Brioche of kings
A soft brioche, traditionally served at Epiphany, which shares the limelight with its cousin the frangipane or Parisian galette.
Equipment used
– Baking tray
– Baking paper
– 1 brush
– 1 bean
Ingredients
✔280 grams flour
✔12 grams fresh baker’s yeast
✔40 grams milk
✔50 grams caster sugar
✔120 grams soft butter
✔3g salt
✔2 small eggs
✔25g rum
✔25g orange blossom
✔Orange and lemon rind
+
✔1 egg yolk and a little cream for gilding
✔Sugar pearls
The recipe
For a brioche for 6 people
Warm the milk and stir in the crumbled fresh yeast. Cut the butter into pieces in a small bowl and leave to soften at room temperature.
Add all the ingredients to the bowl of the food processor: the milk with the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, orange blossom, zest of one orange and one lemon and the rum. Blend until all the ingredients are well incorporated (at least 8 minutes).
Then gradually add the soft butter, cut into pieces beforehand.
Continue kneading slowly for 15 minutes.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
On a lightly floured work surface, pour the dough and form a ball, then wrap and chill overnight. The dough may still be sticky but it will firm up in the fridge with the butter, so don’t add too much flour.
The next day, defrost the pastry and shape it into a crown. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Leave the pastry to rise for at least 2 to 3 hours, either in the oven with a large bowl of hot water, or near a heat source.
Gently brush the pastry with a mixture of egg yolk and a little liquid cream.
Sprinkle with sugar pearls.
Bake at 160°C for 15 to 18 minutes, placing the brioche in a cold, unheated oven (so that it continues to rise and is softer and more airy), then turn the oven off for around 10/15 minutes.
Don’t forget to insert a bean underneath before eating.
