Week 4: Sweet Roll Dough, Croissants, & Brioche

Introduction

The lesson this week is Rich Yeast Dough. We will be making Sweet Roll Dough, Croissants, and Brioche.

Method of Cookery: Based on the recipes we are using this week, it appears we will be using the straight dough method, the modified straight dough method, and the sponge method for mixing our doughs. The modified method will be used for the Sweet Roll Dough, the straight method for the croissants, and the sponge method for the brioche. “In the straight-dough method, frequently used in small bakeries, all ingredients are mixed at one time. In the sponge-dough method, only some of the ingredients are mixed, forming a sponge that is allowed to ferment and is then mixed with the remaining ingredients to form the dough.” (Rogers, 2022)

Prior Knowledge of the Dish: I am totally stoked about making brioche this week! That is one bread that I LOVE to eat. 😊 I have never made it though. The only croissants I have ever made have come out of a can. That sweet roll dough though…I can’t tell you how many times I have made it and didn’t realize that’s what I was making. I make cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, chocolate rolls, monkey bread, etc., ALL THE TIME in my house. When you have a kid at home, sweet breads are a regular request. Of course, mommy likes them too. 😉 I didn’t know that sweet roll dough was what I was creating. It is really cool to learn the history and science behind things I have done for years.

Learning Objectives:

· Produce simple sweet doughs.

· Produce laminated yeast doughs.

· Make up a variety of products using sweet doughs, laminated doughs, and sweet- dough fillings and toppings.

Background Information

Origin & History: “In the bread world, the term "enriched" means that these doughs are made with the good stuff: milk, butter, eggs, and/or sugar.” (McDowell, 2016)

“The croissant began as the Austrian kipfel but became French the moment people began to make it with puffed pastry, which is a French innovation,” says Chevallier. “It has fully taken root in its adopted land.” (Fiegl, 2015)

“The Brioche appeared in the Middle Ages in Normandy (North-West of France) and would be a derivative of a tighter bread made until then. Among the cities formerly very famous for the quality of their brioches are Gisors and Gournay, probably because of the excellence of the butter in this region (Normandy).” (The Right Bake, 2019)

Methods Used: “While there are a few exceptions to this rule, many enriched doughs are mixed using a method known as the "improved mixing method." This refers to an intense period of mixing – generally beginning on low speed to combine ingredients and encourage the chains of gluten to form…The result of this mixing method is a bread with a very tight crumb structure and a soft, slightly chewy crust. It also gives the dough enough gluten strength to be able to be manipulated in lots of ways: Many enriched doughs have to stand up to unique shaping methods.” (McDowell, 2016)

Dish Variations: Rich yeast dough can be used in a variety of ways. “Sweet roll dough can be made into cinnamon rolls, chocolate rolls, orange cinnamon rolls, caramel almond rolls, and any other variation you can dream up.” (Julie B, 2022)

“This includes universal bread favorites like challah, babka, and brioche, and it includes pastries like Danish and croissant (though in those cases, enrichments aren’t just added to the dough—they are added through the process of lamination, where butter is layered throughout the dough via folding).” (McDowell, 2016)

“5 ways to order a Pastry in French

· Croissant – There are actually two croissants; a croissant au beurre and croissants ordinaries. A croissant au beurre is the one you want to get which is made with only butter. Croissants ordinaires can contain margarine and are typically crescent-shaped.

· Pain au Chocolat – Usually my top choice, this is a regular butter croissant with tiny bars of chocolate rolled in between the layers. If you happen to get a warm croissant it will ooze with melted chocolate and if you are a chocolate lover like me, it may be the best thing you ever tasted.

· Croissant aux Amandes (almond croissants) Originally this was a way for boulangeries to resell day old croissants. The croissants are filled with crème d’amandes (almond cream), sprinkled with sliced almonds, and baked again letting the cream to set and the outside to crisp.

· Pain aux raisins – Sometimes called an escargot because of its shape. The dough is the same as for the original croissant but added in between you will find raisins and almond cream or custard filling.

· Brioche – You can find these plain or brioche avec sucre with large sprinkles of sugar on top for a sweet touch. It is a type of bread but a sweeter flavor. It goes great with a coffee in the morning.” (Carrie Anne, 2022)

“This is just the beginning of the list of ideas for brioche dough variations:

· Bake your brioche in a Belgian waffle iron for a sweet brioche waffle bread. Drizzle with melted butter and maple syrup.

· Cut triangles out of brioche dough, add a teaspoon of jam to the base, and roll them up like tiny crescent rolls. Sprinkle the warm rolls with confectioners' sugar.

· Roll your dough into three long logs, braid them, and arrange the braid in a circle with the ends pinched together. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cheese and chopped garlic, then bake.

· Three little words: Brioche French Toast.

· Make brioche bread pudding with your leftovers if they start to go stale. The egginess of brioche lends itself wonderfully to soaking up the custard in bread pudding recipes.

