Authentic Brioche
Yield 20 rolls
1 lb. 2 oz. (4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 oz. (4-1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
2 tsp. table salt, plus a pinch for the egg wash
4 large eggs, at room temperature (1 additional for egg wash)
4 oz. (1/2 cup) whole milk, at room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into Tablespoons size pats (softened)
Make the dough
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt on
low speed until well combined. Add 4 of the eggs and the milk and continue mixing on low
speed to combine. As soon as the dough starts to clump together, remove the paddle
attachment and attach the dough hook. (There will still be unmixed egg and flour in the
bowl.) Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Using a plastic dough scraper or strong plastic
spatula, scrape the bowl and hook. Continue to mix until the dough is firm and elastic, about
2 minutes more. The dough may stick to the hook at this point, but that’s OK. Scrape the
dough off the hook again.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add half of the butter, a few pieces at a time. Scrape
down the bowl and dough hook, and remove the dough hook. Give the dough a few
kneads by hand in the bowl, repeatedly folding the dough over on itself, to help incorporate
the butter. Reattach the dough hook and add the remaining butter, a few pieces at a time,
mixing on medium-low speed. Once all of the butter has been added, increase the mixer
speed to medium and mix for 4 minutes. Scrape the dough hook and the sides and bottom
of the bowl. Mix again until the dough is smooth, soft, and shiny, about 4 minutes more. You’ll
hear the dough slap against the sides of the bowl when it’s ready. (If your kitchen is warm,
the dough may seem too loose at this point. Resist the urge to add extra flour, or the brioche
may be tough.)
Let the dough rise
Use a plastic dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough out onto a clean, very lightly
floured work surface. The dough will be very moist. Knead it by hand a few times and then
form it into a ball by folding the sides into the middle at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. Flip the dough
over, place your palms on either side of the dough, and tuck it under itself, turning the
dough as you tuck to form a loose ball with a smooth top. Transfer the dough, smooth side
up, to a clean large bowl. Cover loosely with plastic and let the dough rise in a warm, draftfree spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (END of DAY 1- REFRIGETATE)
Let the dough rise again
Use the dough scraper or spatula to turn the dough out, smooth top down, onto a very
lightly floured work surface. Again, form it into a ball by folding the sides into the middle at
12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. Flip the dough over, place your palms on either side of the dough,
and tuck it under itself, turning the dough as you tuck to form a loose ball with a smooth top.
Transfer the dough, smooth side up, back to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic. At this point,
for best flavor refrigerate the dough overnight. Or let it sit out until doubled in size, about 1
hour. The warmer the room, the faster the brioche will rise, so keep an eye on it.
Shape the brioches
If the dough was refrigerated, let it warm to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Butter sixteen 3-inch brioche à tête molds (use molds that are 3 to 3-1/4 inches wide across
the top and at least 1-1/4 inches high).
Turn the dough out, smooth top down, onto a clean work surface. Form the dough into a
ball by folding the sides into the middle at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. Using a scale and a bench
knife, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, about 1 lb. 3 oz. each. Divide each half into 8
equal pieces of about 2-1/2 oz. each, for a total of 16 pieces of dough. Cover the dough
with plastic to prevent it from drying out.
Roll each piece of dough into a tight ball by cupping your hand over the dough and
moving it in a circular motion with the fingers of that hand slightly tucked in.
To form the “tête,” or head, hold your hand perpendicular to the work surface, with your
fingers straight and tightly together (like you’re going to do a karate chop). Working with one
ball of dough at a time (keeping the others covered with plastic), press down onto the ball
with the side of your hand about one-third of the way from one of the edges of the dough
ball (leaving one-third of the dough to one side of your hand, and two-thirds of the dough to
the other side of your hand). Saw back and forth with your hand almost all of the way
through until you get a shape that looks like a bowling pin, or a head and body connected
by a very thin, almost translucent neck. Holding the dough by the “head,” turn the dough
upright so the body is resting on the work surface. Lower the head down into the body,
pressing deeply into the body and spreading it with your thumbs and index fingers to make a
nest for the head. Tighten the body around the nestled head by tucking and lifting the body
up around the head. Gently place the dough in one of the prepared molds, body down.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Transfer the molds to a large rimmed baking sheet.
