Pullman Loaf - Pain de Mie

A pullman loaf, or pain de mie, can be used just as you would any other loaf of bread. But it has some other uses as well. If you're not familiar with it, it is a loaf baked in a straight-sided pan with a lid on top so that the loaf is perfectly rectangular and the slices perfectly square. It is the classic French sandwich bread, soft and fluffy yet, with its tight crumb, quite sturdy. 

It's for those who like uniformly shaped sandwiches or cutting tea sandwiches into squares, triangles, or rectangles with a great deal less waste. The first thing I used a pullman loaf for years ago was pinwheel tea sandwiches (slice the loaf horizontally, spread on the filling, roll up, wrap, chill, slice into pinwheel sandwiches).

I lost the lid to my pullman pan years ago, but I've come up with a way to "make-do," which you'll find in step 5 of the directions below. It came in handy when I got on that Pain Perdu - French Toast kick recently and another search for the lid came up empty. It's my very favorite bread for French toast ...

and for grilled sandwiches, for two reasons: 1. the taste and texture of the bread, and 2. because four of them fit perfectly on my square griddle!

Of course, you could just make my recipe and bake it in a regular 9x5 loaf tin and enjoy the delicious bread with a crowned top! Tell me your thoughts on Pain de Mie.

  

Pullman Loaf - Pain de Mie

(Makes one 9x4x4-inch/1.5-pound/680 grams loaf)

3 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (17.5 ounces/496 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar

2 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt

1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml or grams) water or half each milk and water

2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) unsalted butter

1 large egg 

1 In a 2.5- to 3-quart mixing bowl, measure or weigh the flour. Take out 1/8 cup and set aside for kneading and shaping. Whisk in the sugar, yeast and salt. 

2 In a 1-cup glass measure, measure the water, or water and milk; heat in the microwave until hot but not boiling. Stir in the butter until it is melted. Check that the temperature of the mixture is very warm (120 to 130F/49 to 54C), but not over 130F/54C.

3 Make a well in the center of the flour, then add warm liquid and egg to the well. With dough whisk or large spoon, slowly stir until combined. Knead gently in the bowl with one hand until the dough comes together.

4 Scrape dough onto very lightly floured (from that reserved 1/8 cup) work surface and knead gently for about 10 minutes, using some more of the reserved flour as needed, until smooth and bouncy. Place it in a lightly oiled (I use 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil) 2-quart glass measure (makes it easy to tell when dough has doubled) and cover; let rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled in size.

5 Grease well a 9x4x4-inch pullman pan and lid* with solid shortening (I use 2 teaspoons of Crisco).

 

* I lost the lid to my pullman pan years ago, so I do this: Pull off a 12x8-inch piece of aluminum foil and shape it to the top of the loaf pan. Grease just the center part that will cover the top of the loaf pan. Then when it's time to put the lid on, I put that preshaped piece of greased-in-the-center foil over the top of the pan, place a 13x9x1-inch quarter sheet pan on top of the foil, then place a "heavy object" on the quarter sheet pan. I thought of a foil-covered brick, but it seemed too heavy and bulky. Next thought, my tortilla press, but it's too heavy for this task. Almost went with a couple of all-metal tools from the garage, but then I remembered my Cast Iron Heat Diffuser and found that it weighed about 1.5 pounds. Perfect!

I actually use aluminum foil between the bread pan
and the quarter sheet pan, but it wasn't showing up
well in the photos so I used a piece of baking
parchment paper for the photos.

6 Turn risen dough out onto lightly floured surface, flattening gently to break up any large bubbles. Press into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Fold in short ends of dough until piece is about 6 inches long. Roll from one rough edge, pinch seam to seal and roll gently to form a tight log the length of pan.

7 Place seam-side down in prepared pan and press dough into pan so that it reaches sides, ends and corners. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the pan, about 60 minutes. At the 30-minute mark, preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas5 for at least 20 minutes. 

8 When the dough has risen to about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top, remove the plastic wrap and slide the greased lid, or place the lid substitute, onto the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until golden brown, shrinking from the sides of the pan, and bottom of loaf sounds hollow if tapped. Remove immediately from pan and let cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Wrap well as soon as bread has cooled thoroughly. Store at room temperature.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees at no cost to you by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

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Naan - Classic Yeasted Flatbread of India and Beyond

Naan is India's, and other parts of Asia's, classic yeasted flatbread that I love so much! Not that I'm an expert, but it's my understanding that yeast is traditional, but you'll see baking powder and/or baking soda in more modern variations.

