Brioche Bread

BRIOCHE BREAD RECIPE : My mother-in-law has a black-belt in bread making, especially when it comes to her famous Swiss tresse (braided pain brioché). But I am getting ahead of myself and if I am going to tell a story it’s best told from the beginning.

Before I met Olivier’s family, breakfast for me was a non event. It was generally eaten quickly, on the run, out the door to work. So it will come as no surprise to you that a quick fruit, piece of toast or cereal, was all that was on the menu.

My sad petit déjeuner habits were interrupted one Sunday, when I was invited to Olivier’s parents for breakfast. Sweet idea I thought – though someone really should have warned me not to eat for several days before, entering what I can only describe as, a Roman feast…..

There were four of us for breakfast and surly enough food for at least twice that. The table was laden with fruit salad, muesli, cereal, a platter of cheese, croissants, boiled eggs,  luncheon meats, whole wheat toast with butter (salted & unsalted) and at least 5 types of homemade jam. Of this delicious banquet, what really caught my eye and later taste-buds was the golden braided bread in the corner. This was Josiane’s famous tresse - a braided brioche bread made with egg and butter, giving  it a smooth golden crust and rich, tender crumb.

After only one slice I was hooked – it was like a Ratatouille portal back to my childhood, of my mother’s baking & comforts of home. I quickly understood how breakfast could turn into a religion, that pleasantly lasted most of the morning, over several coups of tea and good conversation.

Josiane kindly gave me her family recipe, that has become a breakfast staple in our house. I make it with or without an egg-wash, saffron milk, dried fruits, bits of chocolate, cinnamon & sugar, or plain as nature intended. She traditionally splits her dough into 3 long lines and braids them. However, I have come up with this easier method using a loaf tin!

RECIPE : SWEET PEA Blog

• 500 gr white all-purpose flour
• 250 mL milk
• 1/2 cube fresh yeast  (12g)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• extra egg for egg wash

1. Cut the butter into small cubes and let come to room temperature.
2. Take 2 tablespoons of the cold milk and mix with the fresh yeast until completely dissolved. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining milk until just warm to the touch (not hot!). Remove from the heat & add the sugar, salt & yeast mix.
4. In a mixer with the bread paddle, add the flour & butter. Start mixing & slowly add the milk mixture.
5. Finally add the egg & continue kneading the dough for 5 minutes until a nice dough forms.
6. Place a damp cloth over the bowl and let rise in a warm area of 1 hour
7. Line a loaf tin with baking paper
8. Split the dough into 4 even pieces. One by one form into an oval ball and place in the lined loaf tin
9. Place in the uncooked loaf in the fridge for 15 minutes
10. Optional : using a pair of scissors, horizontally cut the top of each of the 4 oval balls
11. Beat the extra egg well & using a pastry brush (or your fingers) evenly paint the top of the bread
12. Place the uncooked loaf in a COLD oven. Put the oven at 200°C / 400°F and time the bread for 45 mintues.
13. Remove & let cool before eating.

***NEWS : ROASTED CHESTNUTS (MARRONI)***

The appearance of roasted chestnuts, or marroni as they are called here, is the sign that Autumn has arrived in Switzerland. Dotted around the city of Geneva, are little wooden huts with steaming cauldrons of roasting chestnuts, wafting their sweet nutty scent into the cold air.

This is a popular snack, which draws passersby into the lines of anxiously waiting people, for a paper cone of these toasty warm nuggets.

When I enquired about how they were made, the lady told me it was simple:

• Ingredients = chestnuts!
• They are normally from the chestnut-growing region of Ticino in the Italian part of Switzerland
• Directions :cut a small slit in the shell for the steam pressure to be released & pile them into a cauldron. Cook at 100°C for 25 mins
• Eat while warm

NOTE : The slit in the shell is particularly important, otherwise imagine popcorn, but on a larger scale!! When I was a little girl, I found this out the hard way, after placing a tray of perfectly plum chestnuts into the oven, only to have them exploding half an hour later. Needless to say I learned my lesson.

The taste of roasted chestnuts is tender and rather sweet. It gives you a warm and comforting feeling like being curled up in a thick blanket. So the next time you are strolling around Geneva or another Swiss city, from September through to December, I highly recommend treating yourself to few.

A MAN OF 300 CHEESE: In my ever growing pursuit to support & promote our local specialty food shops & producers, those who sweat & toil to bring us superior quality, hand made produce direct from the source, I recently organised an interview with Dominique Ryser, current owner of the Fromagerie Bruand in Geneva.

This was a great opportunity to meeting the man behind the cheese !!!  I have often passed his store, and each time la gourmandise (love of food) takes over my senses – no longer am I the self composed, rational shopper with list – no, I have become a mouse… and a large drooling one at that. Completely mesmerized by his cheese display, I forget where I am walking, thinking only of the endless choices infront of me  … salty Gruyere, soft tomme, nippy cheddar, crumbly sbrinz, creamy vacherin, velvety chevre…. and all the wonderful recipes that I could make with these. It is truly a sight to hold.

HISTORY: The Fromagerie Bruand was started in 1982 by Mr. & Mrs Bruand, mother & step-father to Dominique Ryser. In 1998 they decided to turn their attention to other pastures, these being outside of Geneva, in the Swiss town of Ovronnaz - Valais. It was here that they opened the Chalet Gourmand, a fine food store offering cheeses (fromages), dried meats (charcuterie), wine (vinothéque) and other local specialty products. The silver lining of this move was that it left room for Dominique, a chef by trade, and his wife Carole to take over the family business that same year.

