The Witchery

Several months ago, I picked up a silicone brioche pan in a discount bin at Williams-Sonoma. I kept planning on trying the recipe on the back, but it made 12 and the pan only held 6 (you were supposed to bake a batch, let it cool, then bake another). I probably would have ignored the thing indefinitely had my Mom not gotten me an identical pan this Christmas. So on this cold and wintry (bright and sunny) day, I decided to give it a whirl.

It's long, it's complicated, it came out very well. I used regular sized chocolate chips (as per the recipe) but I think in the future I'll use the mini-chips. The standard sized ones look a bit large and "gonky". Taste good though.

Chocolate Chip Brioche
Makes 12 brioches

For the sponge:
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup (80 ml) lukewarm milk (100-110°F/38-43°C)
1/2 cup (75 gr) all-purpose flour

For the dough:
2 cups (315 gr) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
8 Tbs (1 stick/125 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cup (235 gr) chocolate chips
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water

To make the sponge, in a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk. Stir in the flour cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

To make the dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt and the sponge. Beat on low speeed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the sponge is broken up and starting to blend into the flour but is still somewhat chunky, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes; halfway through the mixing time, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the butter and knead for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat an oven to 350°F (190°C).

Punch down the dough and add the chocolate chips. Fold the dough over onto itself several times to incorporate the chips. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half, then divide the remaining dough into 6 equal pieces. Knead each piece a couple of times, then roll it between the palms of your hands into a smooth ball. Place the dough balls in the wells of the silicone brioche mold and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Brush the tops of the brioches with the egg yolk mixture and bake until golden brown, 15-17 minutes. Transfer the mold to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the brioches from the mold and let cool on the rack.

Harvest Rolls

Water - 1 cup + 2 tablespoons
Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Dehydrated Soup Greens** – 1/4 cup
Dry Milk – 2 tablespoons
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Salt – 1 1/2 teaspoons
Garlic powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Bread Machine Yeast – 2 teaspoons

Place all the ingredients in the bread machine pan in order. Hit the dough button and let it go.

After the dough cycle finishes, dump the dough out onto a floured or oiled table/cutting board. Roll and stretch out the dough to a 24 inch rope. Cut the rope into 24 – 1 inch pieces and roll each into a ball shape.

Turn on your oven to the Warm setting for 1 minute – then turn off.

Grease 2 pie plates. Place 12 dough balls into each pie plate, cover with plastic wrap, and place into the warmed oven for 45 minutes.

After the dough rises, remove the pie plates, remove the plastic wrap, and heat the oven to 375°F. If you want the rolls to be a bit shiny, mix one egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush on the tops of the rolls.

Put the pie plates back into the oven, and bake for 15 minutes until golden.

Remove the pie plates and dump the rolls onto a cooling rack until cool enough to touch. Eat while warm.

These rolls also freeze beautifully.

**Dehydrated Soup Greens – These can be found in ethnic groceries, low-end supermarkets and, for some odd reason, many drug stores (CVS, Rite-Aid) next to where they sell spices.