Strawberry Brioche

🧂 Ingredients

• 7 grams active dry or instant yeast

  (2¼ teaspoons or 1 envelope)
• 245 grams milk*

  (1 cup)
• 75 grams granulated sugar

  (⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons)
• 1 large egg

  (at room temperature)
• 1 large egg yolk

  (at room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 130 grams strawberry paste**

  (½ cup, packed)
• 550 grams all purpose flour

  (4½ cups plus 1 Tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 113 grams unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, cut into 8 pieces (8 tbsp. or ½ cup)
• 1 large egg

  (for egg wash)
• Swedish pearl sugar or other decorative sugar

  (optional)

Instructions

• 1 [If using instant yeast, skip to Step 3 and add the yeast and the milk with the
  rest of the ingredients.] In microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring after
  each interval, warm milk to body temperature, generally between 105°F and 110°F.
  Alternatively, you can heat the milk in a saucepan on a low flame, stirring
  constantly. Either way, do not let the milk get above 115°F. (If you do, just
  let it sit out at room temperature for a couple of minutes constantly checking
  it until it cools to body temperature.)
• 2 Place warmed milk into bowl of electric mixer. Sprinkle yeast and approximately
  1 tsp. of the sugar over the milk. Using a fork, stir the mixture to distribute
  the sugar and hydrate the yeast granules. Allow to sit for approximately 3-5
  minutes until the mixture gets foamy.
• 3 Add the room temperature egg, the room temperature egg yolk, the strawberry
  paste, and the vanilla to the mixture. Using the dough hook, turn the mixer on
  at a low speed and add the rest of the sugar. With the mixer running at the
  lowest speed, add the flour. As the flour starts to get absorbed by the liquid
  mixture, raise the mixer to a medium speed. You may need to turn the mixer off
  once or twice to wipe down the sides of the bowl with a dough scraper or rubber
  spatula. Allow to knead for approximately 3 minutes. The dough should clean the
  sides of the bowl and be tacky, but not too sticky. If it is too wet (sticking
  to the sides and bottom of the bowl), add some flour, no more than 1 Tbsp. at a
  time. If the mixture is too dry, add a little milk, 1 tsp. at a time.
• 4 Lower the mixer speed to low (1 or 2 on the KitchenAid) and slowly add the salt,
  allowing it to knead into the dough, an additional 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and
  take a small piece (approximately 1 tsp.) of dough and stretch it between your
  fingers. It should form a “window pane”, meaning it should get thin enough that
  it is translucent without it ripping. If it is not at that point yet, continue
  kneading in the machine at 1 minute intervals. (It may just need an additional
  minute or two to reach the window pane stage. If it still isn’t there yet, check
  to see if the dough is too dry. If it is, add ½ tsp. water and knead another
  minute.)
• 5 With the mixer running at medium speed, add the butter. It is best to add it one
  piece at a time, waiting until it is fully integrated into the dough before
  adding the next piece. You may need to turn off the mixer from time to time to
  push the slab of butter back into the range of the dough and the hook. This
  process will take approximately 5-10 minutes. Once all the butter is
  incorporated, the dough will look shiny and be slightly tacky. (If, after
  approximately ten minutes, the butter is still not fully incorporated, do not
  panic. Just move to the next step – having some unincorporated butter is not
  problematic in this recipe. That said, the key to incorporating the butter is
  nothing more than patience.)
• 6 Lightly grease a bowl with a little butter or nonstick cooking spray. Form dough
  into a ball and place it in the bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it in the
  butter or nonstick cooking spray and cover tightly with plastic wrap.*** Let the
  dough sit in a warm area on the counter until doubled in size, approximately one
  hour.
• 7 Lightly spray two 8½" x 4½" loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray or grease with
  butter. (Using butter imparts more flavor on the edges of your brioche.) For an
  even easier pan removal, use parchment paper on the bottom and/or sides of the
  pan, but be sure to coat the parchment with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
• 8 Once dough has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and de-gas it by folding
  it over onto itself and knead it a few times by hand. Divide it in half,
  preferably by weight. Cover one half with plastic wrap until you are ready to
  work with it. Divide the half of the dough you are working with into two equal
  portions, shaping each into rounds. Place each round into a loaf pan. Cover
  loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for another hour. Repeat with remaining
  dough.
• 9 Approximately 30 minutes into the second rise, preheat oven to 350°F.
• 10 Once the brioche have doubled in size, beat an egg and, using a pastry brush,
  egg wash the tops of the brioche. Sprinkle with Swedish pearl sugar
  [https://amzn.to/3y8Fna4]. Bake for 55-65 minutes.
• 11 Cool brioche in pans for 10-15 minutes and then remove them from their pans onto
  a wire rack. (Use a metal spatula or flat knife against the sides of the pans
  before turning the pans over.)
• 12 Once at room temperature, if not eating immediately, cover in plastic wrap. If
  they actually last so long, they stay fresh for several days wrapped in plastic
  and stored at room temperature. They also freeze beautifully, wrapped in plastic
  wrap, for up to 3 months. (Tip: individually wrap slices in plastic wrap prior
  to freezing so you can grab a slice or two whenever the craving hits.)

Nutrition Info