I am not Greek, but growing up we added a braided lemon bread to the Easter roster. I loved that it pulled apart, almost like monkey bread but was barely sweet.
I modified my brioche recipe, which was a twice removed version from Zoe's, to come up with something that was firmer, more workable and with less honey. The result is a bit mixed. It totally over-proofed and the braiding is barely visible in the final product, but the taste... really good. The buttermilk came through and the lemon, the lemon just sung of spring. The original recipe with oil instead of butter was lighter and more brioche-like. This texture is more bread-like than brioche or an Easter bread (its not flaky at all) but is edible at room temp or toasted! I cut up and wrapped the left overs and have had a series of amazing breakfasts all week.
Proofed dough
Rolling:
Braided dough:
Egg wash:
Proofed:
Baked:
Lemon Buttermilk Brioche
1 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup millet flour
1 1/4 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2 packets of dry active yeast
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted*
4 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
-extra cornstarch for rolling dough
-1 egg plus a little cream for egg wash
1. Combine all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. (A whisk or fork is great)
2. Combine all of the wet ingredients. (*If you melt the butter with the honey it will speed this up. Having the buttermilk and eggs are room temp will also make it go faster otherwise your butter will solidify once you add in the cold ingredients.)
3. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined and then mix for another 1-2 minutes till there are flour lumps. Scrape down the bowl at least once and mix really well.
4. Cover the mixture and let the mixture rest in the fridge for 2 hours. (You want the butter to get cold so its easier to handle the dough. I went overnight, but you are looking for the dough to proof 1.5x the size and for it to be cold all the way through.)
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 3 blobs. (Use a rubber scraper here, the dough is VERY sticky)
6. On a well cornstarch covered surface, form the dough into three long ropes of equal length.
7. Get your baking pan (I inverted a jelly roll pan and covered it with a silpat) ready.
8. Pinch the ends of the dough together and start braiding.
9. Get a buddy and transfer the dough onto the pan.
10. Using a pastry brush, brush on the egg wash and then allow the dough to rest/proof.
(I allowed it to proof for over an hour. It sort of EXPLODED)
11. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350F and bake for another 25-35 minutes. (I went with the high heat to prevent the dough from rising any further.)
12. Allow to cool.
Serve with optional butter on the side... yes you might actually want even more on this delicious, soft on the inside bread.
I modified my brioche recipe, which was a twice removed version from Zoe's, to come up with something that was firmer, more workable and with less honey. The result is a bit mixed. It totally over-proofed and the braiding is barely visible in the final product, but the taste... really good. The buttermilk came through and the lemon, the lemon just sung of spring. The original recipe with oil instead of butter was lighter and more brioche-like. This texture is more bread-like than brioche or an Easter bread (its not flaky at all) but is edible at room temp or toasted! I cut up and wrapped the left overs and have had a series of amazing breakfasts all week.
Baked:
Lemon Buttermilk Brioche
1 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup millet flour
1 1/4 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2 packets of dry active yeast
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted*
4 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
-extra cornstarch for rolling dough
-1 egg plus a little cream for egg wash
1. Combine all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. (A whisk or fork is great)
2. Combine all of the wet ingredients. (*If you melt the butter with the honey it will speed this up. Having the buttermilk and eggs are room temp will also make it go faster otherwise your butter will solidify once you add in the cold ingredients.)
3. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined and then mix for another 1-2 minutes till there are flour lumps. Scrape down the bowl at least once and mix really well.
4. Cover the mixture and let the mixture rest in the fridge for 2 hours. (You want the butter to get cold so its easier to handle the dough. I went overnight, but you are looking for the dough to proof 1.5x the size and for it to be cold all the way through.)
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 3 blobs. (Use a rubber scraper here, the dough is VERY sticky)
6. On a well cornstarch covered surface, form the dough into three long ropes of equal length.
7. Get your baking pan (I inverted a jelly roll pan and covered it with a silpat) ready.
8. Pinch the ends of the dough together and start braiding.
9. Get a buddy and transfer the dough onto the pan.
10. Using a pastry brush, brush on the egg wash and then allow the dough to rest/proof.
(I allowed it to proof for over an hour. It sort of EXPLODED)
11. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350F and bake for another 25-35 minutes. (I went with the high heat to prevent the dough from rising any further.)
12. Allow to cool.
Serve with optional butter on the side... yes you might actually want even more on this delicious, soft on the inside bread.
French toast!
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