I will likely never try those variations because I like the yeasted version so much. The bread is soft and pillowy and, at the same time, chewy. I like to spread the top with unsalted butter and sprinkle it with finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves. You might like a sprinkle of finely minced garlic as well, but I'm allergic and must refrain. 

You know how much I've been enjoying my cast iron tortilla press, making batch after batch of both corn and flour tortillas. So, naturally, I was going to try pressing the naan. And I am thrilled to report that it worked beautifully! But you can also roll them out with a rolling pin as most people do.

I did a lot of research on this and saw much disagreement on how thick/thin to roll the dough. Most said 1/8 to 1/4 inch. While that might be fine for non-yeasted versions, I found that the yeasted dough starts puffing up right after rolling so needs to be rolled as thin as possible, certainly no more than 1/8 inch (3 mm). 

Naan can be any shape. To mimic the shape they might naturally assume hanging on the sides of a tandoor (cylindrical oven), you can roll them into ovals or teardrop shapes. I just make mine round because everybody's going to know I don't have a tandoor anyway!

Roll them out or press them one at a time. While the first one is cooking, roll out the second one, and so on. Since the yeast dough rises quickly, give each a final roll/press just before cooking. So easy because you get into a real rhythm. I've put cooking tips for both stainless steel and cast iron pans in step 5 of the directions.

In my research, I found all kinds of tips that different cooks swear by. Cover the pan with a lid for cooking the first side only, cover with lid for cooking the second side only, grease the pan, don't grease the pan. I tried it all. The only one that made a difference to me was this: Rub water on one side before placing it in the hot pan water side down. Doing that and then tapping fingertips over the surface right away really increased the bubbling.

These will be great with my limited repertoire of Indian dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, and Dal Makhani. And being such a bread lover, the naan will inspire me to try more Indian recipes. And I look forward to working up a gluten-free naan for my GF friends.

Are you a bread fan? Have you made naan or other flatbreads? Tell me all about it in the comments below.

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Naan - Classic Yeasted Flatbread

(Makes 8)

2 dip-and-sweep cups (10 ounces/283 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (8 grams) sugar

1 teaspoon (4 grams) instant yeast

1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt

3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces/177 ml or grams) hot but not boiling water

1/4 cup (2.16 ounces/61 grams) plain yogurt

2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml/25 grams) extra virgin olive oil

For kneading and shaping: Up to 1/3 dip-and-sweep cup (1.67 ounces/47 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 In a 1.5- to 2.5-quart mixing bowl (I like to use the Pyrex 2-quart glass measure), measure or weigh the flour. Whisk in the sugar, yeast and salt. 

2 In a 2-cup glass measure, measure the water; heat in the microwave until very hot but not boiling. Whisk in the yogurt and oil. Check that the temperature of the mixture is very warm (120 to 130F/49 to 54C).

3 Make a well in the center of the flour, then add the warm liquid to the well. With a spoon, slowly stir until soft, shaggy dough comes together. Turn out onto lightly floured (from that 1/3 cup) counter for about 5 minutes, adding only enough flour to keep it from sticking a great deal to your hands. (Set aside the remainder of that flour; you'll need it.) With very lightly oiled hands, make a ball of the soft, tacky dough. Place it in the bowl and cover the bowl with a lid, plate, or wrap. Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Note: Naan can be made ahead up to this point (step 3). Just pop the risen dough into the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Bring out of the refrigerator 2 to 3 hours ahead of the time you want to be shaping the dough for its second brief rise (actually just a 20-minute rest).

4 On lightly floured surface (from that 1/3 cup), shape the dough into a rectangle and cut the dough into 8 fairly equal parts. (I, of course, am so persnickety that I weigh the dough, divide by 8, and have realllly equal parts! These were 69 grams each.) Shape each into a smooth little 2-inch disk. Place on lightly floured plate and sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. 

5 Cast iron: Preheat cast iron pan gradually until it is super-hot (see Note); I use the Lodge Pre-Seasoned 14-Inch Cast Iron Baking Pan with Loop Handles that has lived in my oven for more than 12 years now. To preheat cast iron pan evenly, place over medium heat for 10 minutes, rotating every once in a while. Then wipe on a teaspoon of olive oil with a paper towel and continue heating for 2 minutes. 

