Brioche Makes an Excellent King Cake, Caramel Pecan Rolls, or Cinnamon Rolls

Brioche is a rich, buttery dough that is great for making King Cakes, Caramel Pecan Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls, etc.  It is super easy as well as fast to make.

Brioche Dough

4 t Active Dry Yeast

5 oz. AP Flour

6 oz. Whole Milk

Sponge

Heat the milk to 110 degrees, F.  Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and let it bloom for 10 minutes or until the it slightly foamy on top.  (DO NOT HEAT the milk to warmer than 115 degrees F or you will kill the yeast).  DO NOT stir the yeast after sprinkling it on top of the milk or it will clump.  After letting it sit for 10 minutes, then stir so the yeast completely dissolves.  Add the flour and mix until it is smooth.  Cover and let the “dough” rise until it doubles in size (it will look more like a batter at this point), about 15 minutes.

10 oz. butter, very soft

2 oz. sugar

16 oz. AP flour

2 t salt

4 whole eggs, at room temp.

2 egg yolks, at room temp.

Mix together the sponge, eggs, egg yolks, salt, sugar, and flour until you have a smooth, well mixed dough.  This will take a few minutes and the dough will look very rough in the beginning.  Just keep mixing.

After the dough is smooth, add the soft butter one or two pieces at a time, until combined.  At this point, the dough is going to be very soft and sticky.  Keep mixing, again, until the dough turns smooth.  Place in a container that is well oiled.  Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day, remove the dough from the fridge when  you are ready to work with it.  Roll into the desired shape, and proceed with the recipe for the end product.  (ie:  King Cake, Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Rolls, etc.)