sprinklefingers

it’s friday. tomorrow’s saturday. what does that mean? well, for starters, if you have the weekend off, it means you have plenty of time to try your first batch of brioche.

now, for the sake of this post, let’s pretend you did bake brioche. and that you’re not mad at me for assuming you have weekends off.  magically, you now have two loaves of the stuff. what are you going to do with it?

to begin, unless you’re having company, i suggest you freeze one of the loaves. double-wrap it in foil and label it and freeze it. preferably while it’s still a bit warm. and with the remaining loaf, do this:

thomas keller-style brioche grilled cheese:

• preheat your oven to 350.
• using your best bread knife, slice off enough slabs of brioche to get two 1/3” thick slices per serving.
• slice up a chunk of gruyere cheese - you want medium-thin slices, enough to completely cover one slice of brioche.
• heat up your frying pan or griddle. medium is best.
• slide a hunk of butter into the warm pan. when it is melted and bubbly (and maybe browning a bit,) place the bottom slice of brioche in the pan, top with the cheese and then top with the remaining slice of brioche. (repeat for all sandwiches that will fit in the pan, duh.)
• cook the sandwich until golden on both sides. this won’t take long, so watch that they don’t burn.
• remove the sandwiches from the frying pan and place them on a baking sheet. spread 1 teaspoon of butter on the top of each sandwich and then slide the sheet tray into the oven. bake until the cheese is completely melted and the sandwiches are toasted.

these sandwiches are best served with a simple tomato soup or a veggie-filled salad.

egg in a brioche basket:

• for each serving, slice one 1/2” slab of brioche from the loaf.
• set a frying pan over medium heat and add a hunk of butter to the pan.
• while the butter is melting, place one slice of brioche on a cutting surface and use a biscuit cutter or a juice glass that’s smaller than the slice of bread itself to cut a small hole out of the center of the bread. (save that circle! or stuff it in your mouth right now like i do!) repeat this step for all servings.
• place the bread-with-the-hole-in-the-middle in the pan and let it cook until the bottom is golden.
• flip the bread over and crack an egg into the center hole of each slice.
• cook until the egg is finished and the bottom of the brioche is golden.
• remove from the pan and serve.

i like eggs in brioche baskets with a side of bacon.

brioche french toast:

breakfast is made perfect with brioche french toast, trust me.
i posted a recipe just a few days ago, and you can find it here.

brioche toasts with bacon drippings:

i like to serve these brioche toasts when my dinner menu features something light - like a salad.

• preheat the oven to 350.
• slice the brioche into 1/2” thick slabs.
• brush each slab generously with reserved bacon drippings (you have these in your fridge, right? just heat them up until liquidy then brush on the bread!)
• place the brioche slabs onto a sheet tray and bake until golden.
• slice the slabs diagonally and serve alongside the salad. alternatively you could slice the toasted brioche into 1” chunks and sprinkle them on a salad or soup - best crouton, ever.

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i’ll be back tomorrow with some ideas for your brioche dough...we’ll discuss the world of non-loaf options! think sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, tarts, doughnuts and more…