Brioche from Vendee - Chef Recipe by Gabriel Gate

Ingredients

"As with many cakes, this special treat of Brioche Vendéenne is usually bought at the local pâtisserie or boulangerie by French families to serve to visitors. It's served with coffee and is often dunked in the coffee. Skilful home cooks will derive great pleasure from making brioche." - Gabriel Gaté. From the Vendée by Pierrick Boyer.

500g plain (all-purpose) flour
10g salt
150g caster (superfine) sugar
15g dry yeast
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp orange flower water
300g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks mixed with
1 Tbs water
3 Tbs sesame seeds

Method

In the bowl of an electric beater, place the flour, salt, caster sugar, dry yeast, eggs and orange flower water and beat on medium speed until it forms a smooth, elastic dough.

Reduce to low speed, add the butter bit by bit and beat until well incorporated. This takes about 10 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a long piece. Place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 2 hours.

Flatten the dough into a long rectangle and cut it into three long pieces. Roll each piece into a long baguette shape and form a plait with the three pieces of dough. Place on another baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to prove for about 1 hour in a warm place.

Pre-heat the oven to 160 C (320 F).

Brush the risen dough lightly with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Cool the brioche before slicing.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Délicieux by Gabriel Gaté published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $49.99 and is available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Délicieux by Gabriel Gaté published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $49.99 and is available in stores nationally.