I just made this for brunch and it was amazing! I loved that the flavors complemented the brioche but didn't overwhelm it, so you still got the deliciousness of the brioche as well. Fantastic recipe!
Hi Martin. This sounds like an amazing combo of texture and refreshing summer flavors. I was thinking of trying this for a picnic with friends as it seems pretty portable. But I really try to prep everything possible and just bake day of because I'm chronically tardy to everything even when planning ahead haha. I was wondering if you think it's viable to do the second proof as a long proof in the fridge the night before completely assembled with the curd/cherries and bake from there in the morning/afternoon the day of? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Absolutely, your idea will work 100%. Proof the dough 75% or so of the way then cover well and chill. You could even probably get away with adding the cherries and curd before chilling overnight. Both iterations will work. With practice you'll find ways to improve things but this is absolutely how I would do it in a bakery. On day two, if you can let it warm, briefly, that will lead to better volume, but if you can't just go for it and bake! Let me know how it goes!
Hi Martin I did the bake/picnic earlier today! Great recipe! A bit decadent from the brioche yet deceptively light feeling when eating with the tangy curd and fresh fruit baked in. I ended up going with a half bing cherry half lemon curd, rainier cherries on top and some salted roasted marcona almonds for a salty sweet contrast. I really like how it's like a pizza meant to be customized with your favorite toppings. A great canvas for expressing seasons and your own style. The recipe was great and cold ferment went well. I think I should have maybe slightly extended the little extra last rise (from fridge to bake) than the 15-20 min I ended up going with (thanks for the suggestion in the first place) during oven preheat but I'm curious what you think of the crumb structure. I baked on convection in an ANOVA combi oven at 425 for reference. https://imgur.com/a/C9gZSil
Sorry for the delay! Looks like it would be delicious! In terms of the proof, it looks like it might be improved with a little more time -- the trademark of brioche is rich but also light. So, I'd likely increase the time quite a bit on one side or the other (so, before the cold period or after the cold period) to get yourself a little more height. Have fun!
Thanks for the help! I'll try adding the cherries and curd before the chill and opt for letting it get that extra boost at room temp while I prep things. I'll be sure to share my results. Made your hand pies from KAF YouTube last summer and they were a hit!
Hello, Martin, Congratulations and good luck with your break, which I hope won't be too long. I thoroughly enjoy your bakes: the formulas always work, the flavor combinations are creative, but not over-the-top; and your writing about your baking adventure is a pleasure to read.
Thanks so much, Stephen. Really appreciate the support. Glad to hear that you’ve found the recipes to be helpful. I’ll be back in some form or another. Be well and thanks again.
Another masterpiece! It is really a work of art the way you can manipulate a recipe, but also the way you bring it to life in words. I have not purchased your book yet, only because I need to watch my expenses, but it is in my list of absolute "must have" things :-)
Thank you for sharing your beautiful world with us!
This looks very yummy and will definitely be trying it in the next week or so since cherries are coming in to harvest in my location in California shortly.
Question for you. I have a jar of pistachio paste? Do you think I could use that in place of the lemon curd and then what fruit would you put on top?
Hey Rose. You are lucky to have them kicking around--what a treat.
In terms of the paste swap for the curd, my concern would be that the paste is thick and difficult to spread without degassing/compressing the brioche. If you were to do that, maybe apply it after rolling, at the inception of proofing? Pistachio is a natural fit with rose -- maybe plums macerated with rose atop the pistachio paste? So many options. Have fun!
I am SO looking forward to trying this! It will be a great weekend bake.
I apologize if this sounds pedantic, but this sentence just cracked me up:
"After about two hours I preheated the oven then spread a thin layer of the cooled lemon curd over it and added fresh bing cherries, almond slices, and a little coarse sugar."
This looks delicious. Cherry season is long gone here but I’ve been hanging on to one last bottle, waiting for a recipe that will make the most of them. I think this is it!
This looks so delightful and I love hearing about the process! I was planning to make brioche this weekend, and I've got some Amarena cherry curd lingering in my fridge...perhaps chopped pistachios and diced candied orange or lemon peel on top? So many delightful options!
