Shall we get started? Get your apron on...
First, crumble 6 g of cake yeast and place it in a lukewarm glass of milk (12 ml). After a few minutes of well-deserved rest, take a food processor, place 250 g of flour in its bowl, the lukewarm milk and yeast, 6 g of salt, and 50 g of sugar. Mix gently. Next, you will need to gradually add 150 g of egg.
Wash your hands and vigorously knead the dough. It should not stick to the bowl. Take 20 g of creamed butter, place it in the bowl and knead again. Do you remember that huge salad bowl your sister-in-law bought you for Christmas? Great, now you can finally put it to use - it will be the receptacle for your brioche dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for an hour, while you put your feet up and read a magazine. Any magazine will do.
An hour later, fold the dough, wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge overnight. Eat an apple, drink some herbal tea, do some yoga, and then off to bed with you. The next morning, fold the dough again. Take a rolling pin (or a glass bottle will do the trick; an old shoe, not so much). Roll the dough into a rectangle and sprinkle the equivalent of a whole packet of crushed pralines, taking care to leave a one-centimetre margin around the edge. Arm yourself with the rolling pin again, and roll it over the dough so the pralines stick to it. Next, roll the dough into a long sausage shape and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Now, cut it into three strips of equal length and braid them together into a circular shape, like a crown. Leave to rise for two hours at a temperature of 26 to 28°C. Brush it with melted butter using a clean brush (acrylic paint is not the ideal addition to this recipe). Wondering what to do with the few crumbs of praline left? Sprinkle them on top of course! Meanwhile, your oven should have been heating up to 180°C. Place it in the oven for 25 minutes.
And voilà, your brioche is cooked. Let it cool down.
Was it not Frédéric Mistral who once said “si ce n'est aujourd'hui, ce sera demain : rappelons-nous que la patience est le pilier de la sagesse” (which, roughly translated, means: “If it is not today, it will be tomorrow: remember that patience is the pillar of wisdom”)? Easier said than done, however: I’ll bet he never tasted a praline brioche!
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