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Brioche à tête
Topknot brioche
Brioche parisienne: rich egg and butter brioche with a little topknot
FrenchBrioche à tête, the brioche parisienne, is the little fluted bun with a round head that sits in every French bakery window, eaten for Sunday breakfast, dunked in hot chocolate or served with jam at goûter. The dough is very rich in eggs and butter, kneaded long until silky, then chilled overnight, which makes it easy to shape and gives a deep flavour. The common mistake is adding the butter too fast, which leaves a greasy dough. Chef's tip: add the butter a little at a time while the mixer runs, and wait until each piece disappears before adding the next.
- Total time
- 620 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 14 oz strong white bread flour
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- ¼ oz salt
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 5 eggscold, plus 1 for glazing
- 2 tbsp cold milk
- 7 oz unsalted buttersoft, diced
- 1 eggbeaten
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the 14 oz strong white bread flour, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar, ¼ oz salt and ¼ oz instant dried yeast. Add the 5 eggs and 2 tbsp cold milk and knead on medium for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides.
10 minStep 2: Add the 7 oz unsalted butter a few pieces at a time, kneading until each is absorbed, then knead 5 minutes more until glossy and elastic.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, then knock back, cover and chill overnight (8–12 hours).
480 minStep 4: Butter 10 fluted brioche moulds. Divide the cold dough into 10 pieces; from each pinch off a quarter for the head. Roll both into smooth balls, put the big ball in the mould, make a deep hole in the centre with a floured finger and push the small ball in.
20 minStep 5: Brush with 1 egg and prove at warm room temperature for 1½–2 hours until doubled.
120 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan), glaze again and bake for 15–18 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does brioche à tête take?
- About 620 minutes in total: 600 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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