The difference between Parisian and Vendenne brioche lies in the insane amount of butter you need for the Parisian one, partly substituted here by a dollop of crème fraîche. If you go to Vendee (Western France, above La Rochelle and under Nantes), there are still Brioche fairs and it’s still used as a wedding/Easter cake. The French name for it is gâche, which errr…
Makes 2-3 small brioches
Ingredients:
- 550g very strong flour
- 25g fresh yeast
- 125ml warm milk (whole/semi-skimmed) + 1tbsp for decoration
- 2tbsp crème fraîche
- 2 eggs +1 yolk for decoration
- 1½ tsp salt
- 130g sugar
- 110g butter cut in small cubes
- 1tbsp cognac (or dark rhum)
- 1tbsp orange blossom water (optional)
- A few drops of vanilla extract (optional)
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
- Whisk the yeast in the warm milk (37°C). Add the eggs, the crème fraîche, then the flour and the salt. Knead for a few minutes. The dough should be quite hard and crumbly at that point. Add the sugar, keep on kneading. By then, the dough should be softer and a bit shiny. When all the sugar is incorporated, add the butter. Knead for 10-15mins more. Add then the rum, orange blossom water and vanilla extract. Knead 5 more minutes. The dough should be elastic, smooth and not sticky. Transfer the dough ball in a big bowl, cling film it and let it rest at least 6 hours (or overnight) at room temperature. The dough will ferment during this time, allowing the flavours to develop.
- Lightly dust your worktop with flour and transfer the dough over it. Divide the dough in 2 or 3 smaller balls. Give them an oval shape then transfer them on a cooking tray covered with baking parchment. Cover with a cling film/clean tea towel, let the dough rise for another 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven 180°C. Whisk the remaining egg yolk and the milk together. With a cooking brush, apply on the brioches. With a very sharp knife, make a cut through the length of the brioche. Cook 20-25mins; cover with tin foil halfway through.