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{Cookbook Review} Sugar and Spice Brioche Buns: Everything Nice

Mar 8 by Anita 21 Comments

sugar and spice brioche

 

To see the winners of last week’s Blackboard Eats contest, see the bottom of this post!

We’re spoilt for choice of bread in San Francisco, where there’s enough artisan bread bakeries around that not having freshly baked bread with dinner almost seems enough reason to turn in your foodie membership card. I must confess that I’m not the hugest bread person, probably because there’s stiff competition for Most Ardent Bread Lover in this town, and my carbohydrate of choice tends to be rice, since it was a fixture of the dinner table while I was growing up.

I will make an exception for brioche, though. I like that it inhabits some undefined but utterly delicious middle ground between bread and cake. I like it even though it’s so rich because you are literally shoving as much butter as possible into the dough before it loses all structural integrity, people still tend to enjoy it by putting even more rich items on, like…more butter, or eggs, or pâté. I also like brioche because it’s so very easy to make. There may be many breads that intimidate me, but brioche? You make it once and you realize, that’s all there is to it? And that’s the dangerous part because you’ll want to make it again and again.

sugar and spice brioche

There’s many very fine brioche recipes out there, both simple and gussied up. My longstanding favorite happens to be based off of this one by Alice Medrich. But when I got a copy of pastry chef Joanne Chang’s Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe and saw her Sugar and Spice Brioche Buns, I figured there were worse lots in life than a surfeit of brioche recipes.

What I like about the Flour cookbook is the clean and very modern typography, which makes the book a joy to browse, and Chang’s talent for writing charming, engaging headnotes that make every recipe sound like a must-try. How many different ways can you find to say, “These cookies are delicious!”?  But she manages to avoid that trap and weaves anecdotes from her childhood and her stints at Payard and other restaurants with tales of the daily routine at her Boston bakery to provide an entertaining glimpse into her life, enticing the reader to try these milestone recipes from her career. The majority of the recipes are accessible standards of the all-American bakery, with a refined presentation from Chang’s background in French pastry.

Her basic brioche recipe is straightforward; it does not rely on a separate sponge (or poolish) but rather an overnight rest in the refrigerator to allow the fermentation process to occur. Because brioche dough is so rich with eggs and butter, it slows down the development of the yeast. Having a separate sponge free of fats ensures that enough fermentation happens, but I generally have no problem with brioche doughs developing overnight, with a final rise after shaping. If it’s cold in the kitchen (like mine this last rainy, blustery weekend), I’ll turn on the oven and place the shaped dough near it to help it rise faster. Other people have placed the dough directly in the oven, or in the warming drawer, but be careful to keep the temperature below 140 degrees F, or else you’ll kill the yeast and have prematurely dead bread.

sugar and spice brioche

The classic French form for brioche is either a loaf or brioche à tête, but the Flour recipe has you cutting the dough into little squares and piling them into muffin cups. I finally figured out that the end result was supposed to resemble the traditional cloverleaf dinner rolls, making this recipe a nice amalgam of French and American. I wish illumination had come before I baked the brioche though, so I could have arranged the squares a little more neatly; the recipe was not entirely clear.

Recall what I said earlier about brioche being best enjoyed with other non-diet-food items: These buns are brushed with melted butter right out of the oven and then rolled in a mixture of sugar and spices. The never-fail combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves make these buns taste very similar to the cinnamon-sugar doughnuts from the doughnut shops of my childhood.  The knobbly, pull-apart construction of these buns also tricks you into thinking you can eat just part of it, or maybe half and a bit more, until you give up and just cram the whole thing in your mouth and think, well, I’ll just eat dinner a little later. Dangerous – but brioche is one yeasted bread that’s got a permanent spot in my kitchen.

Finally, thanks for all who participated in the Blackboard Eats contest and gave me a bunch of restaurants to add to my list of places to try. The two winners of a one-year membership to Blackboard Eats, chosen entirely at random, are Annie and Christyna! Congrats and enjoy!

sugar and spice brioche

Sugar and Spice Brioche Buns (adapted from Joanne Chang's Flour)

makes 10 buns
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Brioche

  • 2 1/4 cups (315 grams) all purpose flour
  • 2 1/4 cups (340 grams) bread flour
  • 1 1/2 packages (3 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (82 grams) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 grams) cold water
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons (2 3/4 sticks/310 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into about 12 pieces

