The French name: brioche à tête refers to its shape (“tête” means head). The classic brioche is baked in a traditional round, fluted mold with a small “head” on top. It’s often simply called Brioche Parisienne.
For best results please use European style butter, like Plugrá, Finlandia or Kerrygold.
Brioche à Tête (Brioche Parisienne)
Ingredients
- 400 g / 14.1 oz plain wheat flour (all-purpose flour)
- 20 g / 0.7 oz fresh baker’s yeast, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz whole milk, lukewarm
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 150 g / 5.3 oz butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk, whisked
Method
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Place flour in a large mixing bowl and form a small mold in the middle. Crumble the yeast into it, add sugar and milk. Stir it slightly and sprinkle with a little bit of flour. Set aside until the yeast is activated and forms bubbles (this process takes about 10 – 15 minutes).
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Add salt, butter, and eggs. Using a stand or hand mixer, fitted with kneading hooks, mix all ingredients until you have a soft and smooth dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for approx. 1h., until it has doubled its size.
- Grease a brioche mold (22–24cm Ø) with butter (you can substitute a brioche mold with a round cake baking pan). Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F.
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Transfer the dough onto a flour-dusted workspace and briefly knead by hand. Pinch off about 1/4 of the dough and form it into a small ball. Form the remaining 3/4 of the dough into a ball and place it in the greased brioche mold, smooth side up. Press a small depression in the middle and place the small ball (tête) in it. Let it rise again for approx. 30 minutes, then brush with the whisked egg yolk.
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Bake for about 45 minutes in the middle of the oven. Take out, cool slightly, remove from the mold and let it cool down completely on a cooling rack.
[…] than a simple wheat bread but not as sweet as a brioche. I reserve this bread for weekend breakfasts with the family. Butter, strawberry jam or Nutella are […]