You will need the following ingredients to create a brioche: 300g of flour, ideally strong, 30g caster sugar, 5g salt, 7g of fast-action yeast, 60g milk, 3 eggs of medium size, 100g of butter that has been softened (you’ll need a bit more for greasing purposes), 80g of Parmesan cheese- grated, 20g soft butter, and 2 egg yolks mixed for glazing.
Start by placing the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into a mixer with a dough hook. Mix them until they’re evenly distributed. Slightly heat the milk until it’s a bit above hand temperature and pour it into the mixer. For one minute, mix it at a high speed. Gradually add the eggs and continue the high speed mixing for five minutes until the dough starts clinging to the hook.
Once this stage has been reached, add softened butter into the mixture gradually. When all the butter is mixed in, continue to mix for another 10 minutes on medium speed until you attain a smooth and shiny dough. You’ll know it’s ready when it begins to clean the bowl and slightly falls off the hook.
Shape your dough into a rough ball and place it in a bowl that has been lightly greased with butter. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and allow it to rest in a warm spot for it to double in size. As the dough increases in size, combine the grated Parmesan and soft butter in a separate bowl, mixing gently with a spoon. Set aside this mixture as it will be used as stuffing for the dough later on.
Preheat your oven to a temperature of 185 degrees. Grease your loaf tin with more soft butter, then knock back the dough on a floured surface by lightly pressing to remove excess air. After rolling it into a rough sausage shape, split it into six equal parts. Sprinkle a bit of flour on your worktop and roll each piece of dough into smooth balls. With a spoon, put some of the Parmesan and butter mixture into a hole in the base of each dough ball. Pinch the dough to seal the hole and place all six balls into the loaf tin. Leave it to double in size, covered with clingfilm.
Once it has doubled in size, gently glaze it with the mixed egg yolks and bake it in the oven at 185 degrees for 25 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Serve it with additional soft butter and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy your homemade brioche!