Recipe by Mariela Vega: Laur's College Roommate, Future Doctor, A Ray of Sunshine
@mariiiii_vega
Mariela is one of those souls in the world that brings literally nothing but light into your life. She's smart, sensitive, and hilarious (the kind of hilarious that most of the time she doesn't mean to be funny, she just inherently is). One of the things I loved about our time college together was that we always brought each other into our worlds; she was a Pre Med major, so she would tell me things about what she was learning (did it go over my head at times? yes, of course) -- and since I was majoring in Theatre Arts, I'd tell her about my classes, shows I was in, or talk about musical theatre that she grew to love. Another way we shared our worlds together was through cooking. This didn't really happen until our senior year when we had a real kitchen, but I remember her making us some of the best enchilada's I've ever eaten, and I'd make us a classic red sauce penne. We were a fun and odd duo, who loved (and still loves) each other very much. Since post-undergrad, she's taken up baking, and I am very excited to share her recipe with everyone! - Laur
My passion for baking came when I started to go to therapy to help with my anxiety. My psychologist suggested I find things to do as an outlet to my anxiety. I found exercise and baking helped me tremendously. Baking is a way to instantly find gratification in your work. I first started with easy cake box recipes and then started growing an interest in baking more challenging recipes.
Brioche bread is a type of bread that is widely made in France and is known for its soft buttery flavor. I really loved the taste and wanted to try to combine the brioche flavor with my favorite type of Mexican sweet bread, conchas. This creation is very dear to my heart because I came up with the idea using my love for the taste of french brioche bread with my Mexican heritage which I am very proud of.
Ingredients
Bread:
3 1/3 cup (530g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
3 teaspoons (10g) instant yeast
3/4 cup (175g) lukewarm water (90 degrees F)
3 large eggs
10 tablespoons (150g) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 teaspoon (3g) fine sea salt
Neutral-tasting oil for greasing
Sugar topping:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Chocolate flavored- add 2 Tablespoons
Steps
1. Prepare your yeast by mixing with lukewarm water (15 minutes in the microwave)- mix and rest for 10 minutes
2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in the mixer
3. Mix in yeast mixture and mix at medium-high setting, add eggs
4. Add the softened butter to the mixture- mix on medium-high for 15 minutes to knead the dough
5. Cover with plastic wrap in a greased large bowl and rest overnight in the fridge ( minimum 12 hours)
6. Roll into small balls (90g) and place on a large flat pan covered with parchment paper
7. Gently push dough balls with your palm into thick disks
8. Let rise 1hr 30 min.-preheat oven to 375 F
9. Prepare sugar topping by mixing all ingredients in a bowl working with your hands (quickly work to prevent shortening from melting)
10. Grab small golf size sugar topping and shape into flat circles- if sugar topping is too sticky rub your hands with flour
11. Gently place circle-shaped sugar topping on top the dough disks
12. Score the sugar topping to your liking
13. Place in the oven for 20-25 min. (until bread is golden brown)
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