Brioche is a French bread, which is made from yeast dough and enriched with butter and eggs. The word brioche is derived from a verb “brier”, which is derived from northern French word “broyer” which means to knead. Etymologists believe that the word broyer was loaned from German word “brehhan” which meant break.
History of Brioche Recipes
Jean Jacques Rousseau in his autobiography Confessions have suggested that brioche was famously mentioned for the first time when Marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake" in fact in chaste French it was "Qu'ils manget de la brioche". Etymologically speaking the word brioche first appeared in 1404. Some historians suggest that brioche originated in Brie and that’s why it is called brioche. Alexandre Dumas has suggested that the dough for preparing brioche was kneaded using the cheese produced at Brie. Some say that the brioche has Romanian origins because it resembles to sweet holiday bread prepared in Romania. Despite of having French origins the brioches belong to the league of Viennoiseries. Although it mostly mimics the properties of bread but it falls into the league of pastries because eggs, milk and butter are used in large amounts. Brioche is normally enjoyed as a breakfast item or a snack along with pain aux raisins and pain au lait. Brioche is mostly paired with hot coffee or hot chocolate. Less calorific versions of brioche are used in the preparation of the savory meat dishes called foie grass.
Ingredients required for Brioches
The churros are prepared using the dry yeast flour, eggs and butter. Special brioche pans are used for preparing the brioche. The brioche dough can be used like pastry dough to drape meat and cheese fillings.
Popular Brioche Recipes
Variations of Brioche Recipes
Brioche can be prepared like a regular bread loaf or it can be molded into the ring. It mostly appears like an individual bun when served warm. The brioches are made sweet or savory according to ones taste preferences. Mostly the sweet brioches are stuffed with chocolates, jams and candied fruits. Extra sugar is added to the dough during the preparation of sweet brioches. The savory brioches are stuffed with vegetables and meats. The savory brioches have soft flaky crust when compared to their sweet counterparts; this is because these brioches are brushed with egg before baking. Brioches can be served in bread puddings, ice creams and sandwiches. The flour to butter ratio used in brioche is 2:1. If the flour to butter ratio rises to 5:4 then the brioche is called Brioche Mousseline, La Pâte à brioche mousseline or Rich Man's Brioche. The Poor Man’s Brioche contains less butter and packs fewer calories than the Rich Man’s Brioche. Also, it lacks the bright rich texture of the Rich Man’s Brioche. The Poor Man’s brioche is easier to prepare and much easier to handle too.
Health and Nutrition Facts about Brioches
Brioche is good source of proteins but it packs more cholesterols and fats than other forms of bread. Also, it packs in significantly large values of carbohydrates too. It is not generally recommended to those people who are nursing the weight loss aims.
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