Brioche à tête

You’ll need 18 small fluted tins for this - lucky you, if you have original brioche tins. As an alternative just put the brioche dough balls (and top) on a piece of baking sheet - it should work too. When cooled a little; you cut a brioche in half and butter it - what a way to start a (sun)day. You could also put the brioche dough in bread forms (again make balls, this time bigger though) - this gives you a great bread to make slices from.

You would probably be making the dough in the evening and leave it to proof in the fridge overnight or get up real early and make brioches for brunch. Personally I’d opt for the first suggestion.

If you have the possibility of buying eco eggs, do so - standard brioche should have a shade of yellow from the egg yolks.

Brioche à tête:

15 g. fresh yeast
1 dl. milk, heated
125 g. flour

Dissolve yeast in heated milk. Stir in flour and mix. Dough will be quite sticky and wet. Cover with a cloth or even better plastic wrap, and leave it to ferment at room temperature for one hour.

175 g. butter, leave a little to butter the forms
375 g. flour
1 ts salt
1 tbs sugar
4 eggs (leave a little for brushing before placed in the oven)

Rub the butter into the flour. Mix in salt, sugar, eggs and the fermented dough and knead until the dough is smooth. Butter should be fully incorporated. Leave to rise for 2 hours - or more.

Preheat oven to 225 C.

Butter your brioche tins and divide the dough into 18 - 20 pieces (reserve the amount of 4 pieces for tops). Shape each piece into a ball and place one ball in each buttered tin. Make a dimple in each ball and use reserved dough to form small spherical pieces of dough to place in the dimples.

Leave the brioche to rise for about 45 minutes. Brush each brioche with beaten egg and place your baking sheet with the brioche tins in the lower half of your oven for 20 minutes.