Let me gloat a bit today, because waking up to the intense aroma of freshly baked Sicilian brioches and enjoying them still warm for breakfast with homemade granita is priceless! In short, double satisfaction for me, in terms of performance and enjoyment, bite after bite. And if I must say it all, despite any rules of good etiquette, I even dunked them directly into the glass, like a good Catanese would, picchì sapi megghiu!!!! Pardon, let me translate: because the brioche tasted like this is better! What else could I add to the image that I think speaks for itself? It’s not just any brioche, it’s her majesty the brioche, the ultimate symbol of our breakfasts, our lunches, and even our summer dinners! In fact, associated with granita it’s a meal replacement!!!! It’s Catanese pride, a must you will find on every street corner, in every bar, kiosk, or putìa, oops shop, that is worthy of respect! We even consume it stuffed with ice cream, so it’s perfect for snack time too! I would eat tons of them if I could. And since I had prepared mulberry granita, I couldn’t not accompany it suitably! So, here is my step-by-step recipe, which I give to you almost like it’s a relic, although there are now many around the web! The process I warn you is rather long and laborious, but believe me, the wait will really be worth it! The result will be surprising both in appearance and taste, and everyone tasting them will tell you they seem like those from the bar, just like it happened to me!
Are you passionate about Sicilian recipes? Here are some typical recipes from my land or check out the section TYPICAL SICILIAN RECIPES:
- Rest time: 22 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for 10 brioches:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 4 1/2 cups Manitoba flour
- 7 oz milk (+ 1 tbsp)
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/8 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp butter
- 0.28 oz fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 orange flavoring
- 1 tsp acacia honey
- to taste mixed seeds (optional)
- 0.35 oz salt
Tools
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 Scraper
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Dishcloth
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Baking tray
Preparation
In a stand mixer or with electric whisks, work the eggs strictly at room temperature with the sugar for 10′ .
You must obtain a light and frothy mixture, then add the orange flavoring and the yeast, which you will have dissolved in a little warm milk with the honey.
Work another 2′. Start adding the flour little by little and letting it be absorbed before incorporating the next. As soon as the mixture becomes firm, replace the whisk with the hook, or continue by hand.
Alternate portions of flour with the rest of the milk, leaving approx. 1.8 oz aside, and continue to work.
When the mixture becomes compact, add the salt and the soft butter, almost like a cream, little by little. When the last portion has been absorbed, add the last 1.8 oz of flour and work the dough for at least 15′, until perfectly smooth and elastic.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, slightly flatten it and make a four-fold.
Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean dishcloth and let rise in the turned-off oven with the light on or in a draft-free place for 4/5 h until it doubles in volume.
Take the dough again and proceed to make two more four-folds every 30′ .
After this time, round the dough, meaning shape it by pulling it toward you with your hands and then rotating it on the work surface.
You need to give it a regular spherical shape. This will allow it to rise more evenly.
Let it rise covered for another 2h. Then proceed with the portioning, creating about 10 portions of 2.8 oz and as many of 0.5 oz* .
Round both the bases and the tuppi and arrange them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, well spaced. Let it rise covered for another 1 h.
After this time, insert the tuppi, widening the center of the bases with two fingers until creating a cavity.
Place the tuppi in each cavity and cover the brioches with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove the brioches from the fridge and let them acclimatize for 2 h. Then, brush the surface with an egg yolk and 1 tbsp of milk.
You can also add a mix of oily mixed seeds as I did, but it is an absolutely optional step.
Place in a preheated oven at 356°F for 20/25′, then bake and let it slightly cool.
You can enjoy them right away even stuffed with ice cream.
You can also freeze them and then heat them for 2′ in the microwave. They will be like freshly baked. I enjoyed them with my homemade almond mulberry granita. An absolute delight!
And voilà…your Sicilian brioches with tuppo are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store the brioches with tuppo, if you have any left over, in a bag for up to 2 days.
Tips and suggestions
🟣* You can also make them slightly larger with a base of 3.9 oz and a tuppo of 0.7 oz but obviously, there will be fewer, about half. The choice is yours.
