How to make the world's softest 3-star Michelin brioche: Dominique Crenn reveals his secret recipe

Among the most iconic preparations of French cuisine is surely the brioche. Dominique Crenn, America's first Three MICHELIN Star chef, interprets it in her own way: used in sweet or savory recipes, it is a takeout mainstay; but she herself makes a hearty triple-cheese sandwich out of it after the conclusion of her restaurant shift.

Dominique Crenn’s Brioche

The Story

Brioche remains one of the oldest cornerstones of classic French cuisine. In fact, it dates back to the 16th century, when the dough, derived from its medieval predecessors, took on a similar appearance to what it is today in Normandy, and then became increasingly enriched with butter. Over time it has been molded into the most diverse shapes, from brioche à tête, also known as "Parisian style," a kind of fluted muffin topped with a ball of dough, the parallelepipeds typical of Nanterre, to the flaky croissants, with their layers of butter. Its uses have are widely varied, found in both sweet and savory versions. Its essence according to Dominique Crenn, a great American chef who remains French in identity well beyond her name, lies in its pleasantly fluffy crumb, which makes it suitable for making dehydrated squid ink brioche in the Beef Carpaccio, and for serving in slices along with butter, just before the Lobster Bisque, so that guests have a chance to enjoy the brioche on its own terms before tasting it in relation to the soup.

The Recipe

It is a recipe that can be varied as one wishes through the layering – or lamination – of the dough. She also made it a signature item during the pandemic thanks to her Delivery Kit, which comes as a square pull-apart version, and which is best served slightly warmed up with the accompaniment of butter or perhaps a blue cheese mixture, which has been left to soften at room temperature.

Dominique Crenn's brioche @Evi Abeler

It is Crenn herself who suggests the ultimate use for leftovers: when she returns from the restaurant at night, she toasts a slice of brioche in a pan and butters on both sides, then garnishes it with a mix of cheeses, for example Comté, pecorino and triple-cream cow or goat cheese, sometimes blue cheese, before baking and finishing it with more cheese and, when in season, with a splash of tomato jam.

DOMINIQUE CRENN’S BRIOCHE

@Atelier Crenn

Ingredients for 36 muffin-sized brioches

1 kg pastry flour (plus more for dusting)

200 g sweet butter (plus 300 g cold butter for layering, if desired)

150 g beaten eggs

100 g granulated sugar

30 g active dry yeast

18 g fine sea salt (plus a pinch for the egg wash)

2 whole eggs and 1 yolk

60 g whole milk

Method

The day before, prepare the liquid starter: mix flour with 130 g water in a large container, seal tightly and let rise in a warm place until the mixture triples in size.

On the day of preparation, leave 200 g of butter at room temperature so that it softens.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the liquid levain, 200 g water, beaten eggs, sugar, yeast and fine sea salt. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Raise to medium speed and continue mixing for 4 minutes, incorporating the softened butter and finish mixing at medium speed for an additional 5 minutes.

Turn off the mixer and cover the dough with a clean tea towel. Allow to rest at 25 °C/77 °F for 30 minutes.

To laminate as desired, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of a generous 1 cm on a floured surface. Flatten out a large piece of plastic wrap onto the work surface and arrange the remaining cold butter in the center. Cover with another layer of wrap. Beat the butter with a rolling pin to soften it and roll it out again with the rolling pin, in order to make a flat rectangle, as long as the dough on one side and half the size of the dough on the other. Unwrap the butter and place it on the dough in the center. Fold the ends of the dough over the butter so that they meet in a seam in the middle. Stretch the dough and fold again at the seam to make a double fold.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Butter muffin tins or 3 loaf pans.

Roll out dough again to a generous 1 cm thickness using a rolling pin. Cut 5 cm-wide strips and roll them into spirals. Lay in the molds so that from the top you can see the coil showing at the top. Alternatively shape into a croissant shape. To shape the dough for loaves, split each ball into 8 round balls and arrange them in the buttered loaf pans in 2 x 4-ball grids.

In a bowl, beat the whole eggs with the yolk, then add the milk and a pinch of salt. Use a silicone basting brush to wash the tops of the dough with the egg wash.

Cover the molds with a damp cloth and let sit at room temperature for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake until golden brown for 20 to 25 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning. Allow the brioche to cool in the molds or loaf pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.