Festive Brioches Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position.
• Season the salmon fillets with the salt and set aside.
• Using a serrated knife, trim away the crust from the sides of the brioche loaf, then make four long lengthwise slices that are about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Lay a slice of brioche on a cutting board and place a salmon fillet lengthwise in the center; it should fall within the border of the crust. Use your knife to trim away the bread around the salmon. It's best to hold the knife flat against the edges of the salmon and press straight down (using the same motion as with a cookie cutter) to get an even cutout around the fish. Repeat with the remaining fillets and brioche slices, setting the finished fillets brioche-side down on a plate or tray.
• Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Put in the oil and butter; when the butter begins to bubble and foam, gently place the salmon, brioche-side down, in the pan. Work in batches if you can't fit all the fillets in the pan at once. Shake the pan a little to make sure the brioche is not sticking, then scatter the garlic and thyme sprigs around the fish. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally and basting the oil-butter mixture over the fish with a spoon until the bread is golden brown, about 1 minute.
• Flip the fillets brioche-side up, transfer the pan to the center oven rack, and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through but still has a touch of dark pink inside (about 145°F). Keep in mind, it will continue cooking a little even after you remove it from the oven!
• Blot the fish with a paper towel and transfer to plates, brioche-side up. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Day before: whisk together the eggs and milk in a jug. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and spice in the bowl of a kitchen mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir to combine.
• On a medium setting, slowly pour in the egg mixture in a steady stream, continuing to stir until incorporated into a very soft, wet dough. Add the butter and increase the speed, kneading for 8-10 minutes. The dough will be ready when it clings around the dough hook. At this stage it will look more like a thick cake batter than bread dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
• You can also roast the garlic the day before: heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove any loose outer skins from the garlic bulbs. With a sharp knife, cut off the stem and uppermost part of the cloves. Place on the foil, drizzle over a little olive oil and season. Bring up the edges of the foil and seal to form a fairly tight parcel. Bake in the top of the oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the parcel sealed until the garlic is cool enough to handle. Remove the cloves by either squeezing the bulb upwards from the base or by teasing them out with a toothpick. Mash the garlic with a fork. Wrap well (to avoid the garlic smell transferring to other foods) and refrigerate.
• On the day: line a baking tray with baking parchment. Remove the cheese from its wooden carton and put the cheese back in the fridge until later. Put the carton in the centre of the lined tray.
• Tip the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 5 large equal-sized pieces - it can help to roll the dough into an even sausage shape and mark with a knife first to get equal pieces.
• Take one piece and divide into 5 again. One at a time, roll each of these 5 pieces gently into a ball, flour your index finger and make a small, deep indent in the middle. Fill with half a teaspoon of the roasted garlic, pinching the dough over the top to seal and placing the sealed side down onto the floured surface. Cup your hand over the bun and rotate a little to get an even shape. Repeat until you have filled all 5.
• Repeat step 6 using the remaining 4 fillings.
• Arrange the buns around the wooden carton, you'll need 10 for the inner ring and 15 for the outer ring. Leave around 0.5cm between each bun, giving them room to rise. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove any plastic wrapping or stickers from the cheese. With a small knife, make an incision in the top rim and remove the top layer of rind. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and place in the carton, cut side up. Brush the buns with the beaten egg and scatter with poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Slide onto a serving platter. Decorate with the herbs and fresh cranberries. Serve the extra cheese alongside if using.