Raspberry brioche loaf

Serves: 8
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 0 hr 40 mins
Ingredients
  • 400g strong flour
  • 10g fine salt
  • 45ml milk (plus 1tbsp for the egg wash)
  • 40g caster sugar
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 4 eggs (plus 1 more for the egg wash)
  • 240g unsalted butter, softened
  • 5tbsp or 60g raspberry jam 

1 Place the flour and salt into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

2 Put the milk and sugar into a small saucepan and warm gently until the sugar has dissolved. Set the milk aside and cool until tepid; the milk should be about blood temperature, not hot or cold.

3 Sprinkle in the yeast and whisk to combine. Start to mix the flour and salt, using the dough hook attachment on a low speed if using a stand mixer. Slowly pour in the milk and yeast mixture, and allow the dough to come together, before adding the eggs one by one. The mix will look lumpy at this stage, but don't worry as it will come together.

4 Continue to mix on a low speed before adding the butter gradually, about a teaspoon at a time, until each spoon of butter has been incorporated. The butter needs to be very soft. This process will take a few minutes so it is important to be patient.

5 Once all of the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and continue to mix for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth.

6 Transfer the brioche to an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and place in the fridge overnight.

7 The next morning, remove the brioche from the fridge about an hour or two before you want to bake it and grease a 2lb loaf tin. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle, about 30cm x 20cm.

8 Spread with jam, leaving about an inch gap around the edges. Roll the brioche up like a swiss roll, cut in half, and cut each half into six even pieces.

9 Arrange the slices in the tin, with some slices facing up, and others overlapping. Cover the loaf tin with a clean tea towel and allow to rise for another hour.

10 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, or 180 if using a fan oven. Brush the loaf with the remaining one egg mixed with a tablespoon of milk and bake for five minutes. Lower the temperature to 180 degrees or 160 degrees if using a fan oven and continue to bake for a further 30-35 minutes.

11 Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Aoife Noonan

Aoife Noonan

Aoife Noonan is a pastry chef and culinary consultant. She writes a weekly baking column for the Irish Times Magazine