Brioche Vendéenne

A braided sweet bread, made in the Vendée region of France. It is especially popular at Easter and at weddings and is usually served with coffee for dunking.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 45 ml lukewarm milk
• 14 g instant yeast
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 300 g (2 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50 g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 30 ml cognac
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 70 g unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for brushing

Chilling time: 2 hours

Standing time: 1.5 hours

This recipe makes 1 loaf.

Instructions

1. Place the milk and yeast in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk together. Leave for 5 minutes, then add 2 of the eggs and whisk to combine.
   
2. Add the flour, sugar and salt, then swap the whisk attachment for the dough hook and mix on low speed to combine well.
   
3. Add the cognac and orange blossom water and continue to mix for another 6 -7 minutes or until the dough is stretchy. Add the butter, a little at a time and beat for another 5 minutes or until well smooth and elastic.
   
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured workbench and shape into a ball. Place into a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight if time permits.
   
5. Grease a 24 cm bread tin with the extra butter and dust with the extra flour, shaking out the excess.
   
6. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a cylinder about 30 cm long, then plait the 3 rolls together and place into the tin. Cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
   
7. Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Lightly beat the remaining egg, then brush all over the top of the brioche. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 150˚C and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
   
8. Remove from the oven and stand 5 minutes, then remove from the tin. Serve immediately or cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Photography by Blink TV. Styling by Blink TV. Food preparation by Guillaume Brahimi.

From Normandy to the Spanish border, follow Guillaume Brahimi along the French Atlantic at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.