It makes two medium-sized brioches
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbs. warm milk
• 1 package (1 Tbs.) dry yeast
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2½ cups flour
• ½ cup soft butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• glaze
• 1 Tbs. milk
• 1 egg yolk
1. There are two methods of making brioches: the hard way, which involves plenty of energetic beating by hand, and the delightfully easy way, with a food processor. Here’s the hard way first:.
2. Blend the warm milk, the yeast, and the sugar, stirring until the yeast is dissolved. Beat in 1 cup of the flour. Add the soft butter and the salt and continue beating, either with a heavy-duty electric mixer or by hand, until the mixture is perfectly smooth.
3. Add the three eggs, one at a time, beating again after each. Then gradually add the remaining flour and beat vigorously until the dough is glossy and elastic. If you are using a wooden spoon or your hand, the best method is to slap the dough hard against the side of a large bowl, pulling it up high each time and flinging it back down. The dough is ready when it starts to blister and pull away from your hand or the side of the bowl.
4. Place the dough in a large, buttered bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 2½ to 3½ hours.
5. Stir the dough down, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. Butter two 7½-inch brioche pans.
7. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and leave 1 in the refrigerator. Take the other part and, on a lightly floured board, form it into 2 smooth balls, one large and the other about ⅕ its size. To shape the balls, flour your hands and gently pull the dough down to a point at the bottom of the ball, pinching the ends together there securely.
8. Place the large ball of dough in one of the brioche molds, pinched side down, and cut a small cross in the top of it with a sharp, pointed knife. With floured fingers, pull the dough apart slightly where it has been cut, forming a hole almost large enough to hold the small ball of dough. Place the small ball of dough into that hole, nesting it gently inside. It should be about half-hidden.
9. Shape the remaining half of the dough the same way, and put the brioches in a warm place, covered with a light towel, to rise for 2½ to 3 hours, or until nearly doubled in bulk.
10. Beat the egg yolk and milk together for the glaze and gently brush the brioches with it. Bake them for 45 to 50 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Unmold and serve warm. Or allow it to cool first on a wire rack.
11. Brioches must be eaten fresh!
12. food processor method
13. Dissolve the yeast in the milk and stir in the sugar and 1 cup of flour. Put the steel blade in the food processor and pour the yeast-flour mixture into the container. Process for 15 to 20 seconds, or until smooth.
14. Add the soft butter and the salt and process for another 20 seconds. Add the 3 eggs and process again for about 20 seconds.
15. Add the remaining flour and process for about 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the container. The dough should be velvety smooth, glossy, and elastic. Proceed exactly as above in allowing the dough to rise, chilling it, shaping it, letting the brioches rise once more, and baking them.
