Ensaimada : Almond Coconut & Honey Brioche

Brioche de Majorca, Almond Coconut & Honey Brioche

How good are in your french culture?

What day can we hear Serge Gainsbourg, David Gueta, or even Lorie's (the equivalent of Britney Spears in France :-) music played side by side in the street of France?

Every 21st of June, France celebrates its Fete de la Musique (Festival of Music) the day created by Jack Lang a socialist depute where any musician from nobody to wannabes, famous or international artist can play their music for free. In our city alone, imagine this:

On the main thoroughfare, bars have organized some acoustic and jazz music while few blocks away was a stage where they were performing country and cowboy music. And a little down was a group of young boy band serenading their own compositions hoping desperately to be discovered by a talent scout. In the main parking lot fronting the Mayor’s Office was another type of music, I didn’t had enough time to decipher what were they playing my ears were too tired and have no where to hide. And the best part of this was the small park fronting our house that they transformed into a techno party with house and techno music vibrating incessantly. And when the ambiance is like this it definitely puts me in the mood to make some brioche. If you don't like this Ensaimada, blame it on the techno music. :-)

Here's is my entry on Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging that she is hosting this week, a blogging event that she also created.

Ensaimada (Brioche de Majorca) Almond, Coconut & Honey Brioche

3 and half cups of flour
4 eggs
10 g of yeast
15 cl of milk
50 g of sugar
5 g of salt
3 tbsps of honey
180 g of butter (about two sticks)
150 g of almonds
100 g of shredded coconut

Decoration

50 g of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of milk

Start by dissolving the yeast with the milk. Put one cup of flour in a bowl and mixed the dissolved yeast. Add the salt, sugar and one egg. Once the mixture becomes homogenous put one cup of flour. Cover and let the yeast ferment. Normally after an hour you will notice that the flour covering the mixture starts to crack, this means that the yeast have started to work. Add another one cup of flour (which means you still have the remaining half a cup) , the honey and your remaining eggs. Mix them using your machine (I used my bread machine to mix and knead them). Continue mixing them for about five minutes, then add your butter that’s been cut in cubes and continue mixing for another five minutes. Add this point you will add your flour to check the consistency of your dough. It is very sticky and unmanageable at this point. Put some oil on a bowl and pour your dough in it. Cover it and put it in the fridge for minimum of seven hours. After this process you can be able to shape and handle your dough. As if you are handly a puff pastry you will need to make several folds on your dough. Add your coconut and half of your chopped almonds on the dough. Shape a ball form and flatten it a little bit. Grease your pan and put your dough brioche. Brush it with egg wash to give it a golden color. Top it with the remaining almonds. Bake it for twenty to twenty five minutes at 200° Celsius. Before mix one tablespoon of milk with 50 g of icing sugar. Pour this icing liquid on your brioche.

Care for a bite?

My other Filipino dessert recipes:
Mango Ginumis
Kababayan Muffins

You could also try my other brioche recipes:

Pandecoco or Coconut Brioche
Nutella Rolled Brioche