Brioche Modane

August 24th, 2008, by Francesca

My last bread workshop last term was about brioche and my favorite version was brioche Modane, so last night I prepared the dough, let it ferment, punched it down and refrigerated overnight and today I made two brioches Modane.

Along the way I made a few mistakes, but the pastry gods took pity on me and the brioches came out smelling and tasting awesome, regardless of poor shaping and the near explosion of one.

I am not 100% sure, but I suspect that overproofing may be the cause. At first I blamed the agressive scoring, but after baking the second Modane – scored more conservatively – it became evident that it still puffed up too much.

Proofing is still a bit of a mystery to me and I am never quite sure when something is right for the oven.

The first brioche, scored a bit too enthusiastically.

You can see how the pastry cream pushed through the slashes and broke the dough around the second slash.

The second brioche.

I may have left the second brioche in the oven too long. We haven't cut it yet, so I'll find out when I slices it for the freezer. In any case, I love the taste and smell of it. The golden raisins soaked in Grand Marnier and the darker raisins soaked in Brandy really add to the aroma and overall flavor. Booze… such a wonderful thing.

7 Responses to “Brioche Modane”

  1. MaryjoO Says:
    golden raisins and currants? or something else? I've never done one of these -- looks fabulous! My sour dough starter is going to a new home today -- will have to start over again, but it's been a great starter and worked very well with an overnight proofing start -- I'm a big fan of that now! My aim (when we are settled yadi-yada) is to branch out and make rosemary sourdough, olive sourdough and more! And then try whole wheat, too! What kind of yeasts are you using (or have I asked that before?) M
  2. Francesca Says:
    Maryjo, I use instant yeast and wherever the recipe calls for fresh yeast, I calculate 40% of that amount. Guidelines used to be around 30%-35%, but lately the Bread Bakers Guild of America has changed that to 40% (I got this bit from a chef at school). One of my instructors makes a fabulous olive sourdough bread and she got the recipe from Jeff Hamelman's book: Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes. Ah, and I used raisins, but I doubt that the pastry police would get on your case if you used currants. :)
  3. Thalia Says:
    Francesca, it looks yummy!!
  4. Lydia Says:
    Gosh, I wish I could taste that!
  5. Sylvia Says:
    The proofing thing will come with a bit more experience. It's in the bounce-back when you touch the dough. Love the idea of putting soaked raisins inside. mmmmm.
  6. Cornflower Says:
    Oh, that looks and sounds wonderful (and I've just eaten!).
  7. Laurence Says:
    Oh my.. i'm salivating looking at those pictures! wow will you open a bakery in Santa Monica, please?!

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