Brioche Dough

Makes about 4 loaves

Instructions for making Brioche à Tête follow.

The recipe can also be found by clicking <a href="http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=357">here</a> along with other ideas for using the brioche dough.

~This recipe can also be halved or doubled

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Egg wash - mix one egg with 1 tablespoon water

Mix the yeast, salt, eggs honey and melted butter with the water in a large, glass measuring cup or bowl.

Measure the flour into a large 5-quart, lidded container (such as one of those huge ice cream pails). Add the liquids, mixing with a wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. You may need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour incorporated.

Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours until it has risen and fallen back down.

Place covered dough in refrigerate until chilled. It can be used as soon as it is chilled and saved, refrigerated for five days. Unused dough can be frozen and thawed for future use.

When you are ready to bake the brioche, sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour and cut off a grapefruit-sized ball of dough. Reserve one small knob for the 'tete' or head. Sprinkle the ball with a little more flour and quickly shape into a ball by pulling the sides of the dough under two or three times. Please the dough into a buttered brioche pan (or you can make a loaf-shaped brioche in a loaf pan without the tete). Make a large indentation in the top of the brioche ball and quickly shape the small knob into a tear-drop shape and place the narrow end into the indentation. (I had to punch down the hole several times).

Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

After 1 hour, turn oven to 350 F to preheat with pizza stone in the middle of the oven.

Allow oven to preheat for 20 minutes. Then brush the brioche with the egg wash and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.