Cheesy Brioche Twist

Did you miss me? I missed you! Many more months than I ever thought would pass before I posted here again have, indeed, gone by. Since our last chat, I got married (shout out to YVB), spent a month in Europe, and moved to a new community. Then we all got slammed with coronavirus. So here I am, stuck indoors (as I’m sure most of you are, too) and not really sure what to do all day. The easy answer is bake, but it’s tough when I feel like I need to ration ingredients. Besides, who’s going to help consume the mass amounts of cookies or cakes that would normally come out of the oven? Half the fun of baking is sharing.

Yet, here we are, back again. I couldn’t really stay away. With not much else in the form of activity (two people’s laundry only takes so long), tackling homemade bread seemed like a good fit. Make it soft and buttery, and I’m sold. Now, you can’t embark on a carb-loaded project like brioche and expect it to be done in half an hour. If that’s why you’re here, then allow me to gently nudge you in another direction. No hard feelings, we just need to be honest with each other.

For those of you who’ve stuck with me, YOU ARE BRAVE SOULS. Prepare to reap the rewards of the cheesy brioche twist that will soon grace your kitchen and forever set the bar higher.

Notice I said twist, as in singular. In light of the current pandemic, I don’t want to leave you with too much. Even I know we can’t live on baked goods, however much comfort is necessary right now. Not to mention, we’re less than a month away from Pesach. If all the various Whatsapp and Facebook groups are correct, we’re all in a tizzy about it already. No need to add more chametz to the anxiety.

You probably have all the ingredients you’ll need for this brioche twist, and it’s not many. Thanks to YVB, I always have multitudes of cheese in the fridge. While I used freshly grated cheddar and a sprinkle of Parm, you can use whatever you’ve got. Just aim for a hard(er) cheese and enough to cover the rolled out dough. It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. Deep breaths, people, deep breaths.

I hope this cheesy brioche twist brings you comfort. I hope it lightens your mood. And I hope that in the midst of all this uncertainty, you can find solace in the simple facts that yeast makes bread rise and butter and cheese make everything better.

Recipe Notes

• Due to the high fat content of brioche, you need to develop a strong gluten network. I like using bread flour; its higher protein lends to more gluten development. If you don’t have that, by all means use all-purpose. You may need to knead the dough a little longer.
• Use the windowpane test to see if you kneaded the dough enough. Take a small pinch of dough between your fingers and gently pull apart. You should be able to see through the very thinly stretched dough like a window (hence the name). If it tears before reaching this point, then knead a little longer.
• After the first rise, you can put the dough into the fridge. A quick chill will make it easier to handle if you find your dough to be too sticky.
• Freshly grated cheese is ideal. But, in a pinch, you can even use torn sliced cheese. It might be a little awkward to roll out, but it’ll work. On a similar note, you can use any herbs you have on hand or skip them entirely if you’re all out.
• This cheesy brioche twist is best eaten the day of. To store, wrap tightly and keep at room temperature. Gently reheat a slice in the toaster oven, just until the cheese is getting melty again.

Cheesy Brioche Twist

Prep time: 45 minutes, plus rising time
Cook time: 50 – 55 minutes
Yield: 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1/2 cup whole milk, warm to the touch
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 2 cups (250 grams) bread flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

For the Filling:

• 1 egg white, beaten until frothy
• 6 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese, or hard cheese of choice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs, such as basil and oregano
• Everything bagel seasoning, for garnish

Directions

1. Combine the milk and yeast together. Set aside to activate the yeast until foamy and increased in volume, about 5 minutes.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, honey, egg, and yolk. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix until a stiff ball of dough forms.
3. With the mixer on low, add 1 tablespoon butter at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding the next piece. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. This can take up to 10 minutes. Once all the butter is added, switch to the dough hook and knead the brioche dough on medium for 5 minutes. It should form a soft, smooth ball of dough that passes the windowpane test.
4. Shape the dough into a ball in your hands, so that a gluten skin forms. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle roughly 13 x 15-inches. Brush the entire surface of the dough with the beaten egg white, then evenly distribute with the cheese, garlic, and herbs. Press everything gently so that it sticks to the dough. Roll the dough into a long, starting from the long edge. Fold the log in half and twist around each other a couple of times. Pinch the ends together.
6. Transfer the brioche twist into a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise until the dough holds a small indent when poked gently, 30-45 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
8. Brush the loaf with the remaining egg white and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning, if desired. Bake the cheesy brioche twist for 50-55 minutes. Halfway through, cover it loosely with foil to prevent the top from browning too much, and rotate the pan.
9. Let cool before slicing. The brioche twist will still be cooking a little from carryover heat, and you don’t want to collapse the gluten structure!