Puff Pastry Brioche
Ingredients
Directions
Yields 2 standard size loaf pan, or one 20-inch/50cm long terrine pate mold.
To find a non-stick pate mold with removable bottom click here
Grease and line pan with parchment paper. This brioche feuilletée can be served as is, just topped with pearl sugar (Look up at Liege Waffles Suzette to make pearl sugar from scratch), and glaze with simple syrup, or best syrup from your poached lemons, or oranges. For this gourmet interpretation, brioche is filled with vanilla pastry cream flavored with chopped poached lemons, and oranges. After baking, it is dotted with some hazelnut spread. To make hazelnut spread (Praliné) look up at Crunchy Chocolate Cookies Recipe. For the poached citrus recipe look up at Poached Lemons.
In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix all ingredients together for about 2 minutes on medium-low speed. Scrap down the sides of the bowl, and mix again for a minute, or until homogenized. Unlike regular brioche dough, puff pastry brioche (Brioche feuilletée) does not need to be mixed through. Indeed, gluten will develops during the laminating process. After mixing, shape dough into a rectangle, wrap up and plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Then, place dough in the freezer for 15 min on each side before laminating.
To turn room temperature butter into a 6''/15cm slab, place butter between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Square it off, flip and form a slab with your rolling pin; chill. Leave out for 20 minutes before using (Butter slab temperature should be around 60°F/15ºC).
Flour work surface and dough. Roll out dough twice longer than the butter slab, keep the same width though. Place butter on the first half, and enclose. Seal and roll out into a 7''x 22''/18 x 56cm rectangle. Fold the dough into three parts, start by folding the right third over then the left third. Make sure the edges are sealed and regular. Flatten out pastry into a 8''x11''x 20x28cm slab. Wrap up and let pastry rest in the refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat this step twice (Total: 3 single turns / Tour simple). Refrigerate puff pastry dough for 2 hours before moving to the next step.
Flour work surface and roll out dough into 10''x16''/40 x 26cm rectangle, and cut in half lengthwise. Moisturize one half with a light brush of water, and superimpose – roll out to seal, and cut in 2 portions; chill for 30 minutes to rest. Roll out each portion into two 3.25''x 18''/8 x 46cm strips. For best handling, don't hesitate to freeze dough for a few minutes between steps. Roll out puff pastry scraps, or pie dough (Look up at Classic Puff Pastry / Pies for recipe). Prick pastry with a fork and line up bottom pan with. This will strengthen the bottom of the cake; chill. Brush bottom pastry with some water and fold puff pastry brioche dough accordion-style back and forth inside pan. Cover brioche with plastic wrap and let proof for about 2.5 hours.
Bring milk, and vanilla to a boil. Separately, mix egg yolks, sugar and starches together. Temper yolk mixture with a third of hot milk. Transfer mixture back to the saucepan whisking swiftly – bring custard to a boil and continue to cook for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add butter. At this juncture, pastry cream can be blended. Since we are making a small quantity, transfer custard in a narrower container; mix using an immersion blender. In order to cool custard faster, transfer onto a frozen baking tray lined with plastic wrap. Cover with another sheet of plastic film in contact – let cool and refrigerate. Beat custard before using and add 120 chopped poached lemons, or oranges, or both. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Once brioche is proofed, carefully fill up pastry cream between each cavity. Sprinkle some pearl sugar. Bake for about 45 minutes for regular size pan and 60 minutes if using the 20''/50cm long pate terrine mold. After baking, luster cake with simple syrup, apricot preserve, or syrup from your poached lemons, or oranges. Let cool for 20 minutes; un-mold and dot with praliné spread, or Nutella. Let stand an hour before eating. Enjoy!