(END of DAY 2- REFRIGERATE)
Proof the brioches
Cover the brioches very loosely with plastic. Let the dough rise until almost doubled in size
and filling the molds, about 1 hour. It should spring back when gently poked with a finger.
Meanwhile, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. It is
important that the oven be thoroughly heated so the brioches bake evenly.
Bake the brioches
In a small bowl, make the egg wash by beating the remaining 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk and a
pinch of salt. Lightly brush the top of the brioches (without letting the egg wash drip down
into the molds or pans, which would make the brioches stick to their molds). Bake until dark
golden-brown on top and golden on the sides (you can lift the brioche slightly to peek in at
the edge of the mold), about 18 minutes. (The internal temperature should be 190°F.) Let the
brioches cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding. Serve while they’re still warm
to the touch.
Butter Croissants
Yield 20
For the dough
18 oz. (4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
5 oz. (1/2cup plus 2 Tbs.) cold water
5 oz. (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs.) cold whole milk
2 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs.) granulated sugar
3 Tbs. soft unsalted butter
1 Tbs. plus scant 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
2-1/4 tsp. table salt
For the butter layer SLAB
 10 oz. (1-1/4 cups) cold unsalted butter
For the egg wash
 1 large egg
Make the dough
Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough
hook. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl once if
necessary. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured 10-inch
pie pan or a dinner plate. Lightly flour the top of the dough and wrap well with plastic so it
doesn’t dry out. Refrigerate overnight.
Make the butter layer
Place butter in a 1 QUART zip-top bag, seal the bag. Using a rolling pin roll the butter flat to
evenly fill the bag. Refrigerate. (END of DAY 1- REFRIGERATE)
Laminate the dough
Unwrap and lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll
into a 10-1/2-inch square. Brush excess flour off the dough.
Remove the butter from the refrigerator—it should be pliable but
cold. If not, refrigerate a bit longer. Unwrap and place the
butter on the dough so that the points of the butter square are
centered along the sides of the dough. Fold one flap of dough
over the butter toward you, stretching it slightly so that the point
just reaches the center of the butter. Repeat with the other flaps
. Then press the edges together to completely seal the butter inside the dough. (A complete
seal ensures butter won’t escape.)
Lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough. With the rolling
pin, firmly press the dough to elongate it slightly and then begin
rolling instead of pressing, focusing on lengthening rather than
widening the dough and keeping the edges straight.
Roll the dough until it’s 8 by 24 inches. If the ends lose their
square shape, gently reshape the corners with your hands. Brush
any flour off the dough. Pick up one short end of the dough and
fold it back over the dough, leaving one-third of the other end
of dough exposed. Brush the flour off and then fold the exposed
dough over the folded side. Put the dough on a baking sheet,
cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 20 minutes to relax and
chill the dough.
Repeat the rolling and folding, this time rolling in the direction of
the two open ends until the dough is about 8 by 24 inches. Fold the dough in thirds again, as
shown in the photo above, brushing off excess flour and turning under any rounded edges or
short ends with exposed or smeared layers. Cover and freeze for another 20 minutes.
Give the dough a third rolling and folding. Put the dough on the baking sheet and cover
with plastic wrap, tucking the plastic under all four sides. Refrigerate overnight.
(END of DAY 2- REFRIGERATE)
Divide the dough
The next day, unwrap and lightly flour the top and bottom of the
dough. With the rolling pin, “wake the dough up” by pressing
firmly along its length—you don’t want to widen the dough but
simply begin to lengthen it with these first strokes. Roll the dough
into a long and narrow strip, 7 inches by about 45 inches. If the
dough sticks as you roll, sprinkle with flour. Once the dough is
about half to two-thirds of its final length, it may start to resist
rolling and even shrink back. If this happens, fold the dough in
thirds, cover, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes; then unfold
the dough and finish rolling. Lift the dough an inch or so off the
table at its midpoint and allow it to shrink from both sides—this helps prevent the dough from
shrinking when it’s cut. Check that there’s enough excess dough on either end to allow you
to trim the ends so they’re straight and the strip of dough is 40 inches long. Trim the dough.
