Day 5: Let them eat...Brioche!

Today it was time for me to attempt my first bread of the course! Unlike many of the other pastries I’ve been baking, bread is a very, very old practice. Bread baking began at least 10,000 years ago, in the form of flatbreads or other hard loaves. Modern bread examples were found in Egypt and Mesopotamia. In Rome, bread was thought of as more important than meat, and all over Europe bread became a very important part of society, and was a big determinant of the class of a person. The quality of bread was decided by its color: if a bread was darker, it was for the lower class, and if it was lighter, it was for the higher class. Why? Because the higher quality the flour, the brighter the bread would be, so the lighter loaves were more expensive. Bread became one of the driving forces behind the French revolution as the lower classes believed they should be able to get the same quality bread and grains as the nobles. There were also bread and grain shortages that led to riots, so overall bread caused a lot of drama for the country. Today bread is still held to its high standards and there are even regulations put on the bread. For example, French bread must always have the same ingredients to be classified as such, and the only thing that can be varied is the quantity of each. Because of these regulations many other types of bread have been created. 

Including...Brioche! 

What is brioche? Brioche is commonly thought of as a pretty fancy and ‘rich’ bread. It’s sort of a cross between a bread and a cake. In fact the Marie Antoinette quote, “Let them eat cake,” can more accurately be translated to, “Let them eat brioche.” While most breads use yeast, flour, salt and water, brioche uses milk and lots of eggs. There’s a little bit of science behind this, and that is what gives brioche its signature fluffy textures. 

Butter has a somewhat high melting point, so it's often used in bread to create a smoother inside. In brioche there is more butter than in other breads, and it helps to move the flour particles around so it ends up smooth, and the butter also surrounds air bubbles which helps keep the bread fresh. Butter is added towards the end of the dough making process so it doesn’t mess up the formation of the gluten, but still melts when the bread is baked. 

Eggs are equally important to brioche. The yolk has a high fat content so acts similarly to butter, but it also helps with the moisture content. The protein from the eggs also reacts with the sugars giving the bread the beautiful brown color. 

In France especially, brioche is consumed at all hours of the day. Whether it’s for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a sandwich for lunch, it is a staple in many French households. This is a contrast to when it was first gaining popularity and was only used for special occasions such as weddings, communions, and baptisms. Although many regions have made subtle changes in flavor, it is always made with high quality ingredients. Some of the variations change the shape of the brioche, while others have adaptations to the flavor. The Briochette is an individual version of the brioche, which is customizable in flavor and easier to carry and sell. The Parisian brioche is one of the most popular varieties with a ribbed outside--it looks a little bit like a cupcake--and the brioche Tressée (one of the versions I made) is braided.

Brioche is thought to have been invented by the Normand vikings in the North-West region of France (Normandy) around the 1400s. They had figured out how to make butter, and were expanding the use of this technique. The word brioche either comes from the french word brier from the old normand language meaning “to grind,” or from the words bris and hocher meaning to knead and to stir. Normandy is still the most famous region producing brioche, but Gisors and Gournay are also popular because of the high quality butter that can be found there. 

For my brioche today I went with a simple version and shaped it into a Naintase loaf (the bubble topped one) and a braided loaf.

I began by making the dough, which includes a very important first step of letting the yeast activate in warm milk. This step ensures that the yeast is working and is not expired, and that for non-instant yeast, it is bubbling and ready to raise the dough. Next I added the flour, eggs, and vanilla to create a soft, pillowy dough, before using the mixer to knead. Once kneaded for a few minutes I was ready to add the butter. The butter needs to be added in increments to ensure that each time it is completely incorporated into the dough. After it was sufficiently kneaded it was time for the first proof. 

Proofing the dough when baking is a critical step, allowing the dough to double in size so you don’t end up with a brick of bread. The warmer the temperature, the quicker this process will go, so I was able to get it down in about two hours. Next I reshaped the dough into a ball and  put it in the fridge for a second round of proofing. Although the refrigeration proofing method (called retard proofing) takes longer, it makes the dough easier to work with when it comes time to shape the loaves. 

Now onto the exciting step of shaping! After dividing the dough in two, I created eight portions from one half and 3 from the other. The 3 portions I rolled into ropes then braided them together, while the eight portions I rolled into little bubbles and placed them in the pan. Then it was time for one last proof! After two hours--that felt like an eternity--my bread was ready to bake. Although it did not rise quite as much as I was expecting, it was still somewhat bigger than it had started, so I decided that I had been patient for long enough and was ready to put them in the oven. Before baking I applied a quick egg wash, which, like I mentioned before, helps brown the loaf because of the reaction between the proteins and sugars.

Into the oven they went, and a painstaking 40 minutes later I had two beautiful brioche loaves! The patterns on top did not come out quite as pronounced as I had expected, but that wasn’t a huge problem for me because the taste was phenomenal, and I don’t think there's much that can be done about it anyway.

I can guarantee I will be making brioche again. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s tasty and can be used for so many other recipes. It makes the best French toast, bread pudding, and grilled cheese sandwiches. It truly is just a yummy bread that symbolizes the high quality of French baking. To me, it seems like maybe it was worth having a revolution over!