Christmas Salmon and Avocado Mousse Brioche Bread
This Christmas brioche bread is perfect to prepare during the holiday season from Christmas to New Year (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 indeed has become, by popular demand, my showstopper for the Christmas menu.
This Christmas brioche bread is perfect for surprising your guests: as a starter, for a Christmas brunch, or even as a scenic centerpiece for a Christmas aperitif.
The recipe for my brioche bread is foolproof and tested, you get a very soft and tall brioche dough, a perfect dough that can be filled in many ways, even in a sweet version, so I recommend you save the recipe for this perfect brioche bread, 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!
You might also be interested in:
- Very Tall Rustic Brioche, explained step by step. Neapolitan recipe step by step
- Very Soft Rustic Brioche: the Gateau Santa Chiara
- Savory Panettone, with instant yeast. Clever recipe.
- Spiced Christmas Bread with Dried Figs, no rising needed. Easy and quick recipe.
- Neapolitan Rustic Brioche with Mortadella, Salami, and Smoked Provola
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients for the Christmas Salmon Brioche:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (I use Caputo Blue Classic)
- 1 cup whole milk (warm)
- 7 tbsps butter (melted in a double boiler)
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 tbsps granulated sugar
- 0.5 oz fresh yeast
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 2 tsps fine salt
- 8 oz Avocado (peeled and pitted)
- 3.5 oz ricotta cheese
- 5.3 oz smoked salmon
- 3.5 oz emmental cheese (shredded)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 tsps lemon juice
- 0.14 oz 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 Salmon Brioche
- Scale digital, with removable bowl and alarm timer
- Bowls Guzzini set of bowls in various sizes
- Food Processor Kenwood Multi Pro
- Stand Mixer Kenwood with a powerful 1400W, illuminated bowl
- Bundt Pan non-stick Nordic Ware, 10.2 inches in diameter
Steps for the Christmas Salmon Brioche
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, add sugar and flour, the 5 egg yolks, grated lemon zest, work with the stand mixer’s flat beater for 10 minutes, then add melted butter (gradually) 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 flat beater, then switch to 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 9.4 inches (I help myself with hands greased with butter) until it doubles (about an hour and a half).
After the indicated rising time, a second rise is not needed, so place the pan directly in the oven and bake in a preheated oven at 356 °F for about 30 minutes.
Remove the brioche bread from the oven and let it cool completely.
Blend in a food processor the cleaned avocado, with the ricotta, grated lemon, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (about 15 ml).
Shred the Emmental cheese, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and season with a little oil and salt, also season the arugula with a little oil and salt.
Cherry tomatoes and arugula are optional.
Cut the brioche bread in half with a sharp knife and fill the bottom part, spreading it well with the ricotta mousse
Garnish the avocado mousse with seasoned arugula and cherry tomatoes.
Cover everything with the other top half of the brioche.
Decorate the brioche surface with halved cherry tomatoes, thin rolled salmon slices, and green olives, but you can opt for other solutions with your creativity, e.g., you can also add walnuts.
Serve the salmon brioche at room temperature, sliced.
Notes and Tips for the Christmas Salmon Brioche
You can easily prepare the brioche the day before (covered with plastic wrap) keep it at room temperature and fill it the next day.
If you decide to fill it as well, after filling, it is best to store it in the fridge and on the day of serving, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 50 minutes before serving!
Shopping Tips!!!
I find the compact chopper food processor by Kenwood very convenient. A powerful electric food processor (650 W) that slices and grates directly into the plate.
To work doughs effortlessly, I use my Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with a 7L illuminated bowl, 1400 W power, integrated scale and blender, a faithful kitchen ally for: kneading, weighing, whipping, cooking, chopping, melting chocolate, pasteurizing eggs.
If you’re looking for a more affordable stand mixer, you can comfortably 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 non-stick bundt pan by Nordic Ware.
You can buy 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 comes from the French “pain brioché“, and it indicates a soft and buttery bread, sweet or savory, very versatile.
It’s a layered bread that resembles bread and replaces it for making quick sandwiches and stuffed sandwiches, it can be filled in various ways.How to store Brioche Bread?
If Brioche Bread is not filled, store at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap for about 3 days.
If the brioche bread is filled, store it in the refrigerator well wrapped with plastic wrap, for about 2 days.