Stainless steel: Preheat heavy-bottomed 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 to 5 minutes.

6 Naan can be any shape. To mimic the shape they would naturally assume hanging on the sides of a tandoor (cylindrical oven), you can roll them into ovals or teardrop shapes. I make mine round. They should be rolled or pressed very thin, not more than 1/8 inch (3 mm).

If using a tortilla press, place a very lightly floured disk of dough between the two layers of plastic* in the center of the tortilla press. Then gently press the dough ball. Turn it 90 degrees and press again. Press and turn until it is about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter. 

* I use a 1-gallon zip-top bag cut into an open-on-three sides 8-inch square "folder" to line the press. Wash and save the bag for next time; it will last for many, many batches.

7 Peel back the top layer of plastic, turn it on your hand, and peel back the other layer; or pick up the rolled naan and lay it over your non-dominant hand. Brush, or with your fingertips rub, water on one side of the dough. Lay it on the hot pan, water side down, and press the surface all over with your fingertips. Cook for about a minute when the naan gets bubbles on top and is well browned on the underside. Turn and repeat. You can give it another turn, if you like. Put on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.

8 If serving right away, brush the top of each naan with butter and sprinkle on a little chopped cilantro. If serving later, do that after reheating the naan. 

9 The naan reheats beautifully. Wrap the completely cooled naan in foil and store at room temperature for a day or two. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

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Pull-Apart Potato Dinner Rolls

My recipe for pull-apart potato rolls makes 30 rolls! Yes, I know that's a lot of rolls. But I'm thinking ahead to when we can start having big gatherings. Also, these freeze well and can be enjoyed on multiple occasions with all the work being done just one time! Part of my streamlined cooking style.

Another time when a double batch of rolls makes sense is when you're delivering meals to people, as I've had occasion to do during the pandemic and for special occasions. It's nice to make enough to keep some for yourself as well!

Homemade dinner rolls simply "make" a comfort food meal. Back in the day, when I was better at multi-tasking, I baked my dinner rolls at the last minute. But these days I bake them as much as a month ahead and freeze them until 2 1/2 hours before serving time. Of course, you can just go ahead and serve these the day you bake them; but I've included instructions for freezing, thawing and reheating.

Yes, I have a big heavy-duty stand mixer, but I make all my bread by hand. You can do this in your mixer if you want to, but this lovely soft dough is so easy to handle, you might just want to go "unplugged" on this one.

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Pull-Apart Potato Rolls

(Makes 30 rolls)

1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) milk

1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 packed cup (7 ounces/198 grams) cooked and well mashed russet potato (from a medium, 8- or 9-ounce, potato)
1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) water
5 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (27.5 ounces/780 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 dip-and-sweep cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces/66 grams) sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs

1 Grease a 5-quart bowl* with 1 tablespoon of softened butter (for first rise). Grease two 13x9x2-inch baking dishes with 1 tablespoon of softened butter.

* Or two 2- to 2.5-quart bowls if you would like to let each half of the dough rise in separate bowls as I do when I don't want to get the huge bowl out of the highest cupboard!

2 Put milk and butter in a 1-quart glass measure. Microwave on high power until butter is melted and milk is close to a simmer. Stir until all the butter is melted. Stir in the mashed potato, then the water.

Tip: If you're having mashed potatoes for dinner, you can take out a cup of mashed-up potato and freeze it in a glass storage container for the next time you're making potato rolls. Then move from freezer to refrigerator the morning before the day you're making the rolls.

3 In a 4-quart bowl, whisk together 5 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (27.5 ounces/780 grams) of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, then add potato mixture and egg to the well. With dough whisk or large wooden spoon, slowly stir until soft, shaggy dough comes together.

