Gluten Free Brioche! WHAT??!

Brioche is a classic French pastry, similar to a highly enriched bread, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. Chef Joel Robuchon describes it as “light and puffy, according to the proportion of butter and eggs.” It usually has a dark and golden crust, accentuated by an egg wash which gives it a gorgeous lacquered shell.

And my new GLUTEN FREE recipe has all of the above!!

When I first started my Paleo lifestyle, I was cooking lots of breads and cakes and pancakes, as I was focusing on the things that I ‘shouldn’t’ have been eating rather than the things I could. I was very strict and like most others starting out, I was eating a lot of nuts and nut-based things. I experimented endlessly with different recipes, making many versions of bread, and keeping to the ‘rules’. But over the years I have relaxed. I have discovered that it’s not just about the food, and I don’t have to be OCD about everything I put into my mouth… and my food intolerance’s have changed. This recipe is definitely not Paleo, but it is one that I have been working on over the years, on & off – and I have finally cracked it!

Brioche is made in the same basic way as bread, but has the richer aspect of a pastry because of the extra addition of eggs, butter, milk and sugar. It is eaten mainly as breakfast or dessert, but is also used in traditional French savoury cooking like in ‘fillet of beef en croute’ or ‘foie gras or sausage pie’. Brioche is increasingly found on cafe menus as hamburger buns or in bread & butter pudding. I liken brioche to croissants without the layers and love it filled with creme patissiere or doused in rum syrup as in rum baba*.

I struggled with this recipe in the past because I was making my own rice flour which wasn’t really fine enough. In the end, I discovered that the rice flour found in the Asian section of the supermarket, is the best one. This is where you will find the best tapioca flour too, and it’s only a dollar a packet. I was also reluctant to use xantham or guar gum but it really makes all the difference in terms of bubble formation. And there are lots of bubbles! This bread is light and airy. It’s springy and bouncy and all the things I could have hoped for in a brioche!! Like other gluten-free bread mixes, it is a very wet mix and it will take some time – like most yeast baking, patience is the key to all fermentation – but the mixing is quick, as is the baking part. Oh, and the eating part will be pretty quick too!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

120g milk (any type will do)

1 tab instant yeast

120g rice flour

110g tapioca flour

2 teas xantham gum (or guar)

50g sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

170g butter (or ghee), at room temperature

1 beaten egg, extra for egg-wash (optional)

Flaked almonds or granulated sugar for garnish (optional)

Heat the milk in the TM bowl for 1 minute at 37°C on SP 2.

Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing the xantham gum in a little rice flour beforehand so that it gets evenly distributed.

Mix together on SP 5 for 1 minute. Press REVERSE from time to time to ensure it is mixing very well. You will have a smooth glossy and thick batter. Leave in the TM bowl in the machine, with the lid on and allow to rest for 1½ – 2 hours. The batter will rise to the top of the bowl and be pillowy and fluffy.

After the first rise, knock down the dough by using the KNEAD button for 20 seconds. It will revert back to a smooth, glossy and thick batter.

Using an oiled spatula or spoon, fill a loaf tin or individual tins to halfway and using oiled hands, pat the surface smooth. (This is for presentation only and you can bypass this bit if you like, as it is very sticky!)

Allow to rise for 1 hour to double in size. Before baking, brush over some egg-wash and sprinkle with flaked nuts (or granulated sugar) for garnish. Bake in a 170°C oven for 30 – 40 minutes for a single large loaf; or 15 minutes for individual brioche. The crust will be quite tan and hard, but the inside will be soft and light.

Adding a little chopped dried fruit will make this recipe into a wonderful Christmas panettone.

* Stay tuned for my rum baba recipe, my bread and butter pudding recipe and my bomboloni recipe!