dough for all seasons- brioche/milk bread/challah

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An enriched dough great on its own or as a base for treats both savory and sweet

One dough to rule them all. A little bit challah, a little bit brioche. Milk bread that doesn’t have to be loaf shaped, nobody puts this dough in the corner or a loaf pan (unless you want to). Form it into balls for soft and delicious burger buns. Use it as hand holdable dough for a breakfast bake. Shape it into twisty bits for cardamom buns. Roll it out and stuff it with meat (or mushrooms, whatever, I won’t judge). I’ve heard internet tales of using this sort of dough for pizza which is a bridge too far for me but it’s your dough to roll with how you will.

This recipe is a big batch- enough for several projects but will keep in the fridge for about five days so you don’t have to go baking all at once. This dough, enriched with milk and eggs, is just sweet enough for cinnamon rolls or cardamom buns but still savory enough to not overwhelm eggs or meat for a savory bake or buns.   

This dough is great for holiday weekends or when you’re expecting guests.

Make up a meat pie for dinner

and

Cardamom buns one day (recipe coming very very soon!)

and an easy egg pie the next: there is no seperate recipe for this but you could use the fillings from the cast iron quiche or like I did here, just four large eggs, a splash of milk, and whatever meats and veggies you have around (about a cup total). I used a 1/4 of the total dough for this egg pie.

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rich dough

an all purpose milk and egg dough that’s great for bread, buns, meat pies, or cinnamon or cardamom buns

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Baking

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tablespoon active yeast
• 1 stick unsalted butter cut into 2 or more pieces
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 100 grams 1/2 cup sugar
• 14 g salt
• 1000 grams AP flour 8-8 1/2 cups

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon (13 grams) sugar in water; set aside until a bit foamy.
• In a saucepan or microwave safe measuring cup or bowl scald the milk, remove from heat (or microwave) and add the butter, stir or let sit until butter is melted and milk has reached a yeast safe temperature (100-115 Fahrenheit)
• Whisk 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar and salt, into yeast mixture. Add the milk and butter mixture and whisk again until combined. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but if using a standard size KitchenAid–be careful, it’s a bit much for it, but it can be done.)
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
• shape and bake as you see fit
• for buns 350F for 20 minutes, a standard loaf takes about 45 minutes or see the other recipes linked above

Notes

Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor.

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