It really reminds me of my German granda's butterkuchen. A beautiful light dough topped with fresh fruits (normally grapes or apples) and a crunchy streusel with nuts. As you said, we can't explain the happiness of simple memories. Nor try to revive them. But we can please ourselves with new experiences meanwhile.
Fresh is amazing ... and if you cannot get them (I actually love the frozen ones, too), try it with strawberries, blueberries, or stone fruits. All will work!
This is crazy good. It is a joy to make, the dough is a dream (especially if, like me, your usual medium is sourdough); super easy (thanks to the obsessive recipe developing); for pastry, incredibly forgiving: I screwed up and added 100g more eggs than called for and compensated with very free-wheeling bits of flour chucked into the mixer til it balled up; also proofed it closer to 3 hours b/c was garden multi-tasking (it's chilly here tho). I took the invitation to customize to heart, having OD'd on lemon curd recently, so set about making Liz Pruitt's Frangipane cream. Made one of the components (Pastry Cream) and realized I was really pushing the clock, so stopped there. Blitzed some sliced almonds and some fancy dried Japanese citrus into a kind of coarse powder and stirred that into about 1/2 of the cream; that was my base, then topped with a bit of plain cream. Followed thru as in the recipe. Vanilla bass line, with tiny chirps of citrus, juicy cherries... The baking time - 8 + 8 mins is right on the nozzer - came out perfect. (Oh yeah - the bonus brioche! I made the Nanterre recipe in Breaking Bread like it was nothing. What a fun thing it is to be able to make things like this for people. Martin, you da bomb. (Yes you can use that on your next book jacket).
Please write another book!!!!
Would love that—tell all your publishing contacts that you know a guy who needs a contract. 😂😂🙏🏼🙏🏼
One day soon, I hope!
I just made this for brunch and it was amazing! I loved that the flavors complemented the brioche but didn't overwhelm it, so you still got the deliciousness of the brioche as well. Fantastic recipe!
Thanks so much, Susan. So glad to hear—brioche is always a hit! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
M
Hi Martin. This sounds like an amazing combo of texture and refreshing summer flavors. I was thinking of trying this for a picnic with friends as it seems pretty portable. But I really try to prep everything possible and just bake day of because I'm chronically tardy to everything even when planning ahead haha. I was wondering if you think it's viable to do the second proof as a long proof in the fridge the night before completely assembled with the curd/cherries and bake from there in the morning/afternoon the day of? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hey Alex, thanks so much for your engagement.
Absolutely, your idea will work 100%. Proof the dough 75% or so of the way then cover well and chill. You could even probably get away with adding the cherries and curd before chilling overnight. Both iterations will work. With practice you'll find ways to improve things but this is absolutely how I would do it in a bakery. On day two, if you can let it warm, briefly, that will lead to better volume, but if you can't just go for it and bake! Let me know how it goes!
M
Hi Martin I did the bake/picnic earlier today! Great recipe! A bit decadent from the brioche yet deceptively light feeling when eating with the tangy curd and fresh fruit baked in. I ended up going with a half bing cherry half lemon curd, rainier cherries on top and some salted roasted marcona almonds for a salty sweet contrast. I really like how it's like a pizza meant to be customized with your favorite toppings. A great canvas for expressing seasons and your own style. The recipe was great and cold ferment went well. I think I should have maybe slightly extended the little extra last rise (from fridge to bake) than the 15-20 min I ended up going with (thanks for the suggestion in the first place) during oven preheat but I'm curious what you think of the crumb structure. I baked on convection in an ANOVA combi oven at 425 for reference. https://imgur.com/a/C9gZSil
Sorry for the delay! Looks like it would be delicious! In terms of the proof, it looks like it might be improved with a little more time -- the trademark of brioche is rich but also light. So, I'd likely increase the time quite a bit on one side or the other (so, before the cold period or after the cold period) to get yourself a little more height. Have fun!
Martin
Thanks for the help! I'll try adding the cherries and curd before the chill and opt for letting it get that extra boost at room temp while I prep things. I'll be sure to share my results. Made your hand pies from KAF YouTube last summer and they were a hit!
