My brioche workout and a behind-the-scenes visit to Brasserie Bread

Forget about zumba, forget about bikram yoga. If you're after a serious workout, go for a brioche baking class instead. I was recently invited to attend one of the "Baking with Brioche" workshops at Brasserie Bread, and my love handles biceps are still thanking me for it. You'll see why in a minute.

Brasserie Bread, as many Sydney-siders would already know, is the pioneer of artisan baking in Australia - and one of my absolute favourite bakers in Sydney. Coming from a French girl raised on bread and butter, this is no small compliment!

Since 2000, Brasserie Bread has been producing an award-winning range of artisan breads and pastries, working with some of Sydney's top restaurants, hotels and cafés. Located in Banksmeadow near Botany, their premises house a retail shop and a hugely popular café, which serves some of the BEST breakfasts ever. They also offers a range of fantastic baking classes for kids and adults, including the newly launched "Baking with Brioche" one.

At the beginning of the 3-hour class, each participant gets an apron and rolling pin. Don, our baking instructor for the night, then proceeds to telling us a bit more about artisan baking and what makes a good sourdough. Most importantly, we get to taste some fantastic brioche fresh out of the oven.

And Oh-my-God. This brioche is just divine! Light, warm, fluffy, with a nice crust. Feels like I've gone back to childhood heaven and back again (in France, kids traditionally have an afternoon snack or "goûter", as we say in French, and a slice of brioche with butter and a chocolate bar is a local favourite).

So what exactly is "brioche"? It's the French word for non-laminated sweet yeasted dough, often labelled as the great middle-ground between pastry and bread. Brioche is a versatile dough - perfect to use in “comfort food” recipes (both sweet and savoury) at home, or as the star of a unique dinner party dish for entertaining.

Don tells us that there are no short-cuts to baking great brioche, which is why Brasserie Bread only source the best ingredients, such as strong flour from Kialla, Murray River salt and salt from New Zealand. The yeast is also a crucial element of the brioche, and so is the 'starter'.

A starter is the base for many artisan breads. It uses naturally occurring wild yeast to raise bread - which brings more nuance and flavor to bread than store-bought packages of yeast. Every 24 hours or so, it needs to be 'fed' by the baker, who leaves some of the mix behind and adds flour and water. 

Many home bakers make their own bread starter, and some companies even use starters which are over 150 years old, to create consistently flavored bread every time. And it's not uncommon to give your bread starter a pet name!  

First of all, brioche is not for the faint hearted as it includes 50% butter!! No wonder it's so yummy... Now here's where's the workout comes into the picture: because you're working with a very sticky 'blob', it takes A LOT of time and energy to successfully mix the dough and butter together. Basically, you need to lift the dough off the table and slap it down again really hard. And again. And again. Great way to let off steam if you're a bit stressed out!

Next, Don teaches us how to skillfully braid the brioche and... ta da! Look at what I've managed to make!

Then we try our hands at different brioche recipes, including an peach tartlet, and off it goes into the oven. What do you think? Not too shabby for a first time baking brioche!

After this, Don shows us a fantastic savoury recipe: salmon fillet with mushrooms, Russian mustard and boiled eggs, baked in brioche. Super tasty as the brioche keeps the salmon really moist and soft. The trick is to first wrap the fillet in a thin pancake so it retains its shape; the pancakes disappears with the cooking.

While the salmon brioche goes into the oven, Don takes us on a behind-the-scenes visit of the bakery, and if you love bread, you'll be like Charlie in the chocolate factory! The warehouse is really busy at night, because that's when the team preps all the deliveries for the next day. You can order your bread online but Brasserie Bread also delivers bread as far as Canberra and the Highlands. 

Crate after crate of fresh organic sourdough, olive and rosemary rolls and rustic ciabattas. Hundreds of baguettes going into the oven, I'm loving this! There's even the caramelised garlic bread of MasterChef fame, and the most deliciously smelling almond croissants. 

Last but not least, we all get to sit down in the cafe to enjoy our salmon fillets with a glass of wine. Quite the perfect way to end this really fun, hands-on evening!

So tell me, dear reader, what's your favourite kind of bread?

'Baking with Brioche' workshop at Brasserie Bread: $140 for 3 hours (6:30pm-9:30pm), for a maximum of 10 participants. Includes recipes, dinner with a glass of wine and a freshly baked goodies. The next class is on October 14th, booking is highly recommended. 

Brasserie Bread offers many other baking classes as part of the Sydney International Food Festival. You can check their course calendar online. 

1737 Botany Road, Banksmeadow NSW 2019. Ph: 1300 966 845. www.brasseriebread.com.au.

Comments

[Eliza Jane]

So jealous! The class looks like a lot of fun. A great work out for the arms and the stomach :) i love brioche! Well done on your successful braiding!

[Robin_Dickinson]

A beautifully presented and informative post! Congratulations. My favorite bread? That would be cash, right?! ;)

Best wishes, Robin :)

[Myriam]

Robin, Robin, you're hilarious!!! Of course, THAT would be your favourite pick ;-)) And will you take butter with that?

[Myriam]

Ah ah ah, thank you Eliza Jane!!!

PS: you know what else is funny? In French, "brioche" is another way to refer to someone's "love handles", "pot belly" or "spare tyre". Quite accurate, when you consider how much butter there is in brioche! So I was quite thankful for the workout actually ;-)

[Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella]

Ahh you would certainly know your good brioche from your bad! Hehe I know bread kneading is like a sport! :P My favourite kind of bread is Turkish bread but fresh only. Oh and pastries. They count right? ;)

[Myriam]

Yum... fresh Turkish bread! Lorraine, where do you find really good Turkish bread in Sydney, by the way?