This champagne yeast brioche bread is so rich and tender and will be equally at home in a dessert or breakfast like French toast or bread pudding as it would be on the Hors d'oeuvre table with some savory country pate. All ounce measurements are by weight and not volume.
.15 oz dry champagne yeast(available online or from your local home brew store)
.15 oz sugar
4ozbread flour
For the Dough
All the sponge
12ozwhole eggs(6 or 7--weigh them out of the shell)
1.75ozsugar
.33 oz kosher salt
11ozbread flour
3.75ozall purpose flour
17ozbuttersoftened and beaten with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer until smooth
Instructions
For the Sponge
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer and stir well to combine.
Cover and let rise in a warm, cozy place until the sponge is very bubbly. This could take 2-3 hours.
For the Dough
Add all the dough ingredients except the butter to the sponge.
Place the bowl on your mixer and fit it with the dough hook.
Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes until the dough comes together. Then knead on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
Turn the mixer speed to medium low and begin adding the softened, whipped butter a bit at a time--no more than 2 tablespoons at a time, allowing one addition to get completely incorporated before adding another. Scrape bowl as necessary. This whole operation should take about 15-20 minutes.
Once all the butter has been incorporated, knead an additional 3-4 minutes at medium speed. The dough should magically clear the sides of the bowl. Once you turn the mixer off, the dough will flow to fill the bowl. Remove and scrape off the dough hook.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-10 hours (overnight is easiest).
When ready to shape the dough, prepare 2 1 1/2 pound loaf pans by spraying lightly with pan spray. Set aside.
Scrape the chilled and firm dough out on a clean work surface. Divide in half (I generally weigh the total amount of dough and divide by two so my loaves are almost identical.) Press each half out into a rectangle and then roll up to make a smooth cylinder slightly longer than the length of your pan. Tuck the ends under just a bit and fit each shaped loaf into the pan. There will be a lot of room in the pan, but worry not. The dough will rise to the occasion.
Spray the tops of the loaves lightly with pan spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at cool room temperature until the dough completely fills the pan and the dough is about even with the top of the pan, anywhere from 5-7 hours.
About 45 minutes before baking, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 400F. If you have a baking stone, place it on the rack to heat.
When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap from the loaves and place on the rack. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to 350F, and bake an additional 25-30 minutes more until well-risen and deeply golden brown. When done, the internal temperature should be right around 200F, give or take 4-5 degrees. If the loaves seem to be browning too much before they're done, loosely tent them with foil.
Remove to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen sides with a small spatula if necessary and turn out on racks to cool completely.
Enjoy in almost any manner you can think of.
Notes
Active time of 40 minutes does not take into account passive time. Plan for 2-3 hours for the sponge to become active, another 8-10 for the dough to chill and then 5-7 hours proof time for the final dough. Brioche is a bread that cannot be rushed. It is worth waiting for!