The King's Brioche, is a kind of brioche flavored with orange blossom essence and covered with sugar and candied fruit. It is traditionally tasted on the occasion of the Epiphany in the South of France and certain regions bordering the Mediterranean…
King’s Brioche
Ingredients
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 8 g instant yeast (or 20 g fresh baker's yeast)
- 5 cl water
- 65 g caster sugar
- 8 g salt
- 115 g butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 soup spoons Orange flower water
- 1 orange zest
- 60 g candied fruit in cubes
Decoration :
- 100 g Apricot jam
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 g candied orange peel
- 50 g candied cherries
- 50 g candied fruit
Instructions
- For make the King’s brioche, start by making a leaven by mixing 50 g of flour with a teaspoon of sugar, the dehydrated baker’s yeast, and lukewarm water. Gather the leaven and leave to rest for an hour covered with a tea towel.
- To continue the recipe, pour the flour into the mixer bowl, add the butter in pieces, the zest of an untreated orange, two tablespoons of orange blossom water, the sugar, the egg yolks and leaven.
- Start mixing the whole thing with the hook of the mixer, then adjust the consistency by adding a little cold water. You should get a dough that is sticky at the start and that sticks to the bowl.
- At the beginning, collect the dough regularly in order to have a good kneading. This dough can also be kneaded by hand.
- We will knead for about 10 minutes to incorporate enough air necessary for the development of the yeast.
- When the dough is kneaded, then it should be smooth. Place it on the lightly floured work surface. Work this dough by bringing the edges to the center, until you get a nice ball.
- Place your dough in a container with the floured bottom. Cover with a tea towel and let stand for one hour at room temperature.
- After the exposure time, take the brioche dough again and drive out the carbon dioxide released by the fermentation and the action of the yeast. Incorporate more air by bringing the edges towards the center to form a ball.
- Place the dough in the container, cover with the tea towel and leave to rest for about 8 hours in the bottom of the refrigerator.
- Once the exposure time has passed, flatten the Kings’ brioche dough and scatter the candied fruits in cubes over the entire length.
- Fold the sides to enclose the candied fruit, and then form a roll of brioche while being careful of the weld. It must be done well so that the King’s brioche does not burst during cooking.
- We are going to make a King’s brioche for 6 to 8 people. Flatten one end of the roll completely and spread a little beaten egg with a brush on the other end.
- Then bring the two ends together by wrapping the round part in the flattened part, and make sure to have a nice weld in order to obtain a well closed crown.
- Place the King’s brioche on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of baking paper and spread first time with beaten egg.
- Let this crown develop for one to two hours at room temperature, or else in an oven between 30 ° C and 40 ° C which is even better.
- If you are using the oven, place a dish of water in the oven. A humid environment contributes to the good development of the yeast.
- The King’s brioche is now ready to bake. Spread beated egg a second time delicately, and put it to bake in the oven preheated to 180 ° C while leaving the cup of water. Leave to cook for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, place the King’s brioche on a rack and let cool.
- For the bean, either you can put it in the dough before cooking, or you can put it after cooking, from below with a slight notch in the King’s brioche.
- Place the King’s brioche on a cardboard and cover it with apricot jam that you have heated with a little water. Then stick grain sugar all around the brioche.
- Finish the decoration by placing the candied fruits on top of the King’s brioche. Traditionally, the decoration must be well furnished.
- You can use all kinds of candied fruits like oranges, melon, lemon, angelica, bigarreaux and many more.
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