Peach Brioche Buns

Peach Brioche Bun is one of the creations I made when exploring the classic Brioche. As you might know, Brioche is an enriched French bread that comes up often in bread pudding and french toast. It has high egg and butter content, which gives it very soft, golden crumb and rich, tender texture.

The method used to make Brioche is quite new to me. It starts with a yeast mixture by adding yeast into half cup of water and half cup of flour. Wait until this loose paste has risen, then add all the rest of the ingredients and knead into a dough. This is equivalent to three times proofing, whereas other bread I made normally requires only two times. Since it took time for the dough to proof,  I had plenty of time to think how to "design" a  lovely Brioche bun.


The yellow dough reminded me of canned peaches. The last time I used canned peach in Peach Cream Cheese Cobbler, the result was surprisingly good. The sweet peach not only made the cobbler look fantastic, but also taste fabulous.   Now, elegant Brioche and golden peach, seemed to me a perfect match. They really shine together,  agree?

Sorry to say that, the dough is quite sticky, not easy to handle. If you have a stand mixer with dough hook, it would be much better.  As usual, I did it by hands. The secret is,  try not work too much with the dough before it's risen, just leave it to proof first. After the dough has risen, added a little more flour and then turned the dough several times to coat well with flour. It became easy to work with.

I have also made some plain Brioche Buns. They are rich, slightly sweet with buttery flavor. You can eat with coffee or as a roll with dinner. As for me, I plan to make french toast for tomorrow's breakfast!

BRIOCHE BUNS

(Recipe adapted here.)

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 ½ all-purpose flour, you may need a bit more
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Place water in a small bowl. Add yeast and stir well. Let mixture sit until it begins to bubble and foam. Add 1/2 cup of the flour. Stir to form a loose paste. Set bowl in a warm place for about an hour, until batter has risen and begins to fall.

2. Add eggs, sugar, salt and remaining flour to the fallen yeast mixture. Using the dough hook on a stand mixer, mix until flour is completely incorporated. Continue to knead with the dough hook until it's smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Dough should start to leave the sides of the bowl. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. Add the soft butter and knead until it's fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. Cover dough in bowl with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Line a sheet pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375˚F (190 C). Cut dough into 18-24 equal pieces.

- To make plain buns:  Roll into balls, place on the prepared sheet pan. Allow to rise until almost doubled. Brush tops of the buns with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on the top.

- To make peach buns: Roll into long rolls.  For each roll, fold from the center, twist and tuck the two ends to form a round. Allow to rise until almost doubled. Press the center of the dough and make an indention. Place the peach with cut side down. Brush the edge of the buns with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.


I'm linking this post to

- See Ya In the Gumbo, hosted by Michelle at Ms. enPlace.
- Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage.
- Show Stopper Saturday Party hosted by Gloria from Simply Gloria, Krista from Joyful Healthy Eats and Lyuba from Will Cook for Smiles