Sourdough Brioche by Cati Molnar

This lovely Sourdough Brioche was made by Pastry Chef Cati Molnar. She made it while working as the pastry chef and baker at a neighborhood restaurant in Chicago.


Yield: 2 Sourdough Brioche Loaves (Note: you may form a simple loaf, or make the classic bun-style loaf pictured here.)

Ingredients

Dough:

• 400 g Janie’s Mill Sifted Artisan Bread Flour (3 1/3 cups)
• 100 g Janie’s Mill Whole-Kernel Bread Flour (3/4 cup) (you may substitute Sifted Artisan for the Whole-Kernel if you like)
• 35 g Sugar (1/8 cup)
• 25 g Honey (1 tablespoon)
• 5 g Instant yeast (or Osmotolerant yeast, if available) (1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 10 g Salt (1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 225 g Eggs (about 4 large eggs)
• 150 g Whole milk (2/3 cup)
• 150 g Levain (about 3/4 of your levain or 3/4 cup)
• 225 g Butter, soft (1 cup or 2 sticks)

Levain:

• 90 g Janie’s Mill Sifted Artisan Bread Flour (2/3 cup)
• 90 g Water, room temperature (1/3 cup)
• 9 g Sourdough starter (about 1 tablespoon)

Instructions

For Levain:

Mix flour, water, and starter.

Cover and ferment at room temperature for 12-16 hours, or until at least doubled in volume.

For Dough:

Add milk, eggs, sugar, honey, 150 g levain, yeast, flour, and salt to stand mixer with dough hook.

Mix at low speed for 3 minutes, until evenly combined.

Mix at medium speed for 7 minutes, or until dough is fully developed. It should form a smooth, shiny mass around the dough hook and clear the sides of the bowl. If this hasn’t happened after 7 minutes, continue to mix on medium speed until it does— it may take another 3-5 minutes but shouldn’t take more than that.

Once the dough is fully developed, add the butter in 4 additions, mixing on medium speed until incorporated before the next addition.

Bulk Fermentation:

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled container, folding it under itself so that it is smooth on top.

Ferment at room temperature for 1 hour. You may see a slight increase in volume during this time.

After 1 hour, fold the dough under itself again, cover, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 16 hours.

Loaves:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of two 8.5 x 4.5” loaf pans.

For simple loaves, divide the dough into 2 pieces.

On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll one piece of the dough into a rectangle that is about 7” from side to side and about .75-1” thick. Brush away any excess flour. Starting from a 7” side, roll the dough into a tight spiral. Place it in the pan with the seam side down; it should be just long enough to fit. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

For bun-style loaves, divide the dough into 2 pieces, and then divide each into 8 small pieces. Roll each small piece into a ball. Arrange 8 balls 2 by 2 into a parchment paper lined loaf pan. Repeat for the remaining 8 balls.

Cover the loaf pans loosely and proof at room temperature until roughly doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen this usually takes 90 minutes or longer. The dough will fill the pan completely, with the top of the loaf crowning over the rim of the pan.

Brush the top of the loaves with egg wash. Bake at 350 F for 30-45 minutes, until deep brown. The internal temperature taken with an instant read thermometer should be at least 185 F.

Cool the loaves in the pan for 10-15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Turn out of the pan finish cooling at room temperature.

Egg Wash:

Crack an egg, add a small splash of milk or water and a big pinch of salt. Whisk until fully combined.