I’ve been wanting to make croissants again but haven’t had the time With the rolling, folding, and endless waiting, not to mention the fact that the dough needs to be used between 8 and 18 hours, the timing just hasn’t worked. So, I decided to look for a nice alternative in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This is the perfect book for those who crave homemade bread but don’t have the time.
I’ve made their rustic, peasant loaves a few times, but have never tried any of their pastry recipes. They didn’t have a one for croissants, but they had one for brioche. It’s not exactly in the same category as puff pastry, however, both have a common interest in butter. Good enough for me.
The recipe was simple and easy to follow, but for some reason my dough didn’t rise. My butter wasn’t completed melted, so that may have been the cause. My loaf also turned out a little dense, which may have been because I over baked them a little bit. (wow, today has been a really off day!) When I imagine brioche, I imagine dinner rolls with wings: light and soft. Mine felt like a mix between muffins and farmer’s bread. Interesting, but no one seemed to mind because the flavors were there. I definitely want to make this brioche again to see if the shortcomings were me or the recipe. I’m guessing it was probably me.
Brioche
Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 tablespoon granulated yeast
3/4 tablespoon salt
4 eggs beaten lightly
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
In a large bowl, mix water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter together. Add the flour and incorporate until dough comes together. Set aside, covered for 2 hours. The dough should rise and then fall to form a flattened top. Chill and use within 5 days.
On baking day, butter loaf pan. If using a standard 9 x 4 x 3 inch pan, cut off 1 lb of dough. Dust with flour and form into a ball. Pull to elongate and fit the length of pan. If using smaller loaf pans, use 1/2 lb of dough. Let rest for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Before baking, brush top with egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or 25-30 minutes for smaller loaves.
Chaucee says
Mmm this looks delicious.
hungry dog says
I’m curious about this cookbook. I am intimidated by breadmaking so this would be a good beginner book for me! Even if your bread didn’t turn exactly as you hoped, it still looks delicious!
Gala says
Would be interesting to see if a second time would straighten things out, good luck next time!
judy says
I’ve been using this cookbook for over a year, with really good results. Your dough looks really wet. Even though the doughs are loose, you should be able to gather them into a ball and then clouche (sp?) them. Maybe more flour?
Jane says
Like “Hungry Dog” remarked in her comment above, I too have been wondering about that cookbook. Sounds, based on your post, like it may be something worth investing in . . .
Eric says
I recently received an artisan bread cookbook as a gift, and every recipe I’ve tried has turned out wonderfully. You should check out “200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads” – the no-knead doughs are really easy to put together and they seem to work for baking novices like me!
babycakes says
though you may have had an off day, they still look sooo delicious!!!
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella says
The bread looks great! After reading your post and others I think I need to get myself this book! it sounds like a really good way of expanding my bread baking repertoire! 🙂
lilttle debi c says
i love the lox schmear recipe, I just made cucumber schmear and was looking for lox schmear…i’m using fresh parsley but the rest will be whipped up as is tonight. congratulations on the bread/bagels…bless your bread/bagel baking heart…at present the whole bread effort, is too much work for me though….HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Bex says
Looks dericious!!
I love brioche!!!!
Rachel says
Thanks so much!!! I have the book and have loved making everything I’ve tried from it…but I loaned it out and really wanted some brioche!! Can’t wait til it’s done…if only it took 5 min. to rise also. 🙂