4 Spread 1/2 cup of flour onto work surface, and reserve 1/2 cup to use as needed. Turn the dough out onto floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour if needed, until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place smooth ball of dough in buttered bowl and turn to coat all sides of dough. Cover bowl with buttered lid or plastic wrap and let rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5 Punch dough down (by pressing down in center and folding in edges), turn out on lightly floured surface. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough in half, working on one pan of rolls at a time. Divide one of the two halves into 15 equal pieces by first dividing it into 3 equal pieces then rolling each piece into a thick log and cutting each log into 5 equal pieces. Keep dough pieces covered with plastic wrap or overturned bowl as you shape each piece into a ball, pulling edges under and pinching them together on the bottom. I also give them a little roll on the unfloured counter, a motion sort of like moving a computer mouse around. Place in 3 rows of 5 in buttered baking dish. Spray the same piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray, cover dish lightly. Repeat with second half of dough. Let rise until rolls have doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Note: I can be pretty persnickety about getting my rolls all exactly the same size, so I actually weigh the dough in grams and divide that number by 30, which this time came out to 58 grams (or just slightly over 2 ounces) each.

6 About 10 or 15 minutes ahead, preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas5. Uncover rolls and bake for 25 minutes, or until well browned. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a center roll should read about 200 to 205F/93 to 96C. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Keeping rolls together, remove rolls from baking dish and cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Double-wrap with foil (probably one layer of heavy-duty would be sufficient); freeze for up to 1 month.

To serve after freezing: Remove from freezer 2 1/2 hours before serving time. Defrost, wrapped, at room temperature for 2 hours. During last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil-wrapped rolls on a cookie sheet and bake about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

Sally Lunn Buns - Jane Austen Comfort Food

When I'm not cooking, eating or writing about food, I like to read. There's nothing so delightful to me as a rainy day at home, with tea and buns (or scones or crumpets), a cuddly cat and a good book (preferably English). 

I'm adding this little watercolor of my cat to the post

at the request of one of my readers. He does enjoy a 

long reading session, or the occasional film, but 

he objects strenuously to music of any kind at all!

There are good books I've only read once, but some books are meant to be enjoyed again and again. Has anyone ever read a Jane Austen novel just once? A day spent in Jane Austen's world can be a marvelous restorative.

Avid afternoon tea aficionado that I am, it was quite a shock to me years ago when I realized that afternoon tea was not part of Jane Austen’s life. But tea drinking, popular at Court since the 1660’s, had by the Regency Period long since trickled down through all strata of society. 

Jane and her family no doubt enjoyed a nice cup of tea at least twice a day, at breakfast and in the evening after dinner, and surely at other times as well. There are a number of things Jane might have had with her tea, including hot, buttered Sally Lunn buns, good with both sweet and savory toppings.

At Sally Lunn's in Bath, when you order a bun, it is a half, either top or bottom, of a split bun, toasted, and topped with something savory, such as beef or vegetables, or something sweet, such as lemon curd or cinnamon butter.  

Those made today in Bath are very large, perhaps five or six inches across and three or more inches high. My own, which I’m sure Sally Lunn’s in Bath would scorn as an inadequate imitation, are much smaller, about three inches in diameter, more "teatime" size.

Basically a brioche, they are good with either sweet or savory accompaniments. My method is so simple--no need for great skill or strength (no kneading) and no need for any special equipment (no food processor or heavy-duty stand mixer). Give them a try and let me know what you think.

And head on over to London Calling and see what expert Janeite Tony thinks of the new television production of Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon. 

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Sally Lunn Buns

(Makes 18 )

4 dip-and-sweep cups (20 ounces/567 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (2.33 ounces/66 grams) sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package/0.25 ounces/7 grams) instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter

4 large eggs (medium, in the UK)

1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) milk

1 In medium bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure), whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In small saucepan, melt butter; set aside to cool a bit before needed.

2 In 2.5- to 3-quart mixing bowl, with electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until fluffy and pale lemon yellow, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. By hand with a dough whisk or wooden spoon, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the melted butter and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to three days.

Note: At this point, you can divide the dough if you'd like to bake 9 buns one day and 9 another day. Store in 2 lidded glass containers. If baking all 18, you'll need 2 baking sheets and need to rotate the sheets in the oven halfway through the baking time.  

3 About 2 1/2 hours before serving time, remove dough from refrigerator. Divide the dough into 18 pieces.* Roll each into a smooth ball, place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten gently into a 2 1/2-inch disk. If your baking sheet does not have a lid, lightly butter a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap and place, buttered side down, over the buns. Let rise until very puffy and nearly doubled in volume, about 1 3/4 hours. During last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas5. 

* I'm pretty persnickety about making them equal, so I weigh the dough and divide by 18. It weighed 1170 grams, so divide that by 18, and you get 65 grams (about 2 1/4 ounces) per bun.

