Is It A Flower Or A Snowflake?

Either way, its a delicious and spectacular looking yeasted sweet bread that is far easier to make than it looks. Some people call it a pull-apart bread, but you can easily cut it, too, for a cleaner presentation.

The original of this bread was filled with Nutella, which is lovely if you like chocolate and hazelnuts and sweet bread, and many do. I prefer cinnamon and sugar, so that's how I made it. To keep the filling from being too dry, I also added a thin layer of cream cheese to each layer of dough, along with the brown sugar and spices.

This is a great bread for a party, or for the holidays when you want to wow folks a bit. It can be made ahead and frozen, but if you do that, add the glaze after you have thawed and freshened the bread a bit in a warm oven. Let it cool almost to room temperature after warming it in a 325 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes. Than drizzle on the glaze and give it a few minutes to harden. Alternately, sift some powdered sugar over the warm bread...that gets the snowflake look going, but I think it looks most like a snowflake anyway! 

Christmas Brioche Flower or Snowflake

Makes: 1 large Brioche Flower or Snowflake - can be shaped ahead and put in fridge overnight, baked in the morning

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

1/2 cup (2.25 ounces) bread flour or all-purpose (I used all-purpose  )
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup (4 ounces) whole milk, lukewarm (90 to 100 degrees F.)

For the dough:

3 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups (13.75 ounces) all-purpose flour (might need as much as 1/4 cup more, depending on how liquid the dough is)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1-2 teaspoons milk, if necessary to form a smooth dough

For the filling and glaze:
soft cream cheese
brown sugar
cinnamon

1 tablespoon milk plus 1 tablespoon water for glaze
Icing (confectioner's) sugar

To make the sponge, stir together the flour and yeast in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). Pour in the milk and whisk the ingredients together until all of the flour is hydrated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the sponge rises and falls when you tap the bowl.

To make the dough, add the eggs to the sponge and whisk (or beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment) until smooth.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Add this mixture to the sponge and eggs and stir (or continue mixing with the paddle on low speed for about 2 minutes) until all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to begin to develop the gluten.  Then mix in the melted butter by hand, using a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk or with the mixer on medium speed using the dough hook. Add in a couple of teaspoons of milk if the dough is too dry. 

Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.  It shouldn't be too sticky too handle.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean bowl.  It doesn't need to be oiled.  The butter should keep the dough from sticking to the bowl.  Let the dough bulk ferment in a warm place (70- 75 degrees F.) for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.


Meanwhile, cut out a circle of baking or greaseproof paper about 30 cm (12″) in diameter. Place the paper on a baking sheet.

To shape the flower, once risen, turn the dough out onto a surface, knock it back knead for 3-4 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each piece into a ball.

Roll a ball of dough out into a circle measuring about 25 cm (10″) in diameter. The dough should be about 3-4 mm (1/8″) thick.

Place the dough onto the baking paper and spread on a layer cream cheese (thin), followed by a thin layer of brown sugar and sprinkle of cinnamon or of cake or pie spice, leaving a small gap at the edge. Don’t make the layer too thick but be sure to evenly cover the dough.

Roll out a second ball of dough, place it on the first layer and spread with the same combination as the first layer. Repeat with the third and fourth balls of dough but do NOT spread any filling on the final layer.

Cut the brioche into 16 segments but leave a small (3 cm/1½”) area in the centre of the dough uncut (a spice cap is about the right size to cover the center...cut to it.

Take a pair of adjacent segments. Lift and twist them away from each other through 180°. Lift and twist through 180° again, then twist through 90° so that the ends are vertical. Press the edges together firmly. Repeat this process for all pairs of segments.

Place the brioche in a large plastic bag or cover with lightly oiled film. Leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours to prove.

Brush with the glaze then bake at 160°C/320°F fan oven, 180°C/360°F conventional oven for 20-25 minutes.  I baked it at 375 degrees F. for 15 minutes, then turned it down to 350 and baked it another 5 minutes or so.

Place the bread on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, dust lightly with icing sugar or drizzle with more of the glaze.