afford to use more of it. I made both Rich Man's and Middle Class to see what effect a change in butter content had on the flavor, texture and overall quality of the bread. Rich Man's contains a pound of butter to about three pounds of dough, whereas the Middle Class has a half pound of butter to about three pounds of dough.

Mixing brioche by hand is quite a challenge! The dough is mixed without the butter to start, allowed a 10 minute rest so that the gluten can develop, and then loaded with butter at the end of the mixing process. The butter is added gradually, and the dough needs to be mixed until all of it is incorporated after each addition. What this adds up to is a serious shoulder workout!

I made loaves out of the dough, and I was really happy with how they came out. I ate the Rich Man's right after it came out of the oven (the smell was hard to resist) and it was a real treat! The inside was so creamy and rich with butter that it tasted just like a croissant minus the layers. The outside was flaky, rich and dark brown. It was great the first day, but stayed good for more than a week due to the significant butter content.

As for the difference between the Rich Man's and the Middle Class; it was not major. There was a difference in flavor, but not a huge one. In fact, the biggest difference that I noticed between them was that I didn't need a napkin for the Middle Class because I didn't have butter covering my hands after eating it! Both were rich, creamy and soft on the inside and flaky on the outside. Overall, I think that Middle Class will be the type I make in the future so that I can enjoy the great taste without putting too much strain on my wallet.