Duck Fat Brioche

OK. everyone knows about Brioche, its a staple in many styles of morning danish around the world, it makes a tasty hamburger bun or dinner roll, fill it with some type of meat cheese or vegetable and it is a hot pocket (or so they wish) This rich dough is a house favorite around my camp.

So, I bake at home as well as at work, I think its a relaxing kitchen activity, relaxing most from the order and no bend rules of the process. I on standard make a whole wheat slicing loaf for toast and sandwiches, its a adaption of my wife's "Pa Bread"(recipe and adaptation to come in future blogs) along with this bread I make well, "what ever my or my wives hearts content", and Brioche on occasion has come up in the lineup. So, I like to play with the ideas we have about food and what food can be.

This idea came from Chef Edris(Instructor LCB Portland, Wheat Nut, Hessian), in theory the butter enrichment of the dough could be manipulated, as the inclusion of fat, fat in any form should create nearly the same result and change very little of the crumb of the baked product and add natural flavor agents to finished product, so instead of butter in your brioche how about some smoky bacon fat or spiced and subtle duck fat, aromatic chicken stock fat, the list goes on forever.

Duck Fat Brioche

Sponge

water 60ml at 70'f

instant yeast 10 grams

sugar 15 grams

bread flour 60 grams

mix with a fork until smooth allow to rest at least 15 minutes

Final Dough

milk 100 grams

eggs 115 grams

all purpose flour 495 grams

sea salt 10 grams

Emulsify During Kneading Process

Fat(Butter, Duck Fat, Bacon Fat, Stock Fat, ECT.) 120 grams

Sugar 30 grams

Add milk and eggs to sponge, mix well. hydrate the rest of the flour and salt in sponge, milk, egg mixture, allow to rest five minutes. Knead dough, adding fat and sugar in about three steps, the dough will get sticky then easier to handle as you close in on the resting product which should be even and smooth with firm/tight skin. Cover and double in size, punch down the dough, reshape into a ball place in large plastic bag and refrigerate over night. In the morning portion and shape into rolls buns, loaves etc allow to rise for one and half hours in a draft free area, egg wash(one egg and water brushed on baked goods prior to baking adding shine and even coloring) Bake at 400'f until a internal temperature of 180'f