Star Brioche

I know Christmas is over but I was so busy making these, I didn't have time to post this.  It's a wonderful Christmas morning baked good or any time brunch item.  I cranked out quite a few as gifts and they make for "WOW" impression.  My hairdresser said he had to sit down he was so thrilled.  They can be filled with either cinnamon/sugar, Nutella, fruit jam, lemon curd or cheese.  If wrapped well, they freeze nicely too.

My big secret is I have a bread machine to make the dough in. It's a time saver and makes for a consistent dough with the right environment for the dough to rise in.  While there is a heating element in the machine which enables baking, I always prefer baking in a conventional oven.  I used the  1 1/2 pound recipe for brioche from Fleishmans's Breadworld and use the dough setting on the machine.

The recipe calls for bread flour but it can be made with all purpose flour successfully.  All purpose doesn't rise as much.

Layer in order in the bread machine:

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
3 large eggs
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), cut into pieces
3 tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
4 1/2 tsp active yeast (2 packets)

Layer ingredients in order in the bread machine

Remove dough after the course in completed (mine takes 1 hr and 50 minutes) onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal parts.  I also have a scale to ensure each is the same size.  Roll the first piece of dough into a 10 inch circle, using a cake pan to as a guide to trim the edges.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Spread 1/4 cup filling onto the dough leaving a 1/2 inch bare border around the edge.

Do the same with the next two quarters of dough.  Don't spread anything on the top layer of dough.  Take a 3 inch cookie cutter or small jelly jar and make an impression in the center of the dough.  Then make 16 cuts with a sharp knife around the edge of the circle impression.  It may help to chill the dough for 15 minutes before cutting.

Stretch and twist twice

Tuck the ends under

Lift two wedges of dough at a time, give them a slight tug and then twist them away from each other, twice and then tuck the ends under. Continue the same technique all the way around.  Cover and let rise 1 hour.  Brush with 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of cream and bake in a 350 degree oven for
35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Be creative with your filling but remember not to spread too much between layers.

Ham & Cheese version