Simple Brioche

I love brioche because it is easy to make, easy to tweak, and great for almost anything: on it's own, smeared with peanut butter, soaked in egg for french toast, as hamburger buns, grilled with cheese, toasted with condensed milk, for bread pudding, left stale for croutons, you can easily be creative!

It is a basic bread that includes egg, butter, and milk to give an even and smooth texture and flavour. The higher the egg/butter content, the fluffier and more pastry like. The pores in the bread are smaller and almost looks like the cross-section slice of cake.

Dough:
2 tsp bread machine yeast
100 mL whole milk, room temperature
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar (I use white sugar but it also works with brown)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
Egg wash on dough surface


Dissolve yeast in milk and let bubble for 5 mins. Add flour, salt, sugar, eggs, and butter and mix until homogeneous and smooth, about 10 minutes. Let proof for several hours. (One thing I love about baking during Toronto summers is that the humidity and heat allows the dough to rise in half the time)

Knead on a large working area for about 5 minutes and shape on a baking sheet. Let proof once more for about 1 hr. Brush with egg wash.

Preheat oven to 350 F and bake for 30 - 35 mins or until golden on the outside and has a hollow sound when tapped.