Christmas Brioche Bread with Salmon and Avocado Mousse
This Christmas brioche bread is perfect to prepare during the Christmas holidays from Christmas to New Year’s (but I make it all year round, it’s an evergreen) a versatile idea, different from the usual, scenic and elegant, that solves the annual dilemma of what to prepare as a Christmas appetizer.
The Christmas brioche bread is an unusual and tantalizing Christmas appetizer that always enjoys great success among my guests, and in fact it has become, by popular demand, one of my staple dishes for the Christmas menu.
This Christmas brioche bread is perfect to surprise your guests: as an appetizer, for a Christmas brunch or even as a scenic centerpiece for a Christmas aperitif.
The recipe for my brioche is foolproof and tested, resulting in a very soft and tall brioche dough that can be filled in many ways, even in a sweet version, so I recommend saving the recipe for this perfect brioche, which rises wonderfully, as you can see from the photos below.
This soft brioche bread is filled with a light, creamy, and delicate avocado and ricotta mousse. Don’t miss this precious recipe!
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- Neapolitan Rustic Brioche with Mortadella, Salami, and Smoked Provola
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons, Christmas
Ingredients for the Christmas Brioche Bread with Salmon:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (I use Caputo Classica Azzurra)
- 1 cup whole milk (warm)
- 7 tbsp butter (melted in a bain-marie)
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 0.5 oz fresh yeast
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 8 oz Avocado (already peeled and pitted)
- 0.5 cup ricotta cheese
- 5.3 oz smoked salmon
- 3.5 oz emmental cheese (grated into threads)
- 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 tsp lemon juice
- 0.5 tsp fine salt
- to taste black pepper (ground)
- to taste arugula
- to taste cherry tomatoes
- to taste green olives (to garnish the surface)
Tools for the Christmas Brioche Bread with Salmon
- Scale digital, with removable bowl and alarm timer
- Bowls set of Guzzini bowls of various sizes
- Food Processor Kenwood Multi Pro
- Stand Mixer Kenwood with a powerful 1400 W, illuminated bowl
- Bundt Pan non-stick Nordic Ware, 10 inches in diameter
Steps for the Christmas Brioche Bread with Salmon
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, add the sugar and flour, the 5 egg yolks, grated lemon, and mix with the paddle attachment of the stand mixer for 10 minutes, then add the melted butter (little by little) and finally, the salt (do not add at the beginning, as it interferes with the yeast).
Knead for about fifteen minutes (in total, max 30 minutes) with the paddle attachment, then replace it with the dough hook and work for another 5 minutes to knead well, the dough should detach from the sides in one piece.
Let the dough rise directly in a greased and floured bundt pan of about 9.5 inches (I use buttered hands to help) until it doubles (about an hour and a half).
After the indicated rising time, no second rising is necessary, so put the pan directly in the oven and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for about 30 min.
Remove the brioche bread from the oven and let cool completely.
Blend the peeled avocado, ricotta, grated lemon, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (about 1 tbsp) in a food processor.
Grate the Emmental into threads, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and season them with a little oil and salt, also season the arugula with a little oil and salt.
The cherry tomatoes and arugula are optional.
Using a sharp knife, split the brioche bread into two parts and fill the bottom half, spreading it well with the ricotta mousse
Garnish the avocado mousse with the seasoned arugula and cherry tomatoes.
Cover everything with the other top half of the brioche bread.
Decorate the surface of the brioche bread with halved cherry tomatoes, thin rolled slices of salmon, and green olives, but you can also opt for other solutions with creativity, e.g., you can also add some walnuts.
Serve the salmon brioche bread at room temperature, sliced.
Notes and Tips for the Christmas Brioche Bread with Salmon
You can easily prepare the brioche bread the day before (covered with plastic wrap) and keep it at room temperature, then fill it the next day.
If you decide to fill it as well, after filling it, it’s best to store it in the fridge and then, the next day, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 50 minutes before serving!
Shopping Tips!!!
I find the compact Kenwood Mini Chopper very convenient. A powerful electric vegetable cutter (650 W) that slices and grates directly onto the plate in a few minutes.
To work doughs effortlessly, I use the my Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with illuminated 7L bowl, 1400 W power, integrated scale, and blender, a loyal ally in the kitchen for: kneading, weighing, whipping, cooking, chopping, melting chocolate, pasteurizing eggs.
If you’re looking for a more economical stand mixer, you can safely purchase the Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker stand mixer, with dual bowl 5L and 3.5L and 1200 W power, integrated scale.
To make this recipe I used the wonderful Nordic Ware non-stick bundt pan.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above, on Amazon, at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is Brioche Bread?
Brioche bread is derived from the French “pain brioché“, and indicates a soft and buttery bread, sweet or savory, very versatile.
It’s a layered leavened bread that resembles bread and substitutes it for quick sandwiches and stuffed sandwiches, it can be filled in various ways.How do you store Brioche Bread?
Brioche bread if not filled, can be stored at room temperature, covered with food plastic wrap for about 3 days.
If the brioche bread is filled, it should be stored in the refrigerator well wrapped in food plastic wrap, for about 2 days.
