Brioche Bread

中文： Brioche 面包

I just can’t get enough of soft, sweet, light and fluffy bread.  Brioche is also one of my favorites.  So I never stop trying different ways to make it.

 The recipe is adapted from http://forums.huaren.us/showtopic.aspx?topicid=1400907.  According to the author, she adapted from somewhere else.  Anyway, many thanks to the both authors who have contributed to this recipe!

PS.  I didn’t expect this piece of eggy dough to rise so high in the oven.  That is why we have a giant mushroom shape loaf here. O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup warm water
3 eggs
2egg yolks
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon yeast
1/4teaspoon salt
 

For the filling：

2/3 cup raisins
4 to 6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 to 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
egg wash for brushing the top
white sesame seeds   (optional)

Directions：

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Add water with yeast, eggs, egg yolks, flour, sugar and salt to the bread machine .  Start dough process.  My bread machine will knead the dough for 20 minutes.

Stop the machine after kneading by pressing stop button for seconds.  Add diced softened butter, start dough process all over again.  This time, allow the machine to knead and proof the dough as programmed.

It takes about 2 hours for the dough to double in size.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured wooden board.  Punch down and knead gently to get rid of any big air bubbles.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Equally divide the dough into 4 pieces.  With a rolling pin, roll each one flat and thin; sprinkle with brown sugar, ground cinnamon and raisins; and then roll up from one end all the way to the other end.  

Loosely braid them together.  Proof the dough again in a greased loaf pan. 

It takes about another hour or so for the dough to double in size again.

Preheat the oven to 350F/177C.  

Brush the top with egg wash.  Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the baking pan you are using.  You might need to cover the bread with a piece of foil to prevent too dark color on the top.

Banana Pecan Cake

中文：香蕉山核桃蛋糕

What would you do with a couple overripe bananas?  I always make banana pecan cake with them.  This recipe is from foodnetwork: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/banana-bread-recipe/index.html . It calls for 3 ripe bananas.  It is quite interesting that I always have 2 bananas left, so I adapt it a little bit.

Ingredients：

2 ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 stick butter（6 tablespoon, room temperature）
2 small eggs（ or 1 1/2 large eggs, room temperature）
2/3 tablespoon milk
2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions：

Preheat the oven to 325F/ 163.  Spray the baking pan or line it with parchment paper.

In a clean large bowl, add butter and sugar.  Beat with a hand mixer until the sugar melts; butter became pale color and volumes increase a little bit.  Add eggs while beating.  Mix until well combined before adding the next one.

In another bowl, add peeled bananas.  Smash with a fork.  Add milk and ground cinnamon. Mix well.

Shift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add banana puree to egg and butter mixture, mix well.  Add flour.  With a spatula or wood spoon, whisk just until the flour is cooperated.  Don’t over whisk.  Fold in chopped pecans.

Pour the batter into greased baking pan.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer can pierce into the center and comes out clean.

A cup of freshly brewed coffee is perfect with the cake!

Soft and Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

中文： 薯泥玫瑰小餐包

Unlike other baking lovers, I like to bake soft, sweet fluffy dinner rolls instead of French bread or sour dough bread.  Mashed sweet potato is a great ingredient in making dinner rolls.  It gives the rolls such pretty and bright vibrant yellow color, light sweetness and softer texture.

Ingredients：

250 g bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
50 to 60 g whole milk
100 to 110 mashed sweet potato
1 large egg
40 g sugar
20 g butter (soften, or heated in microwave for a few seconds )
3 to 4 gluten flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
egg wash or honey + water for brushing

Note：

You can get mashed sweet potato from baked, boiled or steamed sweet potatoes.  Please remember that water content will differ greatly in each cooking ways.  You may need to adjust how much bread flour is needed here depending on the mashed sweet potato.  I get mine from baked sweet potato.

I add extra gluten flour to help with bread texture because 100 g mashed sweet potato is a lot for this recipe. 

Directions：

Heat the milk in microwave for 30 seconds; add the milk to bread machine container; dissolve yeast into the warm milk; and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Add eggs, flour, gluten flour, sugar, salt and mashed sweet potato; start dough cycle.  My bread machine will knead the dough for 20 minutes and proof for an hour. 

When kneading is done, abort the cycle; add diced butter; and start the dough cycle again. It will knead the dough for another 20 minutes, which should be able to get the dough past window panel test.

When the dough is doubled in size, transfer it to a well dusted wooden board.  Gently press down and knead for a minutes; cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 32 equal pieces.  Roll each piece out; and line up four together.

Roll them up from one end

Cut it right in the middle.  Now you have two yellow roses!

Repeat the process until all dough pieces are turned into roses.  Place them cut side down in a greased baking pan; cover; and let it proof again for another 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F/204 C.

Brush the bread with egg wash or honey + water.  Bake for 14 to 16 minutes.  Cover the bread with a large piece of foil if necessary to prevent dark color on top.

How beautiful they are!

Garlic Croutons

 中文： 蒜香面包块

One of the must-haves when I make salad at home is croutons. The garlicky and crunch croutons add so much flavors and textures to the salad.  I can’t have enough of them! O(∩_∩)O~

You can buy your croutons from store, or you can spend several minutes to make a large batch of your own. 

Ingredients：

1 loaf of French bread
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (preferably in spray bottle)
1 to 2 teaspoons garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F/ 163°C

Dice up French bread into little bite size cubes, around half by half inch. 

In a large bowl, add bread cubes, shake while spraying the bread with olive oil.  Try to coat bread cubes as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, shake well again and spread cubes onto a large baking sheet.

Bake the croutons for 20 to 24 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Cool completely on the baking sheet.  Store in airtight zip-loc bag or container. 

Raisin Brioche Bread

中文：葡萄干BRIOCHE面包

Both my husband and I prefer rich, sweet, fluffy and soft bread.  And I always prefer to make them from scratch at home, not just because they taste better when freshly out the oven but also because I have so much fun in the bread making process.  It feels kind of relaxing and calming when I make bread in my own kitchen.  

I always make them in loaf shape so that I can use the leftover to make brioche French toast which is another breakfast favorite in the house.  (I posted French toast with blueberry sauce before: http://www.yankitchen.com/blog/cinnamon-swirl-french-toast). 

Brioche bread ingredients：

320 g bread flour
2 tablespoons honey
40 g butter, softened and diced
2 large eggs
130 g whole milk
40 g sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/8 teaspoon salt
raisins
brown sugar
ground cinnamon
egg wash
white sesame seeds

The whole process is quite similar to the raisin bread I posted before:http://www.yankitchen.com/blog/2014/10/18/2-1

Directions：

Heat the milk in microwave for 30 seconds; add the milk to bread machine container; dissolve yeast into the warm milk; and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Add eggs, flour, sugar, salt and honey; start dough cycle.  My bread machine (Amazon this one) will knead the dough for 20 minutes and proof for an hour.  When kneading is done, abort the cycle; add diced butter; and start the dough cycle again. It will knead for another 20 minutes, which should be able to get the dough past window panel test.

When the dough is doubled in size, transfer it to a well dusted wooden board.  Gently press down and knead for a minutes; cover and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces.  Roll each piece out; sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins; and then roll them up from one end.

Braid all three rolls into a large loaf and place it in a greased loaf pan (amazon link); cover; and let it proof again for another 30 to 50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F/204 C.

Brush the bread with egg wash.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  Cover the bread with a large piece of foil if necessary to prevent dark color on top.

Cool the bread on the cooling rack.  Store the bread in a bread bag.

My favorite way to enjoy it is to slice it thinly and tear them apart with my fingers.