sprinklefingers

well, hello again.
it’s the weekend! make brioche!

yesterday we discussed the various uses for loaves of brioche.
today we’re breaking free of the loaf pan and focusing on some of the other delicious edibles that can come from a batch of brioche dough.

start thinking magical thoughts and pretend there’s a batch of brioche dough sitting in your refrigerator. now, walk to the fridge and pull it out. then do the following:

cinnamon rolls:

you need:

• one batch of brioche dough
• 6 T unsalted butter, melted
• one cup cinnamon sugar

make the rolls:

1. on a floured surface, roll the dough out until it’s a rectangle that’s approximately 1/3” thick.
2. brush the dough all over with the butter - right up to the edges. the butter need not be thick - you’re just giving the cinnamon sugar something to stick to.
3. sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the dough.
4. starting at one of the short ends of the dough, use your hands and a bench scraper to gently ease the dough off the counter. start rolling the dough onto itself and keep rolling until you get a bat. a bat of brioche.
5. using a sharp serrated knife, slice the bat into 12 rounds. place the rounds, cut side up, into a well-buttered 9x13” pan. scrape any cinnamon sugar that spilled out off the counter and sprinkle onto the rolls. cover the pan with a lint-free towel and place in a warm spot for 1.5 hrs. they will double in size.
6. preheat the oven to 350.
7. bake the cinnamon rolls for 15-20 minutes or until golden. warning: your rolls will be gigantic, and that’s okay.
8. let cool slightly and then eat at least 3 of them yourself.

look! a photo of actual brioche cinnamon rolls!

… … the splendiferous array continues … …

doughnuts

1. roll your brioche dough out so that it’s approximately 1/2” thick. a bit thinner is fine.
2. using a doughnut cutter (2” is good) cut as many doughnuts out of the dough as possible. you can re-roll your scraps once, but i wouldn’t re-roll any more than once.
3. move the cut doughnuts to a sheet tray and cover with a lint-free towel. let rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
4. in a deep pot, heat 3-4 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees.
5. fry 2-3 doughnuts at a time - 1 minute per side until golden - then remove them to paper towels to drain.
6. toss the doughnuts (and holes!) in cinnamon sugar. plain granulated sugar works just fine, too.

faux-churros

1. roll the brioche dough into a rectangle approximately 1/2” thick.
2. slice the dough into sticks that are about 4” long by 3/4” wide.
3. move the sticks to a sheet tray and cover with a lint-free towel. let rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
4. in a deep pot, heat 3-4 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees.
5. fry 2-3 faux-churros at a time - 1 minute per side until golden - then remove them to paper towels to drain.
6. toss the faux-churros in cinnamon sugar.

brioche buns

1. divide the dough into 12 pieces of equal weight (yes, use your scale.)
2. cup your hand over a piece of dough and gently roll it into a ball. place on a sheet tray. repeat for the rest of the pieces.
3. cover the dough balls with a lint-free towel and place in a warm spot for about an hour. they should at least double in bulk.
4. preheat the oven to 350.
5. whisk together two eggs and two pinches of salt. (you want to do a very good job of whisking here to break the egg up completely.)
6. brush the above egg mixture on each bun, making sure to do an even job of it if you want perfect buns.
7. bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
8. use a burger/sandwich buns OR make these.
9. these freeze really, really well. while still a tad warm, wrap any buns you want to freeze in a double layer of foil. they’ll keep in the freezer for 3 months. when you’re ready for buns, just remove them from the freezer and let sit at room temp until unfrozen.

and more:

you can also use brioche as a tart shell. you portion the dough, roll the portions out into circles, fold up the edges a bit and then partially bake them at 350 for about 10 minutes. next, top the shells with literally whatever you want - cheese, fruit, salami, whatever - and bake them for 10-12 more minutes until done.

you can also fully bake the shells and then top with a filling that doesn’t require further baking.

here’s a snap of some of my latest brioche tarts featuring brie, prosciutto and sauteed apples:



oh my god, i’m going to take a nap. all this brioche talk has tired me out.