This Neapolitan rustic brioche is one of my signature dishes, they always ask for seconds! It can do well at parties and important dinners, or you can serve it for a buffet, a tasty aperitif, or as an appetizer, and it’s always the first to disappear. Great both hot and cold, it is incredibly soft and ultra-soft and maintains its texture for several days.
When you don’t feel like cooking, it also works as a main dish.
It goes well with a side dish of mushrooms (click HERE for my recipe of mushrooms with cream) or peas.
This brioche is delicious anytime, but it is ideal for Easter and Easter Monday picnics.
If you love typical Neapolitan recipes, click on my Special:”NEAPOLITAN CUISINE DOC“.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All seasons, Easter
- Energy 815.79 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 67.81 (g) of which sugars 6.80 (g)
- Proteins 29.69 (g)
- Fat 48.65 (g) of which saturated 22.29 (g)of which unsaturated 16.28 (g)
- Fibers 3.17 (g)
- Sodium 906.25 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the Neapolitan Rustic Brioche
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups potatoes (yellow-fleshed, note: weight refers to peeled and mashed potatoes)
- 1 cup butter (soft, at room temperature)
- 3/4 cup milk (lukewarm)
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 2 eggs (whole)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 50 g grated Parmesan (optional)
- 1 cup mortadella (cubed)
- 3/4 cup Neapolitan salami (sliced, cut into pieces)
- 2 1/2 cups smoked provola
- 3 cheese wedges (I use Tigre)
Tools
- Potato masher electric Braun
Steps for the Neapolitan Rustic Brioche
Boil the potatoes covered with a thin layer of cold water with the lid on high heat until boiling, once boiling, lower the heat and cook for half an hour, without the lid. Then peel the potatoes, pass them through a electric potato masher (or food mill) while still hot and weigh 300 g.
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Take 100 g of flour (out of the total 600 g) and form a soft dough with the yeast dissolved in 200 ml of lukewarm milk (NOT boiling, otherwise it kills the yeast) and let it rise for about an hour, covered with plastic wrap.
After the time needed for the dough to rise, make a well in the bowl of the stand mixer with the remaining 500 g of flour, and place in the center the risen dough, passed potatoes, two whole eggs, four yolks, and sugar (salt and butter AFTER) and knead with the paddle attachment for at least 15 minutes, then add the softened butter in pieces a little at a time and let it absorb for 5 minutes, then replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead for another 5 minutes (I used the stand mixer, but you can also knead by hand for about 20 min) until the dough is no longer sticky, it detaches from the sides of the bowl and is beautifully stringy with bubbles (important!).
Finally, add the salt and Parmesan (optional) last and knead for another 5 minutes, then add diced cold cuts and cheeses and mix everything, pour the batter into a bundt pan of 10 inches in diameter, 4 inches tall, buttered and floured, grease your hands with a little oil and level the surface and put the dough to rise again covered with plastic wrap in a closed place, free from drafts for about 1 and a half hours.
After about 1 hour and 30 minutes, the dough will have risen beautifully, as seen in the photos below:
At this point, bake immediately in a preheated oven (important!) at around 340°F for 1 hour (check the cooking with a toothpick).
This Neapolitan rustic brioche is particularly soft and stringy due to the presence of potatoes and milk in the dough. I hope the photo conveys well the degree of softness of this wonderful savory brioche!!!
Shopping Tips!!!
To knead perfectly, I use my Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with illuminated bowl, 7L, integrated scale, and blender, 1400 W power, a faithful ally in the kitchen for kneading, weighing, whisking, cooking, chopping, pasteurizing eggs. #adv
If instead, you are looking for a more economical and smaller stand mixer, you can safely choose to purchase the excellent Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL, 1200W power, 5L bowl and integrated scale.
Very convenient for quickly mashing potatoes and turning them into a creamy puree, the electric potato masher.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How is the Rustic Brioche stored?
It keeps for 4-5 days covered with plastic wrap. You can also freeze the baked brioche (better if portioned) – once thawed at room temperature – heat it for a few minutes in the oven at 320°F (or a few seconds in the microwave).
When is butter added to leavened doughs?
The great French chef Escoffier argued that – brioche and babà – the more butter they contain, the finer they are, BUT the butter must be added last and NOT worked for more than 5 minutes!