· Bake your brioche in traditional fluted pans, then slice off the tops, hollow out a bit of the inside, and top with a scoop of ice cream for a twist on a sundae.” (Brien, 2017)

References

“PARIS: 5 WAYS TO ORDER A PASTRY IN FRENCH.” Carrie Anne. https://everydayparisian.com/2017-1-10-paris-5-ways-to-order-a-pastry-in-french/. 2022.

“Baking with brioche dough.” Posie Brien. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2017/05/22/baking-brioche-dough. 22 May 2017.

“History of Brioche.” The Right Bake. https://therightbake.com/history-of-brioche/#:~:text=The%20Brioche%20appeared%20in%20the,in%20this%20region%20(Normandy).. 28 March 2019.

“How to Master Sweet Yeasted Doughs.” Erin McDowell. https://food52.com/blog/16600-how-to-master-sweet-yeasted-doughs-i-e-your-favorite-foods. 15 April 2016.

“Is the Croissant Really French?” Amanda Fiegl. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/croissant-really-french-180955130/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20croissant%20began%20as%20the,French%20innovation%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Chevallier.&text=Legend%20credits%20the%20French%20queen,thus%20the%20croissant%2C%20to%20France.. 30 April 2015.

“Methods of bread making.” Kara Rogers. https://www.britannica.com/topic/bread#ref43445. 2022.

“Sweet Roll Dough.” Julie B. https://www.dogwoodsanddandelions.com/sweet-roll-dough/. 2022.

Dish Production Components

Recipes:

Plan of Work:

Plate Presentation:

Sources:

https://www.justataste.com/pizza-dough-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/

https://www.tastingtable.com/686492/croissants-recipe-french-pastry/

https://www.finecooking.com/article/audio-slide-show-how-to-make-authentic-brioche

Reflection & Summary of Results

What Happened(?): I had to miss lab again this week to stay home with my kiddo. I attempted two of the recipes at home…the sweet roll dough and the brioche. They both turned out really well. I didn’t have all the tools I needed since I wasn’t at school, but I improvised to the best of my ability. My one proofing basket that I own developed a huge crack and had to be discarded. I covered my dough with a wet paper towel and a hand towel and placed it in a warmed oven to rise / ferment. The only yeast I had available was instant yeast, so I increased the amount for both doughs by 30%.

Food Cost:

Evaluation: I wanted to turn the sweet roll dough into cinnamon rolls. I used all-purpose flour in place of the bread flour, and I substituted all-purpose flour and a half tablespoon of cornstarch for the cake flour. When making the dough, I must have over-worked it. The dough didn’t want to roll out flat like it needs to. It was extremely tight and very elastic. “Tight gluten is the most common cause of dough that’s difficult to stretch. When gluten is tight, it’s very elastic so it springs back easily. Get your dough to room temperature before you work with it and let it relax for 15 minutes if it feels too tight. Relaxed gluten is easier to stretch.” (Harley, 2022) The brown flakes are a butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg mixture. I melted down the butter and mixed in the spices. After refrigerating the butter mixture to let it harden, I broke it into pieces and combined it with the dough. Once they were out of the oven I made a cream cheese frosting and piped it over the top of the rolls.

The brioche didn’t proof properly. I seem to have had the same issue as last week with the temperature of my oven being too cool. Bread flour isn’t something I keep on hand, so I replaced it with all-purpose flour. “You can use all-purpose flour in place of bread flour, but all-purpose’s lower protein content means it may yield a slightly wetter dough or batter.” (McDowell, 2020) I also forgot to egg wash the brioche before baking. The coloring is still nice, but it would have had a more golden hue rather than the whiter look you see here.

Conclusions: The cinnamon rolls (sweet roll dough) had beautiful flaky layers. I need to let the dough rest longer in the future to get more uniformity in my dish. A consideration would also be to spread the rolls out on a sheet pan to let them expand further.

I made the brioche into smaller bites to accompany our dinner this evening. We will be having Cajun Red Beans & Rice, and these tasty little treats should help cool the palate when eating such a spicy dish. They are a little more dense than I would like. Each square puff feels rather heavy when holding it in your hand. If they had proofed properly, they would be more light and airy. However, the flavor is spot on. Check back next week when we’re creating quick breads and fried dough. There’s bound to be a comedy of errors involved for your entertainment. 😊

References

“How to Substitute Flours.” Erin McDowell. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/dining/alternative-flours-coronavirus.html#:~:text=You%20can%20use%20all%2Dpurpose,slightly%20wetter%20dough%20or%20batter.&text=And%20a%20note%3A%20Gluten%2Dfree,substituted%20one%2Dto%2Done. 16 April 2020.

“Why Is My Pizza Dough So Hard To Stretch? Here’s What To Do.” Harley. https://www.foodtoimpress.com/pizza/why-is-my-pizza-dough-hard-to-stretch/. 2022.