Flaky Honey Brioche Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare the sponge
• In the bowl of the heavy-duty mixer, combine the milk, yeast (see note if using instant yeast), and honey and stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and half the flour and stir to blend. The sponge will be soft and sticky. Sprinkle with the remaining flour, to cover the sponge dough, but don't mix it in. Set aside to rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes. The sponge should erupt slightly, cracking the layer of flour. This indicates that the yeast is live and doing its job.
• Prepare the dough
• Add the honey, salt, eggs, and flour to the sponge. Mix at low speed just until the ingredients come together, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.
• When the butter is incorporated, it should be the same consistency as the dough. To prepare the butter, place it on a flat work surface, and with the pastry scraper, smear it bit by bit across the surface. (If you do not have a pastry scraper, use the back of a large metal spoon.) When it is ready, the butter should be smooth, soft, but still cool-not warm, oily, or greasy.
• With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. When all the butter has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high for 1 minute, then reduce the speed to medium and continue to beat for 5 minutes more. The dough will be soft and pliable but shouldn't stick to your hands.
• First rise
• Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
• Chilling and second rise
• Punch down the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight, or for at least 4 hours, during which time it should double in size again.
• Form the brioche
• Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, each weighing about 2 1/2 ounces. Roll each piece of dough tightly into a ball and place 6 pieces in each bread pan, staggering them in two rows of 3; there will be some space left at either end of the loaf but it will fill up when the dough rises again. Cover the pans with a clean cloth and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Lightly brush the dough with the beaten egg. Working quickly, using the tip of a pair of sharp scissors, snip a cross on the top of each ball of dough; this will help the brioche rise evenly as it bakes. Bake until the loaves are puffed and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Place the pans on the baking rack to cool. Turn the loaves out after they have cooled.
• Notes
• When using instant yeast, there is no need to let the yeast proof in warm milk; it can be added directly to the flour. Don't omit the milk, however, as this will change the balance of liquid to dry ingredients in the recipe. Instant yeast and active dry yeast can be used interchangeably in the same quantities.
• Honey both enriches the flavor of this brioche and helps keep it moist. Top quality honey makes all the difference here.
• The brioche is best eaten the day it is baked, although it can be tightly wrapped and stored for a day or two or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Steps:

• Dough: Combine milk and yeast in a small liquid-measuring cup. Set aside until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flours, salt, and sugar. Add yeast mixture and 4 eggs; mix on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 6 minutes. Add room-temperature butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue mixing until dough is smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes more. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Butter Package: Arrange cold butter in a single layer on a piece of plastic wrap and loosely wrap. On a sturdy work surface, use a rolling pin to beat until butter is slightly softened, then roll out to a 5-by-8-inch rectangle, adjusting plastic as necessary. Refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 7-by-18-inch rectangle. Place chilled butter package on bottom half of dough, leaving about a 1-inch border on three of the sides. Fold top half of dough over butter to cover, then pinch edges together to seal. Tuck overhanging dough edges under to form a neat package. Roll out dough once more to a 7-by-18-inch rectangle. Fold top third of dough down towards center, then fold bottom third on top (like a business letter). This completes a single turn. Rotate dough package 90 degrees and repeat rolling and folding process. Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate about 45 minutes. Perform two additional single turns on dough. Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Brush two standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with room-temperature butter. Roll out dough to a 14-by-14-inch square. Lightly brush top 3 inches of dough with water. Starting at opposite long edge, roll dough into a tight spiral, pressing to seal end. Cut log into 6 equal pieces and space evenly in prepared pans, cut-sides up. Lightly brush sides of dough pieces that face each other with water. Loosely cover with plastic and let rise in a warm spot until dough is light and full of air and has expanded to nearly fill pans, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until loaves are puffed and lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and continue baking until deep golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into center reads 205 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool in pans 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.