去年，我经历了令人振奋，令人不安的经历，即去巴黎参加全球糕点和烘焙比赛的Coupe du Monde比赛。可以想象，这是我日常生活的真正变化，与我的妻子辛西娅（Cynthia）进行烘焙业务。我将永远记得一个星期，很大程度上是因为我们的团队赢得了奶油蛋卷式面包的高分，那些酵母饲养的面团可以从许多鸡蛋和黄油中获得品味和嫩味。

It was a big thrill to get competition honors for such a challenging dough. But because we had all practiced hard and mastered the tricks—measuring precisely, using the freshest eggs, keeping the dough cool enough to hold the butter—we made moist, fluffy鞋垫带有薄金皮，黄色，嫩的内饰和美味的黄油味。

You’ve probably seen brioche in various shapes and sizes—braids, rings, loaves, rounds, and cylinders. My favorite, though, is the classic fluted shape with a hat, called a brioche à tête (brioche with a head). When you’re first learning to shape this classic brioche, it’s easier to start with small, individual rolls.

Fresh ingredients, precisely measured

Brioche is from the northern dairy farming regions of France, where some of the finest-quality butters are produced. I believe that the butter makes the brioche. I use Plugrá, an American butter that has deeper flavor and more butterfat than most supermarket brands. If your market sells French butter such as Echiré or Président, you might try one of them. You can, of course, use regular unsalted American butter, if that’s your only option; just make sure it’s fresh and it hasn’t picked up any flavors from your refrigerator. Your eggs should be as fresh as possible so you’ll get the eggiest flavor. Your flour should be all-purpose, 11 1/2% protein or higher (the package should read 3 grams protein per serving). The flour should be very fresh; the moisture content of older flour is unpredictable, and this can throw off your proportions.

精确测量可以产生更一致的结果。我称重所有东西，包括鸡蛋，加入一部分鸡蛋或少量牛奶以获得确切的重量，因为湿与干的正确比例至关重要。太湿的奶油蛋卷面团会松弛且难以处理，并且在烘烤过程中不会像爆发那样出现。太干的面团会给您带来沉重而干燥的奶油蛋卷，而不是轻巧而蓬松。

Knead by hand and keep a close watch

A dough with this much butter needs a close watch so it gets just the right amount of mixing and doesn’t overheat. Undermixing can result in dough that’s heavy and rises sluggishly. Overmixing overheats the dough, which in turn may cripple the yeast or cause the butter to fall out of the dough.

Kneading is easier on a cool countertop. I like to use marble or granite, if possible, but if you don’t have these, see the sidebar for tricks on keeping the dough cool. You knead the basic dough until it starts to get smooth, and then you’ll start working in the butter. The kneading is a combination of folding, pushing, throwing, and slapping motions. You’ll be tempted to add flour to this sticky dough, but don’t: use a scraper instead. Additional flour will dry out the dough, producing a tougher, less tasty result.

Pounding the cold butter with a mallet or a rolling pin makes it more pliable so it’s easier to break into pieces and add to the dough.

当您开始添加黄油时，快速工作很重要。您的手的温暖将有助于将黄油掺入面团中，但是太多的处理会使面团滑水和油腻，这意味着黄油开始掉下来。如果您觉得这种情况发生了，请收集面团并将其藏在冰箱中，以进行五分钟的冷却。同样，使用刮板。继续揉捏，接下来发生的事情确实是一种野性 - 这种粘的面团会变成光滑，丝般的面团，几乎会闪烁。

寒冷的过夜升起和防卵形的防护形成面团

This brioche gets added taste and tenderness from spending the night in the refrigerator. The long, cold rise gives the gluten time to relax, which makes the dough easier to shape. The long rise also gives the dough time to lose its yeasty taste and develop deep eggy, buttery flavors.

您将按照上面的照片塑造面团。不要害怕牢固地处理面团，并一直向下戳以固定帽子。同样，请记住，快速工作很重要。

为形状面包制作一个“校对盒”。塑形和烘烤之间的上升称为证明。专业的面包师使用温度和湿度控制的盒子，但是您可以在家中制作自己的校对盒，在烤箱中放上装满热自来水的有边缘的烤盘（不要将其与形状的面包一起打开）。小奶油蛋糕将需要大约一个小时才能证明；大型通常需要一个半小时。

证明的面包应长到1 1/2到2倍的尺寸，并在戳戳它们时轻轻弹回。这需要一点练习，但是如果不确定，底漆胜过锻炼要好：您易于在用底漆烘烤期间获得更好的弹簧。

You’ll brush the loaves with an egg glaze both before and after the proof; this double coat gives an especially lovely sheen. Rotate the sheets halfway through baking, and take the rolls out when they’re a deep golden brown. The brioches are done when a cake tester comes out clean.