A French Brioche that is soft, rich & buttery with cranberries and some chilli flakes to give it the right amount of kick.
I am a passionate baker. I am always on a look out for good baking books/shows and when I come across one such great book/show I try almost all the recipes. Nadiya’s book felt just perfect for me to try. She is such a great writer. Lot of her recipes were made with seasonal fruits, unusual ingredients, different types of cheese etc. It includes both sweet and savory options - everything from cakes to brownies to breads to cookies. She comes up with very clever ideas as well, she had a recipe for a Croissant pudding where she used store bought Ice cream instead of making the cream from scratch. She comes up with ingredients that I would have never thought of. Another unusual one was a Chocolate Caramel Flan that had a brownie on the bottom, caramel in between and a flan on top. Wow!
Usually tear and share recipes are a hit at my place. I have baked this brioche three times so far and has been everyone’s favorite. The orange marmalade on the top is a must, it pairs up with the cheese so well.
This was my first-time using Camembert cheese and loved it. It is a soft ripened cheese that is bland and a bit crumbly. It is very similar to Brie cheese. When baked, the cheese forms a smooth runny interior and a white bloomy rind. Before serving, remove the thin rind with a knife or a fork, drizzle some marmalade. Tear the bread and dip into the cheese and marmalade, enjoy!
The only change I made was that I increased the quantity of chili flakes. The original recipe called for 2 teaspoons only. This is definitely a time-consuming recipe, but I promise it is all worth it:). Hope you bake this brioche and enjoy it as much as we did!
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Serves 6 - 8 people
INGREDIENTS:
2 3/4 cup bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 tablespoon chili flakes
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoon milk
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon unsalted butter softened and cubed
To finish
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
Sea salt, just sprinkling
Orange Marmalade, as needed
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cranberries, and chili flakes until well combined. Separately whisk four eggs and milk, pour this liquid to the flour mixture. Mix well. You will end up with a wet batter like texture. Slowly add the butter cubes little at a time. Let all the dough come together, knead on high speed for about 8 minutes. You will end up with a sticky dough. Transfer it into a greased bowl, cover with a wrap. Refrigerate the dough and allow it to rise for anytime between 8 – 12 hours.
Remove the dough, punch it down and knead quickly on a floured surface. To roll, pinch in the center and make the ball, place it the seam side down. Make 28 - 30 equal sized dough balls. ( The original recipe called for 25 balls, but I couldn't make a complete wreath with it.)
Line a round baking sheet with parchment. Place the lid of the cheese box ( just the empty lid, pop the cheese back into the fridge) in the center. Arrange the balls around the lid, like a wreath. Cover and allow it to rise until double in size. Brush with egg. Sprinkle sea salt all over the top.
Preheat oven at 375F. Remove the cheese from the wrapper and place it in the center( remove the lid first). Bake for 18 - 20 mins. Once baked, remove the top rind and add generous amount of orange marmalade on the hot cheese and serve!