She’s the kind of person who has homemade brioche dough just knocking around in her freezer – and with a little help from this esteemed baker, we can all become a little bit more Anna… Get ready for a buttery loaf or this wondrous stone fruit tart
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING ANNA HIGHAM PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON
Technical bake.
THE MASTER RECIPE Brioche dough
Makes enough for 2 large tarts or loaves, each serving 8-10 Hands-on time 45 min, plus at least 2 hours proving/chilling Specialist kit Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
“I’ve added a good amount of wholemeal flour here in the form of a tangzhong – a method borrowed from Chinese and Japanese baking where you precook a portion of the flour in water and milk. It yields the fluffiest breads and works incredibly well with wholemeal flour, as it fully hydrates and softens the bran, making it easier to incorporate.
This recipe will yield double the amount you need for the fruit tart, but it will mix much better as a slightly larger dough and freezes brilliantly, so you have a portion ready to defrost and make something with on another day.”
MAKE AHEAD You can freeze the dough at the end of step 4. Simply transfer it to an airtight container (try to keep its shape as you do this), then freeze for up to one month. When you want to use it, just defrost in the fridge overnight.
DON’T WASTE IT Weighing the eggs gives a more consistent dough. If you need to crack 4 eggs to get 150g and find yourself with a little more egg than you need, put it to one side and use it to glaze the brioche just before baking.
• 210g whole milk
• 120g strong wholemeal
bread flour
• 150g free-range eggs
(about 3 – see Don’t Waste It)
• 5g fast-action/easy bake
dried yeast
• 400g strong white
bread flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 6g salt
• 230g unsalted butter,
at room temperature
• Vegetable oil to grease →
1 In a small saucepan, whisk 120g of the milk with 120g water and the wholemeal flour, then cook over a medium heat. The flour will thicken quickly to form a paste like a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture from the pan into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, then spread the mixture out a little so it cools slightly.
2 After a few minutes, add the remaining milk and the eggs to the bowl along with the dried yeast. You don’t need to warm the remaining milk, as the heat from the roux will do this naturally. Add the white flour, sugar and salt. Mix on a medium speed with a dough hook for 5-8 minutes. It should come together as a dough but will still look quite raggedy and wet [A]. Scrape down the bowl to make sure nothing is sti
