Monday 21 March 2011

Dylan's Brioche , My Pleasure

For the last days, I have been making excessive use of the herbs I've recently bought and the cow has been busy ever since, watering them:
The cow is happy it may stay, now it is in charge now that the herbs arrived.

Time for something new!
The recipe origins from Dylan's blog. Unfortunately he does not seem to be online anymore, his recipe still is: Brioche heaven for rich men (or women)

Here you can see the dough right after mixing the eggs, butter, flour, yeast, vanilla ...

What would work better to demonstrate the proportions who large the bowl is like an apple

The apple is NOT a tiny apple but the bowl is the huge IKEA bowl

After kneading the dough rests in the fridge over night: (Dylan recommends to let the sponge rest over night, too, but since I wanted to have the brioche ready by breakfast, I reduced the sponge-time to 2 hours). Sponge = yeast plus a bit of flour and milk

2 forms should be enough to hold the dough

Thanks to the lots of butter and the long chilling-time, the dough was not sticky at all!
The next morning, I put little balls of dough in the forms:
ok, 2 forms were not quite enough:
You can tell, I did not really form the balls with care but vite vite ... what do you expect from me at ...

8.14am on a saturday
!
The essential egg for the tan
The dough rises to its double-size and you preheat the oven:Bake at 200°C for the first 10 minutes
This is what they look like after ten minutes ...

... then reduce the heat to 180°, rush into the shower, wash your hair but leave the conditioner out, because this would take too long and after another 15 minutes the brioche is done and the hair is fresh:
Any leave-in conditioner will be finde for your hair, as long as you did not spend the extra 5 minutes in the shower, conditioning and rinsing your hair after washing because the good brioche would have turned darkbrown, a tan that does not suit any brioche at all.

Let it cool down in the form for a while, then let it totally cool down on a grill or just on the workplace.
Test 1, 2 ... yes, it's done!

On this photo it looks way too much like bread. It does not have the conistency of bread at all!
Friend T proves the real nature of the brioche by ripping it apart

Friend T helped modelling the brioche

It comes in handy, Japanese people never wonder why you would take a photo of lets say, ripping a brioche! While typing this, I have the smell in my nose, amazing. As I mentioned above, I do not recommend using the 450gr of butter, it turns out too rich. I might also leave 1 of the eggs out. Then I imagine it to be the perfect brioche that stay fresh for days. Today, day 3, they still taste like new.

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Today I've taken a look at my postings from March 2010, because I wondered if spring was already aroung that time of the year one year back. Looking back I remembered how close I was with a blogger back then, who was the reason why I started the blog (I did not want to comment anonymously any more). Turns out she actually never comments, nor follows. But what did I gain in return! I "met"so many witty and special people over the last year online. I catch myself telling friends about bloggers and what happens to them (to just name a few: Louise and her entourage, including birds and dog-heroes, Blighty, who met Louise IRL and once worked late night with this quite intimidating Chinese co-worker who would always reapply her lipstick, even when it was 10pm. Lisa, who encouraged me to try pearls and is reachable via email for more private matters. Jen with whom I share the passion for the kitchen. The Hostess Leslie, who is unbelievable young at heart.Vix, who introduced me to The Closer and apparently lives with a very handsome Mr Vix, Kristin, who speaks out what I want to read and listen to (on blogspot radio), Beate, who is geographically the closest to me and delivers such warmth, janet who is the rebirth of the cool and Faux Fuchsia, who activated this blog. Seems as if your intent is not always your destination.
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As long as the weather behaves like this:
Tje sky over Vienna, last saturday, lunchtime, 8°C, wind from northwest,

... I prefer continuing my projects in the kitchen, sorry, no Viennese outdoor impressions meanwhile, only Viennese Gugelhupf & Co:
My kitchen bible, the Sacher Kochbuch


to be continued

10 comments:

  1. That's some serious brioche Paula...
    I am happy that we have met through your blog.
    I often wonder how many fabulous blogs are out there just waiting to be discovered...so many blogs so little time!

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  2. I forgot to thank you for the young at heart compliment!
    You are very sweet and I am grateful!

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  3. hello paula,

    your brioche looks amazing.

    i am the rebirth of faux fuchsia? explain please! i think it's a compliment.

    xo
    janet

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  4. Hostess, you are right - so little time. No wonder your cat is nosy when you take photos for your blog.

    janet, haha! the rebirth of faux fuchsia, what a magic "baby ff" that would be! What I meant to say was YOU yourself personify the rebirth of cool. You need just these few words, a striking pose (it could be you at a fountain in Vegas or even your pots in the kitchen) and we all hang on your lips/photos/words. Just like that!

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  5. PAULA, YOU SHOULD COME OVER TO TOWNSVILLE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
    I THINK I NEED YOU DESPERATELY.
    BACK IS BEING VERY DISRESPECTFUL AND UNCOOPERATIVE, GETTING WORSE NOT BETTER.
    BEEN WORKING A LOT - ON REAL WORK THAT IS OF NO INTEREST TO BLOG ABOUT - LEGAL STUFF AND ALL THE RESUMES FOR CLEANING LADY POSITION
    I'M TRING TO WORK HARD SO I CAN SPEND TIME GETTING THE PHOTOS BACK ON THE BLOG, ;PARTICULARLY THE CONSTIPATION STAND AT THE PHARMACY TRADE SHOW.

    I'M SURE YOUR BRIOCHE WOIULD CURE MY BACK, REALLY.
    CAN YOU PLEASE EMAIL YOUR ADDRESS TO REPLY TO YOUR VERY SUPERIOR CARD.
    LOVE
    LOUISE

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  6. This looks better than I imagined! I can imagine the steamy goodness coming off the buns you pulled apart. I also know now why you only wanted to make a half-batch, not enough room in the pans.

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  7. Hello my sensibility twin!

    Thank god you started blogging -- despite this recent baking madness* which leaves me craving carbs --as I know I will be entertained, visually stimulated and/or comforted when I open a post by you.

    Looking forward to many more from you (and given your damned productivity, I'm sure they will come).

    * The brioche look amazing. And a photographic tendency to look like bread can never really be a BAD thing.

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  8. Lisa, I turned the cooking-postings down a bit and switched to flowers. hehe

    Vix, I immediately rushed to the bathroom where Mr Paula was brushing his teeth to tell him there is a woman living North Pacific who really likes what I post. I was jumping up and down like a 10 yr old. Thank you for the enormous compliment!

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  9. Louise, sorry I still haven't sent you my adress. I did not forget it! I am just too busy (as you can tell from my posting-frequency)

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