TODAY: Today they are the proud owners of this flourishing local cheese shop, located in the heart of Geneva’s most prominent food hall, Halle de Rive (the same location of my recent on Pain d’épice (spice bread). Their shop is well lay out and boast a superb collection of over 300 types of cheeses, of which 60% are Swiss, 30% European and 10% coming from abroad. It comes as no surprise that with Dominique’s welcoming attitude, extensive knowledge of cheese and wide selection of quality produce, that the Fromagerie Bruand  has build up a loyal clientele and a name of excellence in the industry.

PHILOSOPHY: Dominique refers to himself as a ‘chineur en grands fromages’ , which roughly translates to an expert hunter of great cheeses . His desire & expertise lies in sniffing out the best quality cheeses, which are aged to perfection – not by large companies, but by the hands of individual specialised farms. More than half are sourced from small local Swiss producers, whose families are long steeped in the tradition of cheese making, and whose lively hood comes directly from this source. Thus the support & fidelity of cheese shops such as Bruand is imperative to their well being and existence.

CHEESES: Each of their 300 cheeses is selected for its superior quality - aged & finished to perfection by each of the cheese producers. Dominique explains that the perfection of a cheese lies in its aging, and that there is nothing worse than a cheese that is plucked at the wrong time. Too young and it has an unpleasant acidity, while cheese that has passed its prime…  left to mature for too long, develops a characteristic bitterness. For example the famous gruyere is perfect after 24 months but by 28 the salt will have turned it bitter. Cheese with little or no taste, are often what you find in the mass produced variety sold in the supermarket.

ETIVAZ CHEESE

I asked him to give me a good example of a historical Swiss cheese he stocks, other than the famous Gruyere we are all so familiar with. He returned with the cheese Etivaz:

• A Swiss Alp cheese
• 1st Swiss AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée = Controlled Designation of Origin) This states the origin (region), quality and production location
• Made in 130 Swiss chalets, at high altitudes in the Swiss Alps
• Production season from May 10th - October 10th each year
• Over 72 Alp farmers & their families contribute to the making of this cheese
• Each farm has 38-45 cows
• Cows graze only on rich alpine pastures
• This gives the cheese its subtle flavours and excellent consistency
• The cows are milked and then the milk processed on the same premises, according to strict AOC sanitation regulations 
• Approximately 400 tonnes of cheese made per year

ETIVAZ CHEESE MAKING PROCESS:

• Morning milk is poured into large copper cauldron
• Next naturally-skimmed evening milk is added
• Milk is heated by a wood fire
• Natural lactic bacteria from young calves is added – this curdles the cheese
• Using a curd knife the curds are cut into smaller & smaller beads
• This mixture of curd & whey (over 1,000 litres) is reheated to 57°C, while being continuously stirred
• The cauldron is then removed from the heat & the cheese maker, with the help of his wife, stretches a cheesecloth tightly over a frame, which he then slips under the curd
• The curd is lifted out, drained and placed in a linen-lined mould
• It is then pressed, turned over several times & branded
• Each cheese weighs 10-38kg
• Next the cheese is rubbed with salt & stored at the farm on spruce racks for up to 7 days (@ 10-16°C)
• Cheeses from the 72 farms are delivered to the cooperative cellar at Etivaz, to be matured
• First they are immersed in brine for 24hrs, then salted & regularly brushed with salt
• The salt comes from the Saline de Bex, in the depths of the Alpes (Canton Vaud, Switzerland)
• Samples of fresh cheese are analyzed every week for quality control
• The cheese (called wheels) are then stored for 7 months, on spruce shelves and turned every 5 days

The result:  is a round, raw milk, hard cheese, 8-11 cm high, 30-65 cm in diameter, with a healthy outer rind and a firm, ivory coloured interior. 

The taste:“clean & aromatic, salty yet fruity, with a slight flavour of hazelnut”. The vieux (old) Etivaz variety, has a slightly crumbly / flaky texture, yet remains moist without any bitterness.   

The use: excellent on its own or as a desert cheese, also used in fondue and other cooking dishes as it is salty, easily grated or shopped. This cheese is especially good to use in omelets and quiche, as its salty strong flavour comes through better than say Gruyere or cheddar.  

I was in Verbier skiing this past weekend – and as a foodies and bonne vivante, my trip would not have been complete without the ever wonderful, and not to be rushed delicatessen, bakery, and fromagerie tour. In my travels I came across a crèmerie located at the centre of town in a little chalet style shop called La Chaumière. It is here that they sell traditional regional delicacies including breads, caramels, jams / preserves, a wide selection of cheeses and a variety of national & international wines to accompany them.

However what is perhaps their piece de résistance, a gourmandise (little temptation) truly not to be missed is the hand-made yoghurts they make on-site. Made only from natural local products, of full fat milk, cream and natural flavours (ie hand crushed hazelnuts, fruits, or vanilla bean), they are thick and velvety and taste more like a desert than a yoghurt. Even the natural yoghurt on its own is delicious, to be accompanied with or without a little honey or jam.

 They currently do not have a website but can be found at the following address: Place Centrale, 1936 Verbier, Switzerland

The Milk Bar chalet style restaurant located just above La Chaumière serves wonderful breakfast including their famous yoghurt. While the products they sell are not inexpensive the quality is exceptional and if you are in the region I would say they are both well worth a visit.