Monday, June 6, 2011

Cream Cheese Brioche (Loaf and Muffins)

Do you know that some of my friends make fun of me saying I should sell the ingredients to them from the huge bags that I buy. If you see the storage in my basement, you will probably think I am nuts. I have a very good memory particularly when it comes to prices. When I see a steal, I buy not one but many. I have God only know how many packs of Sugar, flour in the basement. I won't let anything go bad. I guess I can justify my buying because of that. I buy enough for the whole year when the sale comes for a throw away price. I stocked up flour at 99 cents per 5 pound pack. It is cheaper than buying from costco.
Long story short, I had to use up a block of cream cheese and quite a few eggs. So, I made a cream cheese brioche. Recipe is not adapted from anywhere, just an experiment. An awesome one if I may say so myself.
Creamcheese Brioche

One year back -  Sweet Ricotta Loaf, Quinoa salad
Ingredients: (Makes two 9 X 5 loaves)
Cream Cheese - One 8 Oz block at room temperature
Eggs - 4 large (at room temperature)
Warm water - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 5 - 5 1/2 cups (Start with 5 cups)
Instant yeast - 2 1/4 tsp or 1 packet
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla - 2 tsp (optional)

For brushing before baking:
1 egg whisked with 1 TBSP of water or milk

For the Muffins / Mini Cakes: (optional)
Mini chocolate chips - 1/2 cup
Creamcheese Brioche

Method:
I used the bread machine to make the dough. Place cream cheese, eggs, water, sugar, salt, flour, yeast in the given order and turn on the machine on dough setting. Check the dough for consistency after 5 minutes and add another 1/2 cup flour if needed. Let it complete the dough cycle in the machine. When the cycle finishes, proceed with shaping and baking.
Creamcheese Brioche

To make the dough by hand:
Take a mixer and beat the cream cheese, eggs, sugar. Add the warm water and yeast and continue to beat. Add salt, flour little by little. When the mixer starts resisting to move, switch off and start kneading the flour by hand. Once all the dough is added, knead it for 10 minutes or till elastic. This dough is a bit tacky, but feels like silk. Let it rise in a greased, covered bowl for an hour to hour and a half or till doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough and divide into two parts. Grease the hands and the surface if the dough is sticking. Don't try to add more flour. Shape the dough into loaf and place in well greased 9 X 5 pan.
Creamcheese Brioche

I made half the dough into a loaf and the rest into 12 muffins. I added chocolate chips to the dough that I shaped into muffins. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for an hour. Don't let the dough rise too much above the rim of the loaf pan. It continues to rise in the oven really well. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the dough with egg wash. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes and the loaf for 45 - 50 minutes or until a dark golden. If you have the thermometer, it should register 200 - 210 F when inserted in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert on to the wire rack right side up and let it cool completely. Slice when completely cool.

If you don't want the muffin shaped rolls, you can shape them into rolls and place them on a baking sheet and bake to get bun shaped rolls.

This is my entry to Susan's yeastspotting.

Enjoy. Pin It

24 comments:

  1. I really love the muffins..so cute and texture of the loaf is just awesome..

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  2. Absolutely delicious looking brioche.

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  3. Bet That experiment did have a super-tasty outcome... love the cute little muffin bread..

    http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
    Event: Healing Foods - Banana

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  4. The picture speaks volumes for the texture of the bread, I can imagine how wonderful it would have tasted as well...I guess I can make this with paneer?

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  5. Thanks everyone.
    Suma,
    I would say yes and no. Cream cheese is very creamy. Paneer is more like ricotta cheese. Check out the post on ricotta loaf and you probably can modify that recipe to use paneer.

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  6. Those cute muffins and loaf itself speaks a lot, lovely texture and spongy loaves looks addictive..

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  7. the loaf and the muffins loos so awesome..very nice clicks

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  8. whoa, those looks incredible. I'm hungry and wish I had some right now.

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  9. I have never had brioche bread before, but always wanted to try as I see lot of bread pudding (american) recipes using this bread, which made me curious. I usually thought bread was made without eggs (almost always), so this is new too, but then again, I don't know much about baking. I will bookmark this :)

    Can I not do eggwash at the top or is it very important?

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  10. Priya,
    First of all - brioche is always made with butter and eggs. I actually have an eggless brioche on this site. You can skip the egg wash but it gives a beautiful color if you do use it. You can also brush the loaf with some milk mixed with oil and a bit of sugar too.

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  11. Delicious!! I love the colour you got on that loaf!!

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  12. This looks like a great way to use up cream cheese and eggs; I also am a bargain hunter when the price is right! Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I am drooling out here looking at those pictures..looks yummy! esp those cute looking muffins!

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  14. What a perfect, gorgeous brioche! I've never tried a recipe with cream cheese, and am going to fix that verrry soon.

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  15. That loaf looks incredible! I've never heard of bread with cream cheese in it- I'll have to try this.

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  16. Looks excellent, I love muffins even better!

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  17. Thank you for this recipe, I made this bread a couple days ago. I was intrigued by the cream cheese in it. I left out the chocolate chips and made free form loaves just mounded on a baking sheet. The result was the best bread! It had a delicate texture with wonderful flavor. My husband made us some french toast for breakfast with it this morning. Great recipe and I will try it again with the chocolate chips. Thank you for the inspiration! Maggie

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  18. Maggie,
    Thanks for the feedback. Feedback like this keeps me doing what I do. Really appreciate it.

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  19. Made this recipe just as the brioche loaves - wow! Best brioche I've ever made. Wonderful texture, terrific crisp crust, great flavor, and so easy.

    Looking forward to trying this in Brioche Bread Pudding. Yum! If there is ever any leftover. Ha!

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  20. Cosmicsnup,
    Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

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  21. Hi champa,
    I tried this today but I used plain flour instead of APF. Unfortunately it was very sticky I couldn't even get a shape. It was a bit hard. I don't know what went wrong. I used spreadable cream cheese

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    1. Sandhya,
      Lot of factors decide if you need to use more flour. Spreadable cream cheese has more liquid than the block if I am right. You just had to add more flour so that you get the right consistency. If you try again, let us know.

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  22. Thank u champa. Will try and let you know. You are right it might be the cream cheese consistency.

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