Brioche tête

Name: Brioche tête
Yield: 10 small pieces (or 1 big)
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 100 g All-purpose flour (T65); 100 g Bread flour; 4 g Salt; 24 g Superfine sugar; 10 g Fresh yeast; 120 g Eggs; 100 g Butter; 50 g Eggs

A rich brioche with eggs as its only liquid and a small ball of dough set on top as the head. The cold butter goes in a little at a time, once the gluten is well developed.

Makes: 10 small pieces (or 1 big)
Total: 508 g

By weight.

Scale small pieces

Brioche dough

Ingredient	Grams	Baker’s %
All-purpose flour (T65)	100 g	50%
Bread flour	100 g	50%
Salt	4 g	2%
Superfine sugar	24 g	12%
Fresh yeast	10 g	5%
Eggs	120 g	60%
Butter	100 g	50%
Total	458 g

Baking

Ingredient	Grams
Eggs	50 g
Total	50 g

Egg temperature

The base temperature is 46 to 50 °C (179 to 186 °F): flour, room and egg added together.

Flour Room

Method

Mix

Set the egg temperature from a base temperature of 46 to 50 °C (179 to 186 °F), then dissolve the yeast in the eggs.
Add both flours, the salt and the sugar.
Mix with the dough hook for 3 minutes on low speed, then 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed, until the gluten is well developed.
On low speed, add the cold butter a little at a time and mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
The dough should finish at 25 °C (77 °F).

First proof

To bake the same day: leave the dough at room temperature for 1 hour, then chill it quickly before using.
To bake the next day: leave it at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes, then refrigerate for 12 hours at 4 °C (40 °F).

Shape

For small brioches, weigh 45 g each: 35 g for the body and 10 g for the head.
For a large brioche, weigh 360 g: 280 g for the body and 80 g for the head.

Second proof

Proof small brioches for 1½ hours at 26 °C (80 °F).
Proof a large brioche for 2½ hours at 26 °C (80 °F).

Bake

Brush with egg wash, made from whole eggs or from egg yolks and milk.
Bake small brioches in a convection oven for 10 minutes at 160 °C (325 °F).
Bake a large brioche in a convection oven for 10 minutes at 150 °C (300 °F), then 15 minutes at 135 °C (275 °F).

For bakers in the US

All-purpose flour (T65): French type 65 flour; in the US, a strong all-purpose or a bread flour
Eggs: Weighed without shells, about 50 g per large US egg