I’m actually a little in shock. After finding out earlier in the week that this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was Bubble Top Brioche (pp 496-497), I approached the task with great trepidation – bready, yeasty things and I not generally being the best of friends. Having arrived back from the West Coast late Tuesday night and still being in a fog of traveller’s fatigue, I made sure to follow the recipe to a T. Dorie’s instructions are very descriptive (even down to telling you that you will have a “shaggy” looking dough at one point but I realised that I actually have no idea what a brioche should look like at any stage except for the one just before it hits my mouth.
Following the instructions worked out it seems, though the recipe does call for a double rise with the second half being in the fridge – this did not take as long as it said – the “active” part of the rising seemed to be done after just over an hour so I covered it in plastic and left it to rest overnight. The following afternoon, I buttered eight muffin tins (I halved the recipe) and rolled the dough into tiny balls , tucking them in the muffin cups and leaving them to rise for nearly 2 hours.
After 10 minutes in the oven (20 in total), I covered the tops of the already puffy brioches with foil as they were browning rather quickly and I didn’t want them to burn. After 20 minutes, I pulled them from the oven, let them sit in the muffin tins for a few minutes and then ripped into one – because I know sometimes these things look amazing but the insides are all wrong.
But this time, I was spot on:
Puffy AND fluffy! Thanks Dorie for renewing my confidence in baking bread-type things – I might just be convinced to make these again 🙂
Get the recipe for Dorie’s Bubble Top Brioche here.
French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs, rather, we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves (trust me, you definitely want this book!) which you can do here on Amazon (this should bring you to the Amazon store closest to you geographically). Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository.
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Please note: The product links from Amazon and The Book Depository are affiliate links, meaning if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance!
Great work, Mardi.
If 2011 was the year of the macaron & meat, maybe 2012 can be the year of yeast? You conquered the other two so well, I am certain that you and the yeasty things could quickly become friends.
Have a great weekend!
No, no, no….2012 also has to be the year of, umm, “more meat”? 😉
Perhaps…. 🙂
Bravo! You handled the yeast obstacle brilliantly. I might commission you to make these for me in Paris =) Yum!
Oh I’d love to !!!
I definitely want to make brioche. I will have it with chorizo… LOL
Well now you say that….
Puffy and fluffy, and they look utterly buttery and delicious!
Mmmm – butter!
They look fantastic! This is my second time trying brioche and Dorie’s recipe is fabulous. I’ll be doing the loaves soon based on the great results with these rolls.
I’ll be trying the loaves soon too!
Mardi, these look delicious! Your food photos are awesome. You’ve made me hungry 🙂 AK
🙂 Glad to assist!
Very pretty! 🙂
Cheers!
YUM! I love brioche! So cute!
These ones were really cute huh?
Gorgeous brioche, Mardi! I know you and yeast will become fast friends! ;-))
I hope so!
Beautiful! I think that the more yeasty things you make, the less intimidating they become. Not that they won’t go wrong, but it’s less scary at the outset. I’m glad these worked out for you! they look wonderful.
I am seeing this now Eileen!!
They turned out beautifully! 🙂
I know, right? So surprised!
Yours looks great. I love the even browning of your brioches 🙂 I love the buttery flavor of these brioches and shall make them again soon 🙂
Me too 🙂
Wow, your rolls are really beautiful! Glad you had such success with your baking.
Thanks Marcella!
Now this makes me want to add brioche-making/making to my new year’s resolutions!
This recipe is so easy Liz!!
Your brioche rolls look great. Nice job. Now for the next yeast challenge.
Indeed.
Yay, I’m so happy these worked out for you. What a great way to start off the year. I probably should have covered mine with foil sooner than I did since my top came out quite crusty. Live and learn!
It was an amazing start to the year for sure!
I’m so happy they worked out… leave it to Dorie 🙂 I finally got off my butt and ordered the book through Amazon.ca (through you), so I can cook and bake along!
YAY!!!
Mardi, your rolls look terrific! I’m glad they were good. Mine looked fine but were really lacking in any taste.
You’ll just have to make them again!
These look so beautiful!!!
Thanks – I was so pleased!
Adding these delicacies to the bright plates fits perfectly 🙂
I liked the contrast too!
I have to say, these were pretty much perfect!
Fresh one out of the oven, then served one for breakfast this morn (avec some of the famous jam from the Alsace).
I paired with cafe latte. 🙂
Blimey neil – you’ve got jam left?? Mine has long gone!! It was fab with greek yoghurt.
CX
We’ve been rationing it.
😉
I love that you’ve stuck through this. I bought the book some time ago & I’ve yet to cook anything from it. This might be the kick in the pants I needed!
It’s such a great book!
These look delicious. Buttery brioche is just so good
I have been experimenting with bread baking quite a bit of late. Knowing for sure if bread was cooked perplexed me a little. I found using an instant read thermometer useful (i did this for loaves and am not sure if it would work so well for rolls)
Soft, breads with butters and or eggs are done baking when the internal temperature is around 180-190 degrees. Drier breads will be done between 200-210 degrees inside.
That’s great information – thanks Mike!
This really is a good recipe! Puffy and fluffy describe them perfectly.
Puffy and fluffy is exactly how I like them!
I haven’t read about any failures so far, which must mean the recipe is very good. (Or that we’re all very good cooks).
Yep I think the recipe is pretty failproof!
They were marvelous, weren’t they??? Yours look PERFECT!!!
Thanks so much!
I hope you are still patting yourself on the back Mardi! Congratulations, they look amazing. I’m making Sourdough Bread starter for the first time and anxious to see if I can make Sourdough Bread from it this week. If my Sourdough turns out half as well as your Brioche I’ll be dancing!
Sourdough is on my list for this year too!
Yeasty things always seem scary at the outset and magical at the end, as you proved. I like Cher’s idea of 2012 as Year of Yeast. Can’t wait to try again.
Well they’re not ALWAYS magical! I was pleasantly surprised!
I absolutely love brioche- so buttery and delicious! Beautiful photos.
Thank you so much!
Oh my GOD do those look delicious! I’m drooling over here on this side of the screen. Can you butter one up for me and then Nutella up a second as dessert?
Oh yes. Nutella.
Awesome stunning photos – and love those fun plates ! I had such a similiar reaction – love brioche but did not think there was any way I would pull this off. I was also reading Dorie’s instructions down to the t and looking for “shagginess” ….which is of course what I found in that bowl. I also ended up tenting the foil. Love those step by steps. What I was unprepared for was how utterly amazing these little guys actually tasted. Oh my. But I don’t have to tell you. A keeper for sure. Great job !!
I am amazed at how easy these are – I’ll definitely be making again!
Really beautiful – wish I still had some left! I was amazed at how easy they were to make as I had some trepidation also, and maybe a few choice words when I first saw that the first recipe of 2012 was brioche. It ended up being a great recipe to start 2012FFWD and one that was successful!
LOL! I think I might have uttered a few choice words too!
These look lovely, Mardi! Brioche is one of my favorites.
Me too Jen!
beautiful!!!
Thanks!
ahhh!! great job! mine just came out of the oven, the post will go up just a few hours from now, and they were not as perfectly bubbly as Dories, but look like yours and many others so as soon as they cool, I hope they are puffy and fluffy too! Great job! I just wish I could fill the inside with some delicious fillings like the ones I get at the pastry shop in town! 🙂
Well I was pretty happy with these, even though they are not “as perfectly bubbly as Dorie’s” 😉 To be honest, I wasn’t even expecting these to work at all so I was thrilled when they did!