ORANGE BLOSSOM BRIOCHE ROLLS - BAKING PARTNERS

This month Baking Partners are making Brioche from this adapted recipe from the book by famous pastry chef Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes. 

Brioche is a pastry of French origin that is similar to a highly enriched bread with a high egg and butter content giving it a rich feel and taste.  It is light and slightly puffy.  It has a dark, golden, and flaky outer crust heightened by an egg wash. Brioche is made in the same basic way as bread, but has the richer aspect of a pastry because of the extra addition of eggs, butter, liquid (milk, water, cream, and, sometimes, brandy) and occasionally a bit of sugar.  Brioche is served as a pastry or as the basis of a dessert with local variations of added ingredients, fillings or toppings. 

ORANGE BLOSSOM BRIOCHE ROLLS  
Makes around 20-25 rolls

2 cups bread flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

2 ¼ teaspoon of  instant yeast

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon whole milk

11 tablespoon unsalted cold butter small dice

¼ teaspoon Orange extract

Grated orange zest of one orange

1 teaspoon orange blossom water

Non stick spray as needed for greasing

All purpose flour for dusting

• In a bowl, combine the bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast and eggs and mix well using hands or if using kitchen aid stand mixer use dough hook. Mix until well combined, kneading well so that it develop gluten (may take 10 -15 minutes). When it develops gluten the dough will leave the sides and  it will pass the window pane test - when you pull a piece of dough you can extend the dough without breaking it, also you  can make a see through sheet that is called window pane test. 
• Then add the cold diced butter, and mix again until all the butter is incorporated well. 
• Then add orange extract, orange zest, orange blossom water and mix until everything is fully incorporated. The finished dough should be smooth, shiny and sticky. 
• Lightly grease a medium bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on to the surface of the dough to prevent a skin from forming. Proof the dough at room temperature for doubled in size. It will take  about 1 ½ hours. 
• Remove the plastic warp and punch down the dough by folding. Cover the dough again with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface. Refrigerate overnight to relax the gluten.

Next day

• When you are ready to bake, transfer the dough to lightly floured area and divide the dough into small pieces and shape it into balls/rolls or any shape you want. 
• If you using muffin tin grease them well and transfer the shaped balls, set aside for 45 minutes or 1 hour until the rolls puff up well. As you can see I proofed mine in a really warm kitchen and the kind of grew together.
• While the shaped rolls are proofing preheat oven to 400 F.

• After 1 hour, brush the brioche rolls with egg wash and  bake them for 10 minutes or until they become golden brown in color. 
• Leave the brioche for 5 minutes in the pan and carefully remove them and enjoy as much you want. 
• Brush them with little jam or Nutella if you like.