Brioche Odyssey Pt. 3

Why Brioche?  What is so special about this eggy-buttery flaky dough?  Other doughs are similar but lacking in depth of flavor.  Puff pastry and Danish dough are made in similar fashion using the roll, fold, turn and rest technique to incorporate butter which creates the leavening agent to rise and make so many thousand flaky layers.  Puff and Danish dough are like flaky pie dough on buttery steroids. There is no yeast, milk or egg in the original sponge or starter so it has less flavor and more incredible texture.   When first starting Brioche, there is an awakening of the sleeping yeast with a tasty snack of sugar (lactose in the milk), eggs, flour and in a warm safe environment.  That first step is what all the difference is in flavor. Yeast changes everything. Brioche has one the ability to transform itself into a tasty roll or loaf and still become an incredible pastry or breakfast treat.  It is versitile and undiscovered.

On a spiritual level, this dough reaches into my inner core.  It requires patience, discipline, faith and prayer to know that all your efforts will pay off.  For me, it is my personal Lord of The Rings trilogy.  The goal is identical: Save mankind from the horrors of___(insert demon here.)______.  My spiritual mission is to save the world from the torture of eating terrible sticky buns.  Of course, my bigger goal is to make a Brioche dessert that is good enough to make Julia Child cry, but I don't think any of us really know this mysterious dough so this is also an opportunity to start thinking about pastry in a new way.

The discipline: Roll, Fold, Turn and Rest.  When it is time to add the butter after the cold rest, we need to prep the butter by beating it from a cold state to a cool, play-dough type texture.  That butter needs to become a similar texture as the baby-ass soft dough coming out of the fridge.  Also, as we pull the dough in and out of the refrigerator, we want to work quickly so we don't start any proofing, so make sure your kitchen is a little on the cool side.  If it is 90 degrees outside and humid as hell, don't try to roll, fold, turn and expect to have spectacular results.  If you have a chilled marble, that is an ideal working surface.  It will buy you some time.

Most recipes are ready to use the dough at any point this moment forward.  In fact, some Brioche recipe are ready to go without the addition of the extra half-pound of butter rolled, folded and rested in...so that means, if you are an eager beaver, go ahead and Brioche yourself out!  That cuts this whole time process by maybe 10 hours (you will still need to chill, roll, proof before baking...so you're not gaining a ton of time.)

Before I drift too far from the Lord of The Rings reference or rather, the elephant in the room...I'd like to mention that I did in free, long-hand writing, draft out a three page epic of my battle with the Butter Ogres.  Yes.  I am a LOTR geek.  What I found most surprising as I freely wrote about the Butter Ogres and their wicked ways in Brioche Land, was how quickly my imagine added Dwarves, Elves and demonic monsters.  600 words in and I took a step back, my hand cramping from dark descriptive references, I saw who I really am.  Through the patient waiting for this dough to move through its process, I have been able to go a little bit further into my dark side and embrace my inner Geek.  Thank you Brioche.  NOTE: If you would like to have me post this private battle butter, then email me at patsycat@gmail.com or post a comment here and maybe I will do it.

Each roll, fold, turn and rest adds about 50 layers of flakiness so this is why this step is so important.  It adds to the buttery quality of the dough and each layer is a little morsel of heaven.  You can roll, fold, turn and roll, fold turn then rest for at least 30 minutes before starting where you left off to roll, fold and turn, roll, fold, turn and rest for 30 min. 

After a good rest for me and the dough (at least 4 hours from the last roll, fold and rest) it is time to turn this canvas into something. It is time to make this hunk of dough into a master piece.  Sweet Sticky Buns, here I come!

So much love,
All the way from over here...
Linda