When Huguette Uhry married a local butcher from the town of Ingwiller in Alsace, her sisterin-law lived with her, helping with the cooking. They usually had eighteen people for lunch and dinner, including children, friends, and workers. Today, retired and living in nearby Bollwiller, Madame Uhry is known throughout Alsace as a great cook. Some of her recipes appear on the Web site judaisme.sdv.fr. Here is her brioche, which she starts one day and bakes Rosh Hashanah morning for breakfast, before the family goes to synagogue.
Recipe information
Yield
1 brioche cake
Ingredients
DOUGH
FILLING
Preparation
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a small bowl.
Step 2
Place the flour in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, then pour in the sugar and salt and, using a dough hook, start beating slowly as you pour in the dissolved yeast.
Step 3
Add the eggs one by one, and continue beating, on the slowest speed, for about 15 minutes. (This may seem like a long time, but it takes that long for the eggs to mix with the flour and to attain a smooth, shiny texture.) Add the butter, little by little, continuing to beat until it is totally absorbed and the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle additional flour on top.
Step 4
Let the dough rise, covered, in the mixing bowl for 3 hours at room temperature. Punch it down, and let it rise again, for 2 more hours.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make the filling by placing the almonds, butter, almond paste, cake crumbs, and vanilla in a food processor and pulsing until combined.
Step 6
Grate the chocolate, if you are using it, or macerate the raisins or cranberries in 2 tablespoons of the brandy for a few minutes.
Step 7
Butter a Bundt or kugelhopf pan. Form the dough into a cylinder, then roll it out into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle. Spoon the filling onto the dough, sprinkling on top either the raisins and dried cranberries, or the chocolate; roll up tightly, like a jelly roll, on the long side; and gently stretch to a length of about 18 inches. Gently press the roll, seam side up, into the Bundt or kugelhopf pan. Let the dough rise, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 8
The next morning, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let rise for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the brioche is golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
Step 9
Stir the confectioners’ sugar and 2 remaining tablespoons brandy in a small bowl. Remove the cake from the mold, and with a spoon, paint the top with the sugar glaze.