Lay a yardstick or tape measure lengthwise along the top of the
dough. With a knife, mark the top of the dough at 4-inch
intervals along the length. Position the yardstick along the
bottom of the dough. Make a mark 2 inches in from the end of
the dough. Make marks at 4-inch intervals from this point all
along the bottom of the dough.
Make diagonal cuts by positioning the yardstick at the top
corner and the first bottom mark. With a knife or pizza wheel, cut
the dough along this line. Move the yardstick to the next set of marks and cut. Repeat until
you have cut the dough diagonally at the same angle along its entire length—you’ll have
made 8 cuts. Now change the angle of the yardstick to connect the other top corner and
bottom mark and cut the dough along this line to make triangles. Repeat along the entire
length of dough. You’ll end up with 20 triangles and a small scrap of dough at each end.
Shape the croissants
Using a paring knife or a bench knife, make a 1/2- to 3/4-inchlong notch in the center of the short side of each triangle. The
notch helps the rolled croissant curl into a crescent. Hold a
dough triangle so that the short notched side is on top and
gently elongate to about 10 inches without squeezing or
compressing the dough—this step results in more layers and loft.
Lay the croissant on the work surface with the notched side
closest to you. With one hand on each side of the notch, begin
to roll the dough away from you, towards the pointed end.
Flare your hands outward as you roll so that the “legs” become
longer. Press down on the dough with enough force to make
the layers stick together, but avoid excess compression, which
could smear the layers. Roll the dough all the way down its
length until the pointed end of the triangle is directly
underneath the croissant. Now bend the two legs towards you
to form a tight crescent shape and gently press the tips of the
legs together (they’ll come apart while proofing but keep their
crescent shape).
Shape the remaining croissants in the same manner, arranging
them on two large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (8 on
one pan and 7 on the other). Keep as much space as possible
between them, as they will rise during the final proofing and
again when baked.
Proof the croissants
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg with 1 tsp. water in a
small bowl until very smooth. Lightly brush it on each croissant.
Refrigerate the remaining egg wash (you’ll need it again). Put
the croissants in a draft-free spot at 75° to 80°F. Wherever you
proof them, be sure the temperature is not so warm that the
butter melts out of the dough. They will take 1-1/2 to 2 hours to
fully proof. You’ll know they’re ready if you can see the layers of
dough when the croissants are viewed from the side, and if you shake the sheets, the
croissants will wiggle. Finally, the croissants will be distinctly larger (though not doubled) than
they were when first shaped.
Bake the croissants
Shortly before the croissants are fully proofed, position racks in the top and lower thirds of the
oven and heat it to or 425°F conventional. Brush the croissants with egg wash a second time.
Put the sheets in the oven. After 10 minutes, rotate the sheets and swap their positions.
Continue baking until the bottoms are an even brown, the tops richly browned, and the
edges show signs of coloring, another 8 to 10 minutes.
English Muffins
Yield 10 muffins
Ingredients
1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup hot water
1 envelope dry yeast
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup warm water
9 ounces all-purpose flour, sifted
Non-stick vegetable spray
Special equipment: electric griddle, 3-inch metal rings, see Cook's Note*
Directions
In a bowl combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
shortening, and hot water, stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate
bowl combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and rest until
yeast has dissolved. Add this to the dry milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly
with wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
(END of DAY 1- REFRIGERATE)
Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F.
Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings
onto the griddle and coat lightly with vegetable spray. Using #20 ice cream scoop, place 2
scoops into each ring and cover with a pot lid or cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6
minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with fork
and serve.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/english-muffinsrecipe.print.html#?oc=linkback
Cinnamon Rolls
Yield 12
Ingredients
Dough:
1/4 -ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
16-18 ounces all-purpose flour
Filling:
3/4 cup Brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 6 tablespoons hot water
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar,
melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix
in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5
to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to
1 1/2 hours.
(END of DAY 1- REFRIGERATE)
When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch
rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over
buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch
side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll
slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes.
(END of DAY 2- REFRIGERATE)
Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time
until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rollsrecipe.print.html#?oc=linkback
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast
on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter
and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to
medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the
bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and
then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and
sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
(END of DAY 1- REFRIGERATE)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly
brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or
roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8
equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the
rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom
of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet
pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water
using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the
beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden
brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5
minutes before serving.