4 Uncover buns. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer buns to wire racks. Serve warm, or cool completely before storing. To serve later in the traditional manner, split the buns and toast them under the grill (broiler) or in a toaster oven. Toasting them in a regular toaster gets them a bit too dark on the uncut side if you're not careful, and it's hard to get them out of the slots!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean

Guildford Manchets - A British Historical "Receipt" (Recipe)

A few weeks ago my heart was in southwest England, and I made Devon Flats. This week it moved over to the southeast, Surrey to be precise, and I made Guildford Manchets (pronounced man-chits).

Guildford Manchets are pastry-like bread rolls that date from Medieval times in Guildford, Surrey. They are flaky, buttery rolls that make a perfect continental breakfast or fit in at the finest dinner party. 

It makes me so happy to find an old ‘receipt’ (recipe) with directions like “Make the bread dough in the usual way” and imprecise (or sometimes no) measurements and turn it into something my dear readers can easily do.

I found this one at Foods of England and couldn’t resist. I didn’t have any lard on hand and didn’t want to buy a pound of organic lard for the 1 ounce called for, so I used organic unsalted butter, which also makes the recipe vegetarian.

And, of course, bakers didn’t have instant yeast back in the Middle Ages. But I didn’t want to trouble any of my craft beer brewing friends for a bit of barm from the top of their vats, so I “made do” with store-bought yeast.

I love historical cooking, but only when it’s good! These are some seriously good rolls, and I hope you’ll try my updated version soon.

Guildford Manchets

(Makes 16)

1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces/142 grams) unsalted butter, divided
3 dip-and-sweep cups (15 ounces/425 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons (8 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons (5 grams) salt

1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces/296 ml) milk and water, about the same amount of each, room temperature

Egg Wash: 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon water, pinch of salt*

* The egg wash “goes far” so there is lots left over; I just stuck it in the microwave for under a minute and had a scrambled egg snack so as not to waste that good organic egg--I hate food waste!

1 Take the butter out of the refrigerator. In a tiny bowl, melt 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of the butter; let cool slightly. Put the remaining butter in a small bowl and let stand at room temperature until needed. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, and pour the melted butter, milk and water into it, stirring to form dough. It might look like you need more liquid, but knead lightly with one hand, right in the bowl, to bring the dough together.

2 Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes. Use only as much flour as you need to keep dough from sticking to the counter (I measure out 1/8 cup in advance to work from so that I'm sure to not add too much) . The dough will feel sticky, but it won't actually stick. Place flattened ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measure so I can quickly see when it has doubled) and cover loosely with lightly oiled lid or plastic wrap (no need to oil lid or plastic wrap if container is large enough that the doubled dough won't reach it). Let rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Note: Rising time will vary with the temperature. We keep a rather cool house, which makes for a slower rise.

3 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, cream the room temperature butter. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface. Press and roll it out to a 16x8-inch/40x20 cm rectangle about 1/2 inch/1 cm thick. 

4 With short edge facing you, spread the butter over two-thirds of the rectangle. Fold the unbuttered third over the middle third, and then fold the remaining third over that. Pinch the edges to seal. Roll the dough again to the same size rectangle and fold. Repeat two more times.

5 Roll out the dough a final time into an 11-inch square. Cut the square of dough into 16 equal pieces. To shape the buns, take a square of dough and turn its corners under into the center, pressing down to seal, and form a round, flat bun. Place buns on a greased or parchment-lined 18x13x1-inch half sheet pan. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

6 Preheat oven to 400F/200C/Gas6. When buns have risen and are ready to go into the oven, whisk together the egg wash and brush it on the tops of the rolls. Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: They keep well stored tightly covered at room temperature for a few days. Reheat loosely wrapped in foil for about 8 or 10 minutes in preheated 350F/180C/Gas4 oven.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Fallue - The Traditional Norman Brioche

Fallue is a traditional French brioche loaf from Normandy. And I can’t believe it’s taken me all these years to finally hear of it! Blogger Phil’s Fallue post at As Strong As Soup had me sputtering about “How have I never heard of this before now?!”

