An easy, quick brioche recipe that is rich and buttery even though it take a fraction of the time that conventional brioche do. It is just right for French Toast as well as hundreds of other things. Difficulty level: 3/10
1 Combine cream, sugar, vanilla, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until well blended.
2 Set aside for 10 minutes.
3 Add the 3 eggs and melted butter to the mixture and blend.
4 Add the salt an bread flour.
5 Knead until the dough is only a little sticky, about 5 minutes.
6 Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl about twice the size of the dough.
7 Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
8 Punch dough down.
9 Form into a loaf shape and make two vertical cuts down the loaf, making 3 strands of dough still attached at the top.
10 Place the right strand over the middle then the left strand over, and so on just like you were braiding hair.
11 When you get to the end tuck the end under and place in a greased bread pan.
12 Let rise for 30 minutes.
13 Preheat the oven to 400F.
14 Mix the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of whipping cream until smooth.
15 Lightly brush over the top of the dough.
16 Let stand 10 minutes and then brush the glaze over the top again.
17 Sprinkle with sugar if you like.
18 Bake 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350F,
19 Bake 20 to 30 more minutes or until the bread tests done.
20 Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely.
