Maple Walnut Brioche
Submitted by Angela Battaglino
About the cook: I am a lawyer taking a break to be a full time mom. Making my family nutritious, delicious meals is a priority of mine everyday, and trying and experimenting with new recipes helps keep my mind active.
About the dish: Sweet and nutty filling swirled in a buttery brioche dough. A bit time consuming, but worth the wait.
National Origin: French
Serves: 8
Estimated Time: Over 2 Hours
Ingredients:
Dough
1lb 2 ¼ oz All Purpose Flour
1 ½ Sticks of Butter (¾ Cup) melted and cooled
4 eggs
2 ½ oz maple syrup
5 ½ oz of lukewarm water
½ Tbl yeast
½ Tbl salt
Filling
1 ¼ c walnuts
1 Tbl melted butter
½ c maple syrup
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
1 tsp orange zest
Preparation:
For Dough
Mix melted butter, eggs, maple syrup, water, yeast and salt together in a small bowl. Place flour in a large bowl and mix liquid ingredients into the flour. Mix until the dough begins to form a ball. Lightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap, not airtight and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hrs. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
For Filling
Place the walnuts in a blender and pulse 8 to 10 times until the walnuts are crumbly but still have a few larger pieces. Put in a bowl and mix in butter, maple syrup and spices.
To Assemble
Take half the dough (1lb 3 oz) and form into a ball by stretching the dough and pulling it under, turning a quarter and repeating 4 times. Place the ball on a floured surface and roll into a approx. 14” x 12” rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough leaving a ½” margin. Roll the dough up into a log. Cut off approx. 1” of each end so that the filling spiral can be seen on each end. Slice the log lengthwise using a sharp knife. Turn the dough pieces so the exposed filling faces up, then twist the two pieces together. Gently push the dough into a loaf shape and place in a greased 8 ½ x 4 ¼ loaf pan. Loosely place plastic wrap over the loaf pan, and allow to rise for 2 ½ hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (this should be done prior to the end of the rise time so the oven is preheated after 2 ½ hours). Bake for 50 minutes. Place aluminum foil lightly over the top of the loaf if top begins to brown too fast. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, brush with additional maple syrup for a nice shine. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.