BRIOCHE CUPS RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Set aside to activate the yeast, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Place 4 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, yeast mixture, warm milk, eggs, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until dough starts to come together. Mix in honey, then little pats of butter, along with remaining flour; knead until it comes together in a soft, tacky dough.
• Dump dough onto a floured work surface and cut into 2 even pieces. Form into balls and place in separate oiled bowls. Cover with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Dump dough onto a work surface. Lightly punch down and knead for a few seconds. Form the balls into loaf shapes and place seam-side down in greased 8x4-inch loaf pans. Lightly cover the pans with a lint-free kitchen towel and let rise until dough comes to the top of the pans, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix egg and milk together to make an egg wash.
• Lightly brush the top of the risen loaves with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Steps:

• Make the sponge: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add 1 cup flour, yeast, and milk. Using a spatula, mix until well combined, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes.  Once the sponge has formed some air pockets, add in eggs, remaining 3 cups flour, sugar, and salt. Mix on medium speed until well combined, then gradually increase to medium-high speed and continue mixing until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and becomes shiny and elastic, scraping down bowl every 4 to 5 minutes, 10 to 13 minutes. With the mixer running, add in butter gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each tablespoon fully incorporate into the dough before adding the next, 13 to 15 minutes. Continue mixing on medium-high speed for 5 to 7 minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest about 1 hour or doubled in size. To bake next day: Once dough has doubled in size, punch down to deflate dough completely, then re-cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight until you are ready to bake the next day. Follow instructions in the next step, letting dough proof until doubled before baking, longer if needed, up to 2 hours 30 minutes. To bake same day: Once dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured surface and punch down dough. Divide in half using a bench scraper. Cut each half into six equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then fold short ends in towards each other as if folding a letter. Flatten again and tightly roll into a log starting with the short end. Repeat with all pieces.  Grease 8”-x-5” loaf pans with butter. Place 6 pieces of dough seam-side down in one straight row into each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 375°. Let dough proof until puffy and doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and water. Brush egg wash on top of loaf and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Bake until deeply golden on top and the center of the loaf registers between 190° and 205°, about 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then turn loaves out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely.