Austrian Brioche Germzopf Recipes

Steps:

• Warm milk to medium heat, add sugar and yeast.
• Stir until yeast has dissolved.
• Add lemon cest, if using, and 1 egg to the warm milk/yeast/sugar mixture.
• Sift 500g flour into a bowl and pour in milk mixture, salt and melted butter.
• Knead to a soft and shiny dough using a mixer or kitchen machine/food processor. The longer you knead, the better/fluffier the result.
• Form a ball out of dough and let rest covered with a kitchen towel until its volume has doubled (up to 1 hour guesstimate).
• Separate dough into 3 equal portions, knead again and form long, inch thick rounds.
• Braid/shape the three dough rolls like you would a pig tail.
• Mix the second egg with a dash of salt and 1 tsp sugar.
• Brush surface of dough with this mixture (keep a bit of this mixture for later) and let rest again for 30 minutes.
• Then bake brioche at 180°C for about 30-45 minutes. In case the surface darkens too soon, cover with aluminium foil.
• Take brioche out about 5 minutes before it is done and brush with the rest of the egg glaze.
• Sprinkle with almonds and return brioche (uncovered) to oven.
• Bake until done.

Steps:

• Mix the warm water, yeast, warm milk and sugar in a bowl. Let it stand for 5 mins until it becomes frothy - this is how you know the yeast is working.
• Tip the flour and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl, add the butter and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Make a well in the centre of the buttery flour and add the warm yeast mixture and the eggs.
• Use your hands to mix it into a sticky dough - don't worry if the mixture feels a little wet at this stage, it will come together when kneading. Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface.
• Knead the dough for 10 mins by stretching it on the work surface - it will still be very sticky at this stage but don't be tempted to add too much flour.
• The dough is ready when it feels soft and bouncy - this means that the gluten strands have developed. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to rise for 1-3 hrs or until doubled in size.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out and knead again for 2 mins. The dough should be much less sticky now, but add a little flour if it needs it.
• Divide the dough into 12-16 even pieces. Roll into balls and arrange on lined baking trays. Loosely cover with oiled cling film and leave for about 1 hr or until doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and place a shallow baking tray at the bottom.
• Uncover the trays, brush the buns with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Pour a cup of water into a baking tray at the bottom of the oven to create steam (see Tips for success, left). Bake for 20 mins or until golden, then leave to cool on a wire rack.