SPELT BRIOCHE

With a 2 day break from the god-awful July heat in Washington DC, I jumped at my first opportunity to bake when 2 days ago the thermometer showed a nearly arctic 70F (in the morning). The butter used in making brioche needs to be pliable but cool to the touch, so don't even think of trying it on a hot summer day. I usually beat the butter into submission with a rolling pin between two sheets of plastic wrap. It is then added bit by bit during the last stage of beating.

Making brioche is not hard but requires a bit of planning as well as the possession of a stand mixer.  Since it needs to rise 3 times I make it over 2 days. The first rise is at room temperature, the second in a cool environment (fridge) over night and the third (already shaped) again at room temperature. As long as you get up at the crack of dawn, you can have fresh brioche by the time breakfast rolls around.

I use freshly ground spelt for pretty much all of my baking, which is kind of unusual in the US. After grinding my own flour for all the years I have been living here (16 years), I've started a bit of a trend and the owners of Salzburger Getreidemühle have every reason to wonder why they have been shipping so many mills to the Washington DC area. Outside of the obvious health advantages that come from eating whole grains, this brioche tastes amazing.

Start with preparing the sponge, which takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Add all other ingredients and finally the cool butter. You'll need to keep the mixer going for a total of about 20 minutes.

The Sponge

1/3c warm whole milk

2 ¼ tsp dry yeast

1 large egg

2c spelt flour

Put the milk, yeast, egg and 1cup of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the ingredients together with a rubber spatula, mixing just until everything is blended. Sprinkle over the remaining cup of flour to cover the sponge.

Set the sponge aside to rest uncovered for 15 to 30 minutes. Once the flour coating starts to show cracks move to the next stage.

The Dough

1/3c sugar

1tsp salt

4 large eggs

2c spelt flour

6oz unsalted butter, cold

Add the sugar, salt, eggs and 1½ cups of flour to the sponge. Set the bowl into the mixer, attach the dough hook and start mixing on medium. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour gradually, and keep beating for 10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. During this mixing period, the dough should come together, wrap itself around the hook and slap the sides of the bowl (music to baker’s ears). If you don’t have a cohesive slapping dough, add a little more flour. Continue to beat, giving the dough a full 10 minutes in the mixer.

In order to incorporate the butter into the dough, bash the butter into submission with a rolling pin until it is the same consistency as the dough. When it is ready, the butter will be smooth, soft and still cool. With the mixer on medium, add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time. The dough should be beaten for a full additional 10 minutes from when you start adding the butter, bringing the total to 20 minutes. The dough should be soft and sticky and may cling slightly to the bottom and sides of the bowl.

First Rise: Transfer the dough to a large buttered bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, approx. 2-3 hours.

Second Rise and Chilling: Deflate the dough by passing a spatula under it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours, during which time the dough will continue to rise and may double in size again.

After this long chill, the dough is ready to use in any brioche recipe.

Third Rise: You thought you were finally done, but no there is a third rising, this one is only one hour or two. Divide dough, and proceed to make 2 large or 12 small fluted brioches or shape into 2 or 3 challas and bake in loaf pans. Make sure you grease your baking shapes well, this dough tends to be sticky. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350 degrees, approx. 30 minutes for large brioches, 10-12 minutes for small ones.