September Toast

I love toast; it's no secret. I love it in the early morning or an afternoon pick-me-up with a hot cup of tea. There is always time for toast - tea and toast, to be exact. Morning toast was a ritual growing up on the farm thanks to my mother, who always had a fresh loaf rising or baking nearly at any time of day. I loved taking my morning toast to the porch outside, sit the early morning sun, and savoring the peace and quiet. Toast is one of life's simple pleasures, in my opinion… always there for you when you need a bit of comfort and encouragement. Maybe it's a nostalgic sentiment, but it makes me feel warm and comfortable with its simplicity and homeliness. A pat of good butter with jam on a hearty slice (with a hot drink) can cure about anything in my book. Now that autumn has arrived, it truly is "toast season." A warm piece of toast with a wooly blanket in bed makes the morning all the more cozier with cool autumn mornings. 

My sister, recently in the UK, gifted me a tin of Fortum & Mason's loose-leaf Earl Grey tea. Earl Grey is one of my favorite blends; I love its bright and citrusy notes. So I added a bit to my basic brioche recipe (for morning toast, of course) with a few autumnal additions. It turned out so delicious, with the warm and spicy notes of the season. The Earl Grey is a citrusy undernote that adds complexity and is speckled throughout the buttery crumb. Brioche may sound intimidating to make, to admit I was at first, but it is quite straightforward with no hand kneading involved! Just a little patience and time is all that is needed... I hope you give this a try for your morning toast. Maybe you'll be hooked on the toast ritual like me!

Earl Grey Brioche with Orange & Cranberries

Makes 1 large loaf 10” loaf or 8 1/2" x 4 1/2 loaves

**For extra Early Grey notes, steep a teaspoon of tea in the 1/4 cup of milk (very warm) and allow it to brew as you would making a cup of tea. Allow it cool completely before pouring it in later with an additional 1/4 teaspoon of ground loose leaf Earl Grey tea.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast*

1 cup dried cranberries

juice of 1/2 orange (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup whole milk, warm

1/4 cup wildflower honey

Zest of one large orange

1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 heaping teaspoon loose leaf Early Grey tea, ground with a mortar & pestle until fine

1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 eggs + 1 yolk for egg wash

400 g bread flour (I really eyeball it though, start with 400 g and add more if necessary)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks

* (you can also use instant yeast and combine it immediately in when with all of the ingredients minus the butter)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and whole milk until the yeast is dissolved. Wait a moment to see if there are any bubbles of activity to ensure the yeast is still good. If you see no activity begin again with fresh yeast.

Soak the cranberries in the orange juice while you prepare the ingredients.

Add the milk and yeast mix along with the honey, eggs, golden raisins, soaked cranberries and orange juice, Early Grey tea, ginger, 5 eggs, and flour into a bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. You will need to use a mixer as opposed to using your hands because this dough is so soft and tender. Beat the ingredients on medium speed for about 8-10 minutes, until it begins to come together into a stretchy, smooth dough. If it still is a batter-like consistency, add just enough flour to the bowl so that it begins to slap and pull away from the sides of the bowl to form one satiny and soft mass.

Add the butter chunks one by one, mixing them well on medium speed until they are thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary after each addition. Continue to beat on medium speed for about 7 minutes total (this dough takes much longer to develop strength and elasticity due to the higher fat content.)

Once the dough is springy to the touch and in a rough ball wrapped around the dough hook, remove the dough hook and allow the dough to rise covered in a warm spot for at least one hour.

Once it is slightly puffy, set the bowl fridge to finish rising overnight or for at least 12 hours, covered with plastic wrap.

In the morning when you are ready to bake, pull the dough bowl out of the fridge. If it hasn’t risen to be nice and puffy, allow the dough to rise for another 8 hours at room temperature until it is at least doubled in size and is light and puffy. It really depends on the temperature of your home and using active yeast takes a bit longer. Instant yeast generally take less time to rise.

Gather two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pans (you can also use one larger loaf pan too). Lightly grease the sides with butter and neatly line them with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into two roughly equally sized amounts if you are baking two loaves.

Very lightly dust your work surface with flour, the less the better. This dough doesn’t really stick and adding more flour will tighten up the crumb.

To make one braided loaf, divide the dough into three equal portions. ( You can also make this as a round or single loaf in one larger tin.)

Roll out each ball of dough into roughly 12” long logs. Try not to use flour to roll these out as it will prevent the braid from sticking together in the end.

Pinch the end of the three strands so they roughly stick together and begin to braid the loaf, about 3 turns and then tuck in the end just under the loaf.

Place the loaves into the tins and allow them to rise for at least 3 hours until they are at least an inch over the rim of the tin.

When the loaves have risen to the rim of the tin, preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

Create an egg wash with one yolk and a tablespoon of water. Lightly brush the tops of both loaves with the egg wash with a pastry brush.

Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes and then tent the loaves with aluminum foil to prevent them from over-browning. Continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until when you tap the top they sound hollow at the center. It should be a rich, golden brown color on top.

Remove the brioche from the oven and allow the loaves to rest at least 10-15 minutes before removing them from the tin. If you can wait, allow them to rest for another 20 minutes before cutting into them with a serrated knife (I can’t resist a warm slice!) Otherwise, allow them to cool completely.