Description
Rich brioche bread with a sweet and savory surprise inside, a mouthwatering delight.
Ingredients
Units Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups high grade flour, plus more for kneading
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup full cream milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Yeast Mixture
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp yeast
Filling
- 1 1/2 cup bacon scraps, chopped
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the yeast mixture, set it aside, and let the yeast bloom.
- In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, and set them aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (except for the butter), and set them aside.
- Place the mixing bowl in a stand mixer using the kneading hook. Knead in low speed while slowly adding the bloomed yeast mixture. Once the yeast mixture is fully incorporated, slowly add the whisked wet ingredients and continue kneading in low speed until a dough is formed.
- Increase the mixer’s speed to the next setting and add the cold butter one cube at a time. Once all the butter is added, increase the speed further. Knead for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. In the first 15 minutes, the dough may be sticky and stick to the walls of the mixing bowl, but as you approach the last minutes, it will come together and no longer stick to the walls. This indicates that your dough is ready. If it’s still sticky, add 5 more minutes of kneading time, adjusting for room temperature and humidity.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer, cover it with cling wrap, and place it in a warm location.
- Let the dough rise until it doubles in size. If you’re in a hurry, you can proceed to step 9, but it’s recommended to proof the dough overnight, up to two nights, for the best results.
- For proofing, place the covered dough in the refrigerator and cover it tightly with cling wrap and a plate on top. Leave it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
- Prepare the bacon filling by heating a bit of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and pan-fry until it’s slightly crispy and cooked. Remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a colander to remove excess oil. Set it aside.
- Grease two loaf pans and set them aside.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it equally into two separate pieces.
- Flatten each piece into a rectangle shape, approximately 1/2 inch thick. Spread half of the maple syrup over each rectangle and drizzle half of the cooked bacon on top.
- Fold the rectangle on both sides, up to the middle of the dough. Then, fold it again on the perpendicular side. Gently flatten the dough and shape it into a rectangle. Slice it into three sections, leaving the top part intact. Braid the sections. Repeat this process with the remaining half of the dough.
- Place the braided dough into the greased loaf pans and let it proof for another hour or until it nearly doubles in size.
- Mix together the ingredients for the egg wash and brush it over the prepared dough.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool before removing it from the loaf pans.