Today I baked a new leavened product: this super soft Russian braid brioche with cream that has a delicate flavor and is even more delicious when paired with a gentle drizzle of custard with vanilla.
I made it with fresh yeast, but in case you don’t have it, I also provide instructions to convert fresh yeast to dry yeast:
1) The fresh yeast block we buy at the supermarket weighs 25 grams and corresponds to a sachet of dry yeast granules which weighs 7.5 grams;
2) To convert the amount of fresh yeast to dry yeast the factor is 3.5 so we must divide the weight of the fresh yeast indicated in the recipe by 3.5 and the result will be the weight of dry yeast that we must use for that recipe for example:
25 grams of fresh yeast : 3.5 = 7 grams of dry yeast
3) Conversely, to convert the amount of dry yeast to fresh yeast the conversion factor is always 3.5 but WE MUST MULTIPLY the weight indicated in the recipe of the dry yeast by 3.5 to obtain the grams of fresh yeast needed for our recipe so…
7 grams of dry yeast x 3.5 = 25 grams of fresh yeast
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You can read more sweet leavened recipes just below:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 oz egg (I whisked it in a bowl and then weighed it, saving the remainder)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup fresh cream (plus 1 tablespoon for brushing)
- 3 1/2 tbsp sugar (plus 1 tablespoon to put inside the Russian braid)
- 3/4 tbsp butter
- 3/4 tsp fresh yeast
- 2 oranges (small or 1 large just the zest to flavor)
- to taste powdered sugar (before serving and optional)
TOOLS
20 x 10 cm loaf pan
- Loaf Pans
- Stand Mixers
- Mixing Bowls
- Brushes
FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE SUPER SOFT RUSSIAN BRIOCHE WITH CREAM
I melt the butter in the milk by warming it either in the microwave or over a low flame on the stove.
In the bowl, I place the cold mixture of milk and butter, crumbled yeast, a little sugar from the total, and the beaten egg.
With the paddle attachment, I quickly mix everything for just a minute or two.
I add a few tablespoons of the Manitoba and all-purpose flour mix, and as they combine, I also add a splash of cream and a little of the remaining sugar.
I continue alternating until all ingredients in the designated section are used.
I change to the dough hook and knead everything for about ten minutes until a well-formed and smooth dough ball is achieved, which I place in a bowl, covered, and away from drafts. I let it rise until doubled in volume, around one and a half to two hours.
Once the dough has risen, I roll it out on the work surface (I just got a new small and inexpensive steel one) to form a rectangle about 1/5 inch thick or so.
I didn’t want to make a Russian cream brioche too sweet, so I opted to add a little granulated sugar and the zest of two small untreated oranges.
Now I rolled the leavened dough from the long side and cut off a rosette about 1 inch from one side, keeping it aside.
I cut the roll in half without reaching the end on one side and then twist this part to finish inside the two ends of the supposed Russian cream braid.
Now I braid the two strands and place the kept-aside “rosette” at the end.
I neatly arrange these rosette parts at the end of the braid and place everything in the loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
I brush with the remaining beaten egg mix with a bit of cream always left and cover with plastic wrap, letting this delicate orange-scented brioche rise again.
After about 45 minutes, here it is… now it goes into the oven at 356°F for about 30-35 minutes or according to the characteristics of our home oven.
It’s delicate, soft, fragrant, and simply good….enjoy your meal! Annalisa
