When is bread not bread? When it is Brioche, that's when. Originating in Normandie it is a highly enriched bread associated with holiday time. The name is a derivation from the French brier, meaning to knead. This celebratory bread with a soft light texture, small buttery crumb and flaky crust is descended from Blessed Bread, or pain benit as it was called by the priesthood in France. It has a high concentration of fat as copious amounts of eggs and butter are added to the flour and yeast. Considered to be a Viennoiserie, it is traditionally baked in a mold to form a ring. But it can also be formed into a standard loaf or baked as smaller individual buns. Sweet and savory versions also appear in patisseries and can be stuffed with chocolate, jams or candied fruits or filled with various vegetables and meats. It is the prime ingredient in rich bread puddings and luxurious French toast.
Brioche has quite an interesting history and dates back to the late Middle Ages and was considered to be the bread of the rich, for only those who could afford the extravagance of fresh eggs and butter could bake such a luxury. The word even appears in a very famous quote from 1783. See if you can translate it and tell me who spoke those fateful words:
"S'ils n'ont plus de pain, qu'ils mangent de la brioche!"
let them eat cake! :)
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