National Bread Week

Did you know it's National Bread Week? An AGA cooker can produce particularly special bread. Here's a great recipe for an AGA Brioche.

HAZEL JORDAN’S AGA BRIOCHE

15g (½ oz)fresh yeast
¼ tsp caster sugar
3 tbsp lukewarm milk
85g (3 oz) butter
225g (8 oz) strong flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
a little softened butter, for greasing
1 egg, beaten, for glazing

Individual brioche tins

Method
Place the yeast and ¼ tsp of sugar into a bowl with the milk. Place on a cloth at the back of the AGA and leave until it becomes frothy. Rub the fat into the flour, then add the salt and sugar, finally the eggs and yeast mixture. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little extra milk. The dough should be silky in texture.

Knead well by hand for 5-8 minutes, or 1-2 minutes at a slow to medium speed using a dough hook in a stand mixer. Cover the bowl with oiled clingfilm and stand the bowl on a folded cloth next to the AGA. Allow the dough to double in size.

Knock back and divide the dough into small balls each about half the volume of the brioche moulds. Butter the moulds well and place the balls into them. Place on a tray and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to prove in a warm place adjacent to the AGA and allow them to rise out of the tins. Gently brush with beaten egg. Place onto a baking sheet or the cold plain shelf.

2, 3 and 4 oven AGA: Slide the cold plain shelf onto the third set of runners down in the Roasting Oven. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until well-risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire cooling rack.

Adapted by Dawn Roads from “A Lifetime of Aga, Recipes and Recollections”
by Hazel Jordan. (Out of Print)

AGA Cookery Doctor Tip:
Just before closing the oven door, throw in an ice cube onto the floor of the oven. It will melt and turn to steam, giving a perfect steam oven which is just right for cooking brioche. Live steam is used in the ovens of all the best Paris bakeries.