Braided brie brioche by a bumbling bread baker. # 161: Brie & Rosemary Brioche

Oh hello there, lil braided loaf! I had forgotten how time-consuming brioche is, but it’s so so worth it. A mega-enriched dough with lots of butter and in this case, rich and creamy brie cheese.

Brioche is one of those rare breads that I can eat entirely plain for breakfast. It’s rich and buttery that it doesn’t need jam, and egg or even more butter to make it satisfying.

The name comes from an old Norman word (“broyer”) which means “to knead” but from my research, it’s unclear where the modern version of brioche began. However, most articles point to French bakers. Don’t know about you, but I’m not surprised at all that this lucsious dough is from the same country that brought croissants into existence. Merci France!

It’s got the best ingredients from a cake (eggs, butter, milk, sugar) mixed in with normal bread basics (yeast, salt, flour.)

Don’t freak out if it looks more like cake batter to begin with! Keep on keepin’ on.

Excuse all the shadows, but after dumping the flour into the bubbly yeast, it made a cute little crescent moon!

And last but not least: butter. Don’t take shortcuts here! Make sure the butter really is soft or it’ll take 8 years to mix into your dough.

Help! We knead more butter!

Harvested some fresh rosemary from my parents yard, and tried not eat all the brie as I cubed it. Hot tip (or in this case, cold tip): if you keep the brie in the fridge up until right before slicing, it’s way easier!

Studded with brie jewels.

Post-proofing nap and ready to roll.

Literally.

I debated making one giant 6 strand plait, but two 3 strand plaits was more manageable. I’ll take one a big dough braid next time I make challah!

Poofy and held it’s shape during the last proof?? No bread mama could ask for more.

See that crispy cheese wall on the side? Definitely ate that first.

Happy munching!

Recipe from: https://www.bakefromscratch.com/cheese-rosemary-brioche/