Balsamic Strawberry Brioche Toast
 
 
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Ingredients
Brioche Dough:
  • 3 cups (15 oz) bread flour
  • 20 tablespoons (10 oz ) unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 envelope (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
  • ⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
  • 5 large eggs, cold
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 large egg for egg wash
Balsamic Strawberries
  • 3 cups (500 g) strawberries
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
For the brioche loaves:
  1. Place the flour into a bowl, cover, and chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will help keep the dough cool while you are mixing it and prevent the butter from melting.
  2. Cut the butter into 1-in pieces and place in the mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle only until the butter is smooth and there are no hard lumps; do not overbeat and let it get soft and creamy. Place the butter in a bowl, cover, and store in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the dough.
  3. Place the yeast, water and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a clean mixer bowl and let the yeast dissolve.
  4. Add the ⅓ cup sugar, eggs, sour cream, salt, and chilled flour, and mix with the dough hook on low speed until all the ingredients are combined.
  5. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on medium speed until it forms a ball around the dough hook and is moist and sticky but not gooey or mushy; you should be able to form it into a cohesive ball.
  6. Add the cold butter a few pieces at a time, letting them incorporate into the dough before adding more. Scrape the bowl down as necessary.
  7. Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover. Refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.
  8. When you are ready to make the brioche: Butter two 5"x9" loaf pans.
  9. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and scrape out on a floured surface. Cut into two pieces and roll out each piece into a rectangle about ½" thick. Cut each piece on the long side into five separate pieces.
  10. Roll up each piece on the long side, pressing down firmly on the seam to completely seal it. Place these pieces into the prepared pans, five rolls to each pan.
  11. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
  12. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the final egg with about a teaspoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of the brioche with the egg wash, avoiding the sides of the pan (otherwise the egg will make your dough stick to the pan and it will rise unevenly).
  13. Bake the brioche for about 25-30 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown and the bottoms of the pans sound hollow when tapped.
  14. Cool brioche on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then unmold and let finish cooling. They are best eaten warm, but you can easily rewarm them in the oven or toast older brioche.
For the strawberries:
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and let sit for about 20 minutes to let the strawberries macerate.
  2. Drain the strawberries, reserving the syrup.
  3. Put the syrup in a saucepan and bring to boil until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
  4. Beat the whipping cream in a stand mixer with whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
  5. Slice and toast the brioche. Scoop some whipped cream on top of each slice. Top with some of the strawberries and drizzle some of the syrup over the strawberries.
Recipe by Dessert First at https://dessertfirstgirl.com/2019/05/balsamic-strawberry-brioche-toast.html