Brioche s'il vous plaît

One of Andrew's constant complaints about Central Pennsylvania is there aren't any good french bakeries (if you know of any, let us know!). He loves brioche and is sad that there are no local sources...well until now! Because I am the world's best girlfriend I told him that I would try to bake some. I have been baking regular yeast bread for years, so figured that it would not be too much of stretch. I got a recipe out of the Joy of Cooking and had at it. I am not including the recipe here, because I assume that most of you have or have access to a copy of this book. If not, GET ONE!!! It is a must have and has saved my butt on several occasions.

In the recipe, they say that the dough is a little sticky and not to worry. Ok, a little sticky is a bit of an understatement. And, yes, I was worried. It had no shape whatsoever when it first was mixed together and even after adding some more flour would have been impossible to knead. My second little setback was that I didn't realize that the dough required a few hours refrigeration. The plan was to make these for breakfast, but oh well. After three hours in the fridge the dough doubled nicely and they were a nice afternoon treat.

Looking back, they were pretty easy to make and relatively fool proof. If you are having a brunch or just feel like a special breakfast, make these. Not exactly health food, but a nice treat.

Get some good butter, good jam and runny cheese and be transported to a cafe on the Seine.


photography by Andrew of Falling Leaves Photography