PAIN BRIOCHE

Pâté is one of the things I love the most and it always makes an appearance on our family table for special occasions… and this Christmas Eve was no exception.  I also found a quick recipe for pain brioche, which is the ideal bread to serve pâté with… and I am sharing it with you, as it was delicious.  I used it also to serve smoked trout and smoked salmon and it was great with fish too!  It was soft but not too rich, so it won’t overpower the delicate flavours of your toppings.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from L’atelier de Boljo

Ingredients:
250 ml – 1 cup lukewarm milk
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
500 gms – 2 cups flour
75 gms – 5 tbsp butter, at room temperature (soft)
60 gms – ¼ cup sugar
7 gms – ¼ oz. dry yeast

Put the yeast and half of the sugar in the lukewarm milk, dissolve it well and set aside to activate.

In the meantime, put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a mixer with a dough hook.  When the yeast mixture is frothy, add it to the bowl.  Knead for 5 minutes, until you get a smooth and pliable dough.  Let it rest for half an hour.

Put the dough in a tin for bread, or shape it into balls and put them close to each other.  Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180°C for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a stick inserted into the bread comes out dry.

Let it cool completely before slicing it.  It can also be eaten toasted.

It is the perfect accompaniment for foie gras or other pâtés, but I love it with smoked fish too.  I served it for our Christmas Eve’s dinner together with:

• French Pâté de canard with Onion Jam and Persian Blue Salt

• Smoked Ocean Trout & Norwegian Smoked Salmon