my first brioche.

from left to right there is a sugar-topped loaf, a traditional brioche à tête, a bee sting with a crunchy almond honey layer, and a streusel topped one.

making brioche by hand is messy. it starts a lot like egg noodles, with a giant crater of flour that all your liquids get poured into. next you stick your hand in that eggy mess and start incorporating the sides of your crater untill you have a big sticky mess in your hand. now, you knead it... well beat it is more correct. you pick it up and slam it on the table!, then you fold it, turn it, and slam it again! and you do this until you are tired and the dough isn't as sticky.

oh, but silly, you're not done! now you have to add the butter! more butter than is healthy. enough butter to make them delicious. now, your firm dough is going to turn back into a sticky mess. and you knead and you smear and you knead and you smear until your dough firms back up again.

the butter sure does make your hands soft. i believe that butter was actually first used as a lotion - until people had the good sense to eat it. how fortunate we are to live in this modern age.

i should also mention that the bee sting is delicious. ok, the others are awesome too.

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