Parmesan Cheddar Brioche
By: Joanne
Published: Monday, July 12, 2010 - 8:50am

Ingredients




STARTER:
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm milk or water (105 deg)
1 teaspoon (¼ oz) pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup sifted flour (sift before measuring)
DOUGH:
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar 1 TBS hot milk or water
3 cups large eggs 1 ½ sifted flour (sift before measuring)
1 1/2 cups sticks (¾) unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch slices and well softened
1/2 pound Parmesan_ half of it grated, half in ½ inch cubes

Preparation

1 Special equipment:  a standing mixer with whisk and dough-hook attachments. 2 Starter:  Stir together sugar and milk in a small bowl.  Sprinkle yeast over mix and let stand until foamy, 10 minutes.  Stir flour into yeast, forming a soft dough and cut a deep X across the top.  Let starter rise, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature, 1 hour. 3 Dough:  Combine salt, sugar, and hot milk in a small bowl and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.  Fit mixer with whisk attachment, and then beat 2 eggs at medium-low speed until fluffy.  Add sugar mixture and beat until combined well.  With motor running, add in order, beating after each addition: 4 Cup flour 5 Remaining egg, 6 Cup flour, 7 About one fourth of butter, 8 And remaining 1/2 cup flour. 9 Beat mixture 1 minute. 10 Remove bowl from mixer and fit mixer with dough hook attachment.  Spread starter onto dough with a rubber spatula and return bowl to mixer.  Beat dough at medium-high speed 6 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Add remaining butter, cubed and grated cheeses and beat 1 minute, or until butter and cheeses are incorporated. 11 Lightly butter a large bowl and scrape dough into that bowl with a rubber spatula.  Lightly dust dough with flour to prevent crust forming.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until more than doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours. 12 Punch the dough down and lightly dust with flour.  Cover, again, with plastic wrap and CHILL dough, punching down after the first hour, at least 12 hours. 13 Place a pie pan on bottom shelf of oven.  Butter muffin tins generously.  Take a small lump of dough, dust wit ha little flour and roll in your hands into a ball.  Place in muffin tin, dough should come just above rim of muffin tin.  Repeat until tins are filled.  “Dock” each top with a sharp knife.  Cover pan with linen towel and let brioches rise at least 1/2 hour.  They will plump up nicely. 14 Preheat oven to 425 F for at least 15 minutes. *Remember, your pie pan is on the bottom shelf preheating with the oven. 15 Place the muffin tins on middle shelf of oven and splash about 1/2 cup water into the pie pan on the bottom shelf.  This will create steam in the oven to help rise the brioches.  Bake at 425 F for 15 – 20 minutes or until brioches are golden brown.  Remove to wire racks, let cool completely.

About


From A Taste of Utica cookbook, this recipe is perfect for brunch or snack. The delicate lingering of cheese taste after the first bite will lead you through a delightful experience of eating this cheese bread biscuit. Quoted from the book: "The trick with my recipe is you put grated and CUBED cheddar and Parmesan in the dough. When baked you end up with these cheesy pockets in the brioches.”