Hello, Martin, Congratulations and good luck with your break, which I hope won't be too long. I thoroughly enjoy your bakes: the formulas always work, the flavor combinations are creative, but not over-the-top; and your writing about your baking adventure is a pleasure to read.
Stephen Knight,
Seattle
Thanks so much, Stephen. Really appreciate the support. Glad to hear that you’ve found the recipes to be helpful. I’ll be back in some form or another. Be well and thanks again.
M
Another masterpiece! It is really a work of art the way you can manipulate a recipe, but also the way you bring it to life in words. I have not purchased your book yet, only because I need to watch my expenses, but it is in my list of absolute "must have" things :-)
Thank you for sharing your beautiful world with us!
Thanks so, so much, Vanessa. I appreciate you! The book is in many libraries, just check it out!
This looks very yummy and will definitely be trying it in the next week or so since cherries are coming in to harvest in my location in California shortly.
Question for you. I have a jar of pistachio paste? Do you think I could use that in place of the lemon curd and then what fruit would you put on top?
Hey Rose. You are lucky to have them kicking around--what a treat.
In terms of the paste swap for the curd, my concern would be that the paste is thick and difficult to spread without degassing/compressing the brioche. If you were to do that, maybe apply it after rolling, at the inception of proofing? Pistachio is a natural fit with rose -- maybe plums macerated with rose atop the pistachio paste? So many options. Have fun!
I am SO looking forward to trying this! It will be a great weekend bake.
I apologize if this sounds pedantic, but this sentence just cracked me up:
"After about two hours I preheated the oven then spread a thin layer of the cooled lemon curd over it and added fresh bing cherries, almond slices, and a little coarse sugar."
This looks delicious. Cherry season is long gone here but I’ve been hanging on to one last bottle, waiting for a recipe that will make the most of them. I think this is it!
Let me know how it goes! Thanks for reading, Julia!
Yay! Weekend project!
This looks so delightful and I love hearing about the process! I was planning to make brioche this weekend, and I've got some Amarena cherry curd lingering in my fridge...perhaps chopped pistachios and diced candied orange or lemon peel on top? So many delightful options!
Do that with haste! Sounds like perfection!
It really reminds me of my German granda's butterkuchen. A beautiful light dough topped with fresh fruits (normally grapes or apples) and a crunchy streusel with nuts. As you said, we can't explain the happiness of simple memories. Nor try to revive them. But we can please ourselves with new experiences meanwhile.
Yes! Honestly, I was thinking of that as something that’s adjacent! The Kuchen with plums!
Oh I can't WAIT to make this!! Crossing my fingers the season is good for cherry picking
Fresh is amazing ... and if you cannot get them (I actually love the frozen ones, too), try it with strawberries, blueberries, or stone fruits. All will work!
This is crazy good. It is a joy to make, the dough is a dream (especially if, like me, your usual medium is sourdough); super easy (thanks to the obsessive recipe developing); for pastry, incredibly forgiving: I screwed up and added 100g more eggs than called for and compensated with very free-wheeling bits of flour chucked into the mixer til it balled up; also proofed it closer to 3 hours b/c was garden multi-tasking (it's chilly here tho). I took the invitation to customize to heart, having OD'd on lemon curd recently, so set about making Liz Pruitt's Frangipane cream. Made one of the components (Pastry Cream) and realized I was really pushing the clock, so stopped there. Blitzed some sliced almonds and some fancy dried Japanese citrus into a kind of coarse powder and stirred that into about 1/2 of the cream; that was my base, then topped with a bit of plain cream. Followed thru as in the recipe. Vanilla bass line, with tiny chirps of citrus, juicy cherries... The baking time - 8 + 8 mins is right on the nozzer - came out perfect. (Oh yeah - the bonus brioche! I made the Nanterre recipe in Breaking Bread like it was nothing. What a fun thing it is to be able to make things like this for people. Martin, you da bomb. (Yes you can use that on your next book jacket).
Sheesh this sounds absolutely AMAZING
So good!
TL;DR: Husband (brought some into work), just texted: "don’t ever make that thing again…… it’s too good!!"
Don't listen to him! LOL. ; ))))
How can I make this sourdough?
You’ll want to follow a process and recipe for sourdough brioche. 👍🏻
Many thanks Sir