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How to Bake a Golden Kugelhopf using Brioche Dough

May 18, 2011 by Georgette 2 Comments

The kugelhopf had a beautiful rise in the oven

I hope you read the post about the brioche in our May 12^th post? This is the second part of that post. Just to refresh your memory, the purpose of this post is to show how a minor difference in mixing method can deliver a totally different result. In the first report we showed you the method where the butter was added the last to the dough. The brioche dough (or kugelhopf) that is pictured above was prepared with the butter incorporated into the ingredients right at the beginning of the preparation of the dough.

All in all, both cakes are wonderful and both are best eaten fresh, right after taken out from the oven. If you would walk into my home while the brioche was in the oven, I guarantee you, you would not want to leave before tasting a slice. The aroma of yeast dough baking in the oven is intoxicating, exhilarating and adrenaline stimulating.

Many of us shy away from baking yeast-leavened dough in our home, because we are frightened by people who rather buy ready-made stuff, then worry about how the cake will come out? Or how much work is involved? Etc. Let me assure you that once you will try to prepare your own home made, brioche, croissant, sticky buns, biegly, etc. you will never want to go back to store-bought ones. (Perhaps occasionally, if you are near to a top quality bakery, like Francoise Payard or the Levaine Bakery, both in New York City). There is no substitute to the feeling of looking and tasting your own creations. It may take more time to prepare than a sponge cake, or a pound cake, but definitely not more work (the time is the rising time of the dough) and it is worth every minute of it.

Chocolate Kugelhopf Using Brioche Dough

Ingredients for the dough

1 teaspoon (4g) and ¼ cup (1.75g) bakers’ sugar
1 tablespoon (0.33 oz./9g) active dry yeast
1 cup (237 ml) warm water (Temp: 110F/43C); it is advisable to measure the temperature of the water because too cold water kills the yeast
4 cups (20 oz./500 g) bread flour
2 cups (16 oz./454 g) unsalted butter, tempered
5 large egg yolks (3.25 oz./9 g)
3 large egg whites (3 oz./85g)
1 3/4 teaspoon (10.5g/0.35 oz.) salt
1 whole egg for egg wash (extra water cooking pray)

Ingredients for the filling

½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup bakers sugar
½ cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon butter

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Filed Under: Baking, Ingredients, Recipes, Science of Baking, Tips, Yeast-leavened Tagged With: brioche, chocolate kugelhopf, Francoise Payard, kugelhopf, Levaine Bakery, yeast cake, yeast-leavened sweet bread

HOW TO SAVE A BRIOCHE CAKE WITH IMPROVISING

May 12, 2011 by Georgette Leave a Comment

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Tips and Techniques

Brioche dough used in making a Walnut-layered, apricot jam-filled Yeast-leavened Sweet Cake

If you recall, in my earlier post about yeast-leavened cakes, I promised to write a post about how seemingly minor differences in a recipe will create a substantially different cake.

I love to bake sweet yeast-leavened cakes, because they are great for a coffee break, they have a glorious appearance for presentation, and when eaten fresh out of the oven (Yum!) their spongy characteristics is delightfully satisfying. (BTW the cake can be frozen, but only while it is fresh; then re-warmed in a microwave for nearly the same soft, springy feel as it was when taken out of the oven).

This cake can be eaten as is (without any filling), but can be filled with cinnamon/golden raisins, cocoa powder/golden raisins, poppy-seed, sweet farmer cheese filling to enhanced its taste. The cake is also a great partner for baked fruit (you can wrap the dough around apples, pears, apricots and more) and the result is a delightful combination of the juicy aromatic fruit in a light and fluffy, melt-in-your mouth cake. I am sure you guessed by now that I am talking about the brioche dough.

French toast or bread pudding made with older brioche slices is not comparable to any other dough (not even the Challa Bread) and there is no better Beef Wellington on this Earth than the one uses brioche to wrap around the filet mignon. You must trust me on this.

Since I wanted to show the effects of different mixing methods on the characteristics and textures of the cake I needed to bake two brioche-doughs using the same recipe, but not the same method of preparation. Unfortunately, (or fortunately from a tutorial point of view) I also made two errors, so you have an opportunity to see the effects of these errors, as well, and the two preparation methods. With respect to the taste and texture difference you will have to trust my description. I will try to do my best to be poetically descriptive.

Ingredients for the Dough

1 teaspoon (4g) and ¼ cup (1.75g) bakers’ sugar

1 tablespoon (0.33 oz/9g) active dry yeast

1 cup (237 ml) warm water (Temp:110F/43C); it is advisable to measure the temperature of the water because cold water kills the yeast

4 cups (20 oz/500 g) bread flour
2 cups (16 oz/454 g) unsalted butter, tempered

5 large egg yolks (3.25 oz/92g)

3 large egg whites (3 oz/85g)
1 3/4 teaspoon(10.5g/0.35 oz) salt

1 whole egg for egg wash
may need some extra water
cooking pray

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Filed Under: Baking, How to, Recipes, Science of Baking, Tips, Tutorials, Yeast-leavened Tagged With: brioche, improvise, lost elasticity, over-proofed, tempered-butter, weakened yeast, yeast leavened sweet cake, yeast-leavened sweet bread

Cooking together, romantic dinner, breakfast in bed

February 23, 2011 by Georgette Leave a Comment

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Keep the fire burning

If you recall, during the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, I was wondering why we are building up anxiety, excitement, passion, sexual desire and so on and then comes Tuesday, the day after Valentine’s Day and we start to talk about business, office issues, financial problems, school events, but nothing about love, loving relationships, or planning for the next love-in-the-afternoon event.

I think it is important to “keep the fire burning” throughout the year. It takes so little time or effort, but the rewards are tremendous. All you need to do is carve out some time from your busy schedule and spend it with your mate. This can be as simple as setting up a “Table for 2” in your dining room with soft lights, flowers, a bottle of wine and a meal prepared in collaboration. You will not only keep the lines of communication open, but also delight in each other’s company as you prepare a meal together. Perhaps for extra effort, you could set the table with your good china and flatware and use fabric napkins to add a “touch of class.” You may place votive candles on the table and some taper candles nearby to enhance the romantic atmosphere. I recommend odorless so that you and your partner can fully enjoy the succulent aromas wafting up from your dinner plates. You know what they say, “the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”.

Heating up the kitchen together can help to heat things up between you and your partner, as well. If it gets too hot, just open the bottle of wine while you both preparing the ingredients and begin to cook your meal for just the two of you (and if needed, you can have a second bottle at the table). Relish this time together in the kitchen, working side-by-side chopping veggies, measuring spices, inhaling the aromas and all the while sipping a glass of Pinot Noir – can it get any better?