Brioche

So…Brioche!

The Brioche I made for my Christmas morning “sweet” was another recipe from the “Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day” book. I started making the high moisture/no knead breads over a year ago and have been using the formula to make a variation on Portuguese Broa, a Rye and a light whole wheat dough. I use those doughs to make mini boules, English muffins, Naan-type flatbread and pizza crust. I have not purchased bread since I started using this technique.

As Christmas approached…and I had eaten all of the Pecan sweet rolls that my mother sent home with me…I was deciding what to make for my Christmas morning sweet roll… I looked through the “Artisan Bread…” pastry section and didn’t get further than the Almond Bostock Brioche. I had Almond Paste that was fast approaching its expiration date so win-win!

The Brioche dough, like all of the high moisture/no knead doughs is a “dump everything in the bowl, give it a stir and let it sit for a bit” procedure… easy-peasy :)!

Above is the after “give it a stir” photo…

Oh…the complicated step…cover it loosely with wrap…

I put it on this little side table as there is a heater just underneath so it is a warm spot.

Meantime, I get on with my life for 3-4 hours.

Then…scoop the dough into a crock of some sort that can go in the frig. It needs to be NOT air tight. I use a ceramic crock with lid. The brioche dough is a bit different than the “flour/salt/yeast/water” doughs as it has eggs, honey and butter in it and as such, needs to be used within 5 days versus the other doughs that can go 7-10 days. I make a half recipe of all of the doughs and so far manage to use them up in the recommended time frame.

Continuing with the brioche…

To make the almond bostock rolls, I made an almond filling of almond paste, egg, flour and almond extract in my mini-prep food processor (recipe from the cookbook). The photo below shows the finished filling and the last bit of brioche dough that went into this morning’s batch of almond bostock:

The rollup…roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Spread the filling within a 1/2 inch of the edge of the rectangle.

After rolling the dough around the filling, the resulting “log” goes in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to slice into pieces for rolls.

Sliced log…into a pan thoroughly greased with butter and then sugar sprinkled…add a “crumb topping” of almonds, turbinado sugar and orange zest…

And you end up with gorgeous rolls that taste like bear claws with a bit of orange flavor. They are divine!!

In the background you can see a plain brioche with poppy seeds – cut open.

The plain brioche is a sweet bread with a wonderfully light custardy crumb and a crisp crust – YUM with butter and jam and a cup of strong coffee!

For the chocolate brioche – same procedure as for the almond bostock, except that a chocolate ganache (chocolate and cream) filling was used instead of the almond filling.

Seriously easy and the result is less flaky than a croissant but much flakier than a normal bread dough…a pastry that I enjoyed very much and will enjoy now and again and again!

Christmas Day

Almond Brioche to start the day…

…or a pig’s ear if you are Bear.

When I went out with Bear before bed on Christmas Eve, it was raining. My first outing this morning with Bob, it was clear and the sky was filled with stars. Fog dropped down, then sun.

But it was warm enough to entice Bob to spend some time on his pillow. And I turned on the dryer to give him a bit of extra heat – Christmas treat.

A second brioche – this one with a chocolate ganache…to celebrate the sun!

Not usual Christmas weather for this part of the country…

but beautiful and we enjoyed.

Baby back ribs with a teriyaki glaze, mashed sweet potatoes with fresh grated gruyere, steamed green beans and cranberry relish: Chrismas Dinner.

The dishes done, the kitchen clean, a walk taken with Bear as the wind came up…

And then a quiet cup of tea enjoying the end of Christmas day.

For Christmas night

David Archuleta sings Mannheim Steamroller’s “Up above the Northern Lights”

This year is the first I heard this song which has become a favorite…the melody, the words, the images it brings to mind.

Up above the northern lights on Christmas night.
Shimmering above the clouds dreams take flight.

Legends say that spirits dance across the sky,
children sing and sleigh bells ring reindeer fly.

Magic fills the air, spirits everywhere.
This is Christmas night, let your dreams take flight.

Up above the northern lights on Christmas night.
Traveling through space and time endless light.

You and I beneath the sky behold the light
quietly the mystery fills the night.

Magic fills the air, spirits everywhere.
This is Christmas night, let your dreams take flight.

Up above the northern lights on Christmas night.
Shimmering above the clouds dreams take flight.

the day before Christmas Eve day

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care :)!

The Christmas table is festive and bright.

It is the day before Christmas Eve day and even though there will be no presents to be opened, there is that excitement of anticipation….remembered childhood Christmases, shared times with family and the new traditions that I started and have kept for myself.

I have spent more Christmases with my dog and cat than with other people in the last years and it has always been a time filled with Joy.

This year has been even more relaxed than usual…I’m still taking it easy and trying to shake the last of this bug. But…the good news is that the bug MADE me take it easy and so I have enjoyed a time of ease that I might not have had I felt better. I’ve spent most afternoons lazing in bed watching a movie or tv show with Bob snuggled next to me. I’ve spent hours bundled up on the front porch or in my chair while Bear explores the woods or just sits quietly near me.

I’ve done a bit of baking, a bit of work, a bit of bookkeeping and a lot of resting. It has been a wonderful week shared with Bear and Bob….remembering Karl, Zack and Gus…but happy memories of outside times with each of them.

And then today, some very special Christmas visitors…

The Elk herd! …if you look carefully, you will see them among the trees.

Feasting on moss and grass in the woods.

A very special day before Christmas Eve Day at the end of a very special week before Christmas.

And then the evening

It has been one of those days…beautiful start to finish. The snow, the light, the sky, the color…spectacular!

As afternoon gave way to evening, I could not stand to stay inside. I bundled up and shuffled through the woods following Bear and looking at snow on weeds and branches and tree trunks…as the sky and mountains turned pink with alpenglo.