I first learned about brioche in culinary school, and first began producing it when I worked in North Carolina. I never understood the appeal; all the brioche I tasted was pretty unappealing. As it turns out, that was because the formula didn’t call for enough salt. Once corrected, it became a much nicer product.

And versatile! As a plain dough, brioche makes very nice dinner rolls, and upscale hamburger buns. But why stop there? I ran an onion poppy seed brioche as the signature bread for Jessamines, the fine dining room at a resort where I baked for years. For Christmas one year, I made the chef a loaf of brioche scented with tangerine. And of course, brioche is the classic accompaniment to a foie gras plate.

At its most glorious, brioche can be laminated, and used to produce exquisite breakfast pastry.

Formula:

• 1000 grams bread flour; 120 grams of this will be used for the sponge
• 120 grams milk (classically) or buttermilk (my preference)
