Perfect for your elevenses or four o’clock cuppa
I am a whole month back in college at this stage of the game. And I love it. I keep calling it ‘grown up college’. Doing a Masters (in Journalism) is quite tough. The contact class hours on campus are long and we are having a lot of visiting speakers come in to talk to us (mostly politicians) about the state of affairs in the Dáil and Senate. I can’t say it is all very interesting but I am there to learn, right?
The kids have settled back in to the routine of school and thank God for Granny, she is still helping them with their homework in the afternoons. We made a serious effort this year to do a lot of blackberry picking because the berries seemed to be that much sweeter this year than the last few years. So, chutneys and jams, jellies and compotes have been made and jarred. We also have stuffed the freezer to the brim with bags of blackberries.
This week, Ron started making a beautiful Blackberry Brioche loaf of bread. He only makes 10 or 12 of them at a time and they fly out the door of Morton’s (Lower Salthill) when he makes them. The recipe calls for a dough that works out better if you leave it to rest overnight. I think you should give this a try. It makes the most beautiful soft bread dough and perfect for a coffee morning with the Mum’s or Dad’s after the kids are off to school. You can bake it in a regular loaf tin or you can make a braided loaf if you are feeling adventurous.
If you have any trouble with the recipe or have questions drop me an email at [email protected] and thanks for reading along.
Móna Wise
Blackberry Brioche (makes 3–4 loaves)
What you will need
Brioche Dough
- 500g bread flour
- 45g cold water
- 250g eggs (approx 5–6 eggs)
- 12g salt
- 60g sugar
- 1 tsp yeast
- 250g butter, softened by beating with a rolling pin in a plastic bag
- 225g blackberries
Streusel topping
- 120g butter
- 8 Tbsp sugar
- 350g flour
How to prepare it
Chill all ingredients including the mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients except the butter in a mixer with a dough hook attachment. Two minutes on the lowest speed setting, then a medium to high speed setting for five minutes adding the butter that has been softened by beating with a rolling pin while still cold.
Allow it to proof for one hour (in a bowl covered with a damp tea towel) then fold it in one-thirds—one on top of the other. Best to then refrigerate it and leave it covered with plastic wrap in the fridge overnight or for at least five hours.
The next day, divide the dough into four equal pieces and press into buttered loaf tins.
Toss the blackberries in a bit of sugar then press a few of them down into the middle of the dough and scatter the rest of them on top of the loafs before scattering the streusel topping on top.
Bake in a low oven (150ºC) for 30–50 minutes depending on how thick the dough is.
1”–2”—30 mins
3”–5”—50 mins
Leave to cool for a few minutes before slicing into it. Enjoy every blissful bite.
