Everyday Bread #41 - Brioche Dough Lemon Zest with Wild Raspberries

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Brioche Lemon Zest Ring with Wild Raspberries for Canada Day

I had to use up some Brioche Dough, and the next day was Canada Day.  I was working, and the other nurses I was working with were going to have a party.  Natchos and Salsa and Cheese.  There would also be some deserts.  I decided to try to make Zoe's Lemon Zest Ring; hers has blueberries, but I had wild raspberries.

I only had 3 eggs, so I only made as much lemon sauce as I needed.  I cut the recipe for the lemon stuff in half.

It was the first time I'd ever made anything like this.

I don't think I stirred my lemon stuff long enough; it was turning into a pudding, but was more liquid than it should have been, I imagine.

I rolled out the dough. I was using a bit more than the recipe called for, because I wanted to use it up. I'm guessing I had about 820 g, instead of 680 g.  It had come from the refrigerator, but it too rapidly came to room temperature, and that meant it became too gooey to work with too quickly.

The berries were picked fresh today.  I rolled them up inside the dough, but not without some difficulty.

I had even more trouble making the ring.  It was so gooey, all the shape of the thing was starting to be lost even as I formed it.

Nevertheless I dutifully scored it.  Already it was a terrible mess, but the more I handled it the worse it got.

I gave it an egg white wash (I had no more full eggs!) and sprinkled on some sugar.  I used icing sugar, probably a mistake, could have used granulated.

I had more spreading than rising in the oven.  This flat stuff was very ugly.  So what if it smelled great?

I debated whether I should even take it to work to share with others.  It looked so awful, I really didn't want to.  But I did anyway -- mostly because I didn't want my wife to think that I had left the stupid thing for her because I didn't think it was good enough for the girls at work.  I had to take it.

It didn't taste bad, just not as zesty as I expected.  No one else seemed to mind the taste, and no one else thought it was as terrible as I did.  Sure, it was embarrassing, but at least it was edible.

Notes to Myself:

• Stay away from these Brioche doughs.  They take a different kind of expertise.  They are too sweet.  You are no good at them and never will be.  Your heart is just not in them.
• Or if you must, don't use whole wheat on these dessert breads, or sweet breads.
• Follow the recipe