COOKING WITH CINDY HAWKINS

Cooking with... ...Cindy Hawkins of Circle City Sweets

BRIOCHE

WRITTEN BY CINDY HAWKINS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEATHER TALLMAN

Brioche is a French enriched bread, meaning it has a large quantity of egg and butter compared to most other breads, which contain neither. It is also made with a small amount of sugar as well as milk or cream. Brioche can be eaten as a snack on its own, but is also often used in bread pudding and French toast because it holds up so well when used in these preparations.

The key to making brioche is working in a cool environment. If your kitchen is too warm, the butter will melt and your bread will not end up with the correct texture.

Brioche is often seen in a loaf or as a roll. The fun thing with brioche is that it can be so versatile. Add some chocolate chips, cinnamon, raisins, bacon and cheese—whatever you like!

I recommend you weigh your ingredients using a simple and inexpensive kitchen scale like we do in the bakery. Those weights are given (in parentheses) as well.

Brioche

Yield: 5 mini loaves

1¾ tablespoons (25 grams) whole milk ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) dry yeast ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose fl our ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) sea salt 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) sugar ¾ cup (170 grams) bread fl our 2 whole eggs (110 grams) 7 tablespoons (100 grams) soft butter

For the egg wash 1 egg 1 eggwhite 1 teaspoon cream Pinch salt

Combine the milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the all-purpose fl our over it to cover the top. Leave it alone until cracks start to form in the fl our— this tells us the yeast is active.

Add salt, sugar, bread fl our and eggs. Mix on medium speed in mixer until the dough wraps around the dough hook, about 10 minutes. Add half of the softened butter and mix on low speed for 3 minutes. Add remaining butter and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Empty dough into a clean bowl, cover and let rise until it doubles in volume. Press out gasses and let rise again in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Press out gasses. Divide dough with a knife (do not pull or tear) and shape into desired sizes to fi t in greased loaf pans.

In a small bowl, beat together egg wash ingredients, brush over top of loaves, and place in a warm spot to proof until dough doubles in volume. Th en bake at 350° for approximately 30 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Chef Cindy Hawkins grew up in a baking family, baking alongside her grandmother, mother and sisters. In 2006, she launched Circle City Sweets and in 2008 moved to Chicago to attend the prestigious French Pastry School. In 2010 she opened her retail location at the Indianapolis City Market and continues to participate in many local farmers’ markets. Chef Hawkins also teaches in the baking and pastry department at Ivy Tech Community College. Find Chef Cindy Hawkins at CircleCitySweets.com or @CircleCitySweets