paris was the first place i had ever eaten a brioche, and up until yesterday, it was also the last place i had ever eaten one. the girl and i were staying on the border of the 6th and 14th arrondissements for a week, and since it was my first time in france (and i don’t speak french), brioches became one of the only things i felt comfortable ordering myself because we call it the same thing in the states.

we fell into the routine of visiting the cafe down the street from our hotel for a quick cup of coffee and a pastry before heading out to see pretty much every historic point in the city (on foot) and collapsing back in our hotel room 10 to 12 hours later. while i can’t claim that my brioches are anything near what i assume most french bakers can whip up in their sleep, biting into these soft flaky rolls shorty after i took them out of the oven instantly took me back that parisian cafe.

the recipe couldn’t be easier - there are no tricks or special techniques you need to know.

the only consideration you may need to take is having the dough prepared the night before so it can rest in the fridge overnight.

getting the unique brioche shape is a matter of pressing a tiny dough ball into a slightly larger dough ball. i don’t happen to have brioche molds so they don’t have the fancy ridges, but each one came out differently, each a special little golden brown explosion of flaky goodness.

the dough is full of egg and butter, which makes them soft and delicate, perfect for breakfast or dessert. there are brioche variations that have chocolate, cheese or jam baked right into the center of the roll. try brioche in bread pudding, serve it with ice cream, toast it and make sandwiches…

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