Topping

  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Pinch ground cloves
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • For the brioche dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and eggs.
  • Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until all of the ingredients have come together.
  • Once the dough has come together, beat on low speed for another 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will be very stiff and seem quite dry.
  • On low speed, add the butter one piece at a time, mixing after each addition until it disappears into the dough. It's important to wait until each piece is fully mixed in before adding other, or you'll have a greasy mess.
  • Continue mixing on low speed for about 10 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. It is important for all of the butter to be mixed thoroughly into the dough. If necessary, stop the mixer occasionally and break up the dough with your hands to help mix in the butter.
  • Once the butter is completely incorporated, turn up the speed to medium and beat for another 15 minutes, or until the dough becomes sticky, soft, and somewhat shiny. It will take some time to come together. It will look shaggy and questionable at the start and then eventually will turn smooth and silky.
  • Increase speed to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute. You should hear the dough make a slap-slap-slap sound as it hits the sides of the bowl. Test the dough by pulling at it: it should stretch a bit and have a little give. If it seems wet and loose and more like a batter than a dough, add a few tablespoons of flour and mix until it comes together. If it breaks off into pieces when you pull at it, continue to mix on medium speed for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until it develops more strength and stretches when you grab it. It is ready when you can gather it all together and pick it up in one piece.
  • Place the dough in a large oiled bowl or plastic container and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the dough. Let the dough proof in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. At this point, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
  • When you're ready to make the brioche buns: take out half of the dough. Line 10 cups of a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or generously butter and flour them.
  • On a floured work surface, press dough into a 10 inch x 5 inch rectangle.
  • Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 10 equal 1 inch x 5 inch strips. Cut each strip into 5 pieces. You should now have 50 squares of dough.
  • Place 5 squares in each prepared muffin cup. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for about 1 1/2 hours, until the dough has risen and feels puffy and soft.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.
  • Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Let buns cool for 5 to 10 minutes on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, combine sugar, spices, and salt in a small bowl.
  • Brush tops of buns with the melted butter. Roll the buns in the sugar mixture to coat evenly.
  • Buns are best served within 4 hours of baking. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 day, then rewarmed in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Filed Under: Breads, Cookbooks, Recipes, Reviews Tagged With: brioche, flour, joanne chang, spice, sugar

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Comments

  1. 1

    A Bowl Of Mush says

    Mar 8 at 8:12 am

    These are so beautiful! I love the way they look all knobbly and sugary! 🙂

    Reply
  2. 2

    Rosa says

    Mar 8 at 8:18 am

    Those brioche buns look marvelous! What a heavenly treat.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  3. 3

    Sharlene says

    Mar 8 at 2:40 pm

    These looks gorgeous. I love brioche but am terrible at working with yeast. One day soon I’ll tackle a recipe like this!

    Reply
  4. 4

    Lauren | Have Fork Will Eat says

    Mar 9 at 7:56 am

    Delicious. I love brioche. It’s an amazing bread…rolling it in spiced sugar is just icing on the proverbial cake!

    Reply
  5. 5

    Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    Mar 9 at 9:20 am

    I’ve made the Flour brioche and it is just divine… you’ve inspired me to go back and make these wonderful buns!

    Reply
  6. 6

    Erika Beth, the Messy Chef says

    Mar 9 at 9:32 am

    These look amazing! I will have to try my hands at making brioche someday soon.

    Reply
  7. 7

    Alyssa says

    Mar 9 at 11:18 am

    They look incredible — kind of like the most decadent monkey bread ever!

    Reply
  8. 8

    Lea says

    Mar 9 at 11:22 am

    It looks perfect and sure tasted amazing 🙂

    Reply
  9. 9

    Elizabeth Howes says

    Mar 9 at 11:58 am

    These are so beautiful — and I love the contrast with the red dotted liners, too. When I was a kid my brother ate cinnamon sugar toast for almost every meal. He would absolutely love these!

    Reply
  10. 10

    Vivian Mac says

    Mar 9 at 1:58 pm

    I actually came across Flour and bought it two weeks ago! I even browsed your blog to see if it was on your bookshelf. As it turns out, you did check out Chang’s book. What a nice suprise. 🙂

    Reply
  11. 11

    Evan @swEEts says

    Mar 9 at 2:56 pm

    I keep saying I need to try and make brioche and now with this cinnamon and sugar variation I can’t wait any longer!

    Reply
  12. 12

    Patricia says

    Mar 10 at 12:08 pm

    Great you were in a competition. I find this really stretches our students skills and capabilities and are important to advancing the culinary world.

    Reply
  13. 13

    Anna says

    Mar 10 at 1:45 pm

    oh, these look wonderful! and perfect for march, when it’s still too cold to really diet properly 🙂 i love brioche too, butter, eggs and bread all rolled into one. rolling it in sugar can only make it better!

    http://www.icyviolets.blogspot.com

    Reply
  14. 14

    Aaron smith says

    Mar 11 at 11:15 pm

    Thanks for this amazing recipe of Sugar and Spice Brioche Buns. I really like this.

    Reply
  15. 15

    SarahWW says

    Mar 14 at 12:15 pm

    wow~!Those buns looks lovely and yummy~!I will try it ~ I recently made a British scone and Pancake~ have a see give me some comments~thx~!
    http://sarahww.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  16. 16

    Jaclyn says

    Mar 17 at 5:17 pm

    These look so tasty! I just found your blog and I love it! I definitely love baking so I know I will have fun looking through your recipes 🙂

    Reply
  17. 17

    sucre en poudre says

    Mar 18 at 9:51 am

    These buns are juste perfect.I’ll have a try
    iza:)

    Reply
  18. 18

    Saee Koranne-Khandekar says

    Mar 21 at 11:34 am

    Ooh, I’d give anything for one of these with a latte right now!

    Reply
  19. 19

    traditional sweets says

    Mar 24 at 5:48 am

    Wow! Looks very delicious. Its not common to have a little bit taste of spice in our bun, but look it make sense of baking a bun with a very unique taste. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Hope to see more.

    Reply
  20. 20

    sucre en poudre says

    Mar 28 at 12:47 pm

    I gave a try with another leavened dough.The topping is fantastic.Thank your for sharing. I published it on my blog.
    iza:)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls from Pastry Love - Dessert First says:
    Dec 20 at 8:00 am

    […] seem to be drawn to Joanne’s brioche buns quite often, which is probably not surprising given that her sticky pecan buns are her most […]

    Reply

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Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

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