Directions: |
Directions:1). Make the Brioche through Step #3. If the raisins are clumped together, break them apart. Add them with the mixer running and mix on low just until they are incorporated into the dough, about 1 minute.
2). Remove the dough from the mixing bowl onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to gather into a ball. Clean the mixing bowl, and lightly coat it with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the oiled bowl, turning once to oil the surface. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, about 2 to 2½ hours.
3). Spread the dough onto a floured, parchment-lined baking sheet. Dust the surface of the dough with flour, cover it with parchment paper and refrigerate it for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
4). Grease two 8½- by 4½- by 2½-inch Pyrex or ceramic loaf pans with softened butter and set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and take off the top piece of parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and remove the bottom piece of parchment paper. Cut the dough in half, squaring off the edges to maintain its rectangular shape.
5). Working with one piece of dough at a time, lightly dust the top with flour. Keep the remaining dough covered with a towel to keep it from drying out. Using the palm of your hands, and flouring your hands and dough as necessary, flatten the dough into a 4- by 12-inch rectangle, patting it to an even thickness, working outward. With the longer edges parallel to the edge of the work surface, fold the top edge of the dough in half and seal it with the heel of your hand. Fold the top edge over to meet at the bottom edge and seal. Tuck in and seal the ends. Place one hand on top of the other, palms down, in the center of the dough and start rolling it into a cylinder the length of your loaf pan. As the dough begins to stretch, uncross your hands and continue rolling with even pressure, moving your hands to the ends of the cylinder. Do not taper the ends. Shape the second loaf in the same manner.
6). Place the loaves seam side down in the prepared loaf pans. With one hand formed into a fist, knock down the dough with the flat side of your knuckles, beginning at one end of the loaf pan and ending at the opposite end so that the dough spreads to an even layer and fills the pans.
7). Place the loaf pans on a baking sheet in a large plastic garbage bag and blow into the bag to create a dome of air that will allow room for the dough to rise. Set aside in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for about 3 to 4 hours. After 3 hours, check the dough. If the dough is near the tops of the pans, remove them from the garbage bag.
8). Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and stir them with a fork just to break them apart. Brush each loaf with this egg wash and let the dough continue rising, uncovered, to 1-inch above the rims of the pans and until it reaches an internal temperature of 72ºF, about 1 to 1½ hours.
9). About 1 hour before the loaves have finished rising, adjust the one oven rack to the bottom rung and remove all the others. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. When the dough is finished rising, open the oven door, spritz the oven heavily with water from a spray bottle, and quickly close the door. Open the oven door again, place both loaf pans on the rack, spaced well apart, and quickly close the door.
10). Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Spritz the oven two more times during the next 5 minutes. Refrain from opening the oven door for the next 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check the loaves and rotate them if necessary to ensure even baking. Continue baking for 15 to 20 more minutes for a total of 40 to 45 minutes until the loaves are golden brown and an instant-read thermometer plunged into the center of the bread reads 200ºF.
11). Remove a pan from the oven and immediately turn out the loaf by knocking the pan against the side of the counter to release the loaf. If necessary, run a knife around the inside edge to help it release. The sides of the loaf should feel firm, otherwise they will cave in as they cool. If the bread is not quite done, return the loaf to the pan and continue baking for another 5 minutes are so. Repeat this test with the second loaf. When the loaves are done remove them to a cooling rack. The bread should be dark brown on top and have risen 2- to 3-inches above the rims of the pans. |
This recipe for Raisin Brioche is from