Just as I was sputtering when PBS presented Island at War on Masterpiece Theatre and I learned for the very first time that one of the Channel Islands had been occupied during WW2! (I like to know stuff!) Anyway… 

Breadaholic that I am, I wanted to make this immediately. Phil uses his bread machine to mix the dough, but I decided to use the stand mixer. I nearly always make bread by hand, but I thought I’d break out the heavy-duty stand mixer...

...and make this historical loaf in a modern way SINCE I ONLY JUST HEARD OF IT! (I know, I’m shouting, but you should’ve heard me during Island at War!) 

The recipe actually calls for crème fraiche, but I use only organic dairy products (and eggs and flour and everything else) and couldn’t find any organic crème fraiche, so I came up with my own little “faux” version: 1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar stirred in, left to thicken a bit for 5 or 10 minutes or so. 

Crème fraiche is higher in fat than sour cream and is not nearly as tangy, so I didn’t think sour cream would make a good substitute. My faux version seemed to have just the right amount of tang. I think I’ll be finding lots more ways to use it.

You know what popped into my head when I took my first bite of Fallue? I immediately thought, This is the perfect bread for Coronation Chicken Sandwiches! 

So tell me, is Fallue a new one on you as well? I'm sure I would remember if Julia or Jacques (Child and Pepin) had mentioned it. I don't mind telling you, I'm a bit miffed with Jacques right now. Thank goodness Phil clued me in! 

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La Fallue – Brioche Normande 

(Makes one large loaf)

The Dough 

3 1/2 cups (17.5 ounces/496 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (plus 1/2 cup – 2.5 ounces/71 grams to “work from”) 

1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) sugar 

2 teaspoons (7 to 8 grams) instant yeast 

1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) salt 

1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, thoroughly softened 

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar stirred in, room temperature 

5 large (medium in UK) eggs, room temperature, beat 1 of them and reserve 2 tablespoons of it for the egg wash 

The Egg Wash 

Reserved 2 tablespoons beaten egg 

1 teaspoon water 

1 In the mixer bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, instant yeast and salt. With fingers or a pastry cutter, cut softened butter into flour mixture until it looks like fine crumbs. Attach the dough hook and mixer bowl to the stand mixer. Add the thickened soured cream and eggs (don't forget to beat one and reserve 2 tablespoons). Mix on speed 3 for 10 to 15 minutes, adding flour during the last 5 minutes, if needed, from the 1/2 cup a tablespoon at a time until the dough is not quite so sticky. I used half of the 1/2 cup.

Note: The dough will not come together into a ball like other bread doughs. Resist the urge to keep adding more flour; too much flour will turn your soft and fluffy brioche into something entirely different. 

2 Transfer dough to lightly oiled 2-quart glass measure and cover with silicone lid or plastic wrap; let rise until nearly doubled, about 2 1/2 hours. You could leave the dough in the mixer bowl, but it’s easier to monitor the dough’s rise in a straight-sided clear glass container. Besides, since the dough will be going into the refrigerator overnight, you might want to free up your mixing bowl for something else. 

3 When the dough has not doubled but has risen by 75% (from the 4-cup level to the 7-cup line—see what I’m sayin’ about using a 2-quart glass measure?), put it in the refrigerator overnight (18 hours, actually, in this case). This will slow the fermentation, improving flavor and texture, and chill the butter, making shaping the sticky dough much easier. 

4 Line a large baking tray (I use a heavy-duty 18x13x1-inch half-sheet pan) with parchment paper. Turn the chilled dough out onto lightly floured surface (working from the remains of the 1/2 cup) and press it into a smooth 9-inch (23 cm) square; it will soften a bit as you handle it. Starting at the edge farthest away from you, roll the dough rather tightly into a log, sealing the seam (which will go on the bottom) and turning the ends under, shaping into a long oval loaf, about 12 inches (30 cm) by 3 to 3.5 inches (8 to 9 cm).

5 Place diagonally on the prepared baking tray. Cover lightly. Let rise until doubled and very puffy, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. 

6 Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas4. 375F/190C/Gas5. In small bowl, beat together egg and water with a fork. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Use kitchen scissors to snip the dough all around the top edge of the loaf to make the traditional spikey effect.* Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and sounding hollow when tapped on the bottom, or when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center bottom of the loaf registers 195F/90C.

* My spikey effect wasn't very spikey, but I don't mind! 

7 Cool completely on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours, before slicing. Serve with butter and preserves or with its traditional Norman accompaniment, Teurgoule. 

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Jean