Tartine Brioche -- with Natural Leaven

As perfect combination goes, there is no better one than bread and butter.  The brioche, made in the notable French tradition of incorporating butter to the lean dough and exquisitely enriching and transforming them, is bread heaven.  Brioche is my all-time favorite, period, eaten at anytime of the day.

This recipe calls for natural leaven (a technique dating back over a century) and active dry yeast, and makes an extraordinary brioche in many ways. Using natural leaven is such a brilliant idea. Well, it's not a bad deal for my sourdough starter colony to work a little harder for me since I've been dutifully feeding it for about two years. The use of leaven also extends shelf life for most bread, naturally. A sprinkle of active dry yeast makes the dough more freezer friendly. I am happy to have extra brioche dough on hand. Bring it to room temperature gradually, then shape and ready to bake in short notice, relatively speaking, in the age of instant gratification.

The brioche is not coyly sweet like most sweet breads. The taste is subtle and nuanced with a touch of sweetness. Leftover brioche, if you are lucky to have any, can be used for French toasts, croutons or bread puddings. This recipe is a keeper.

Note: I submitted this posting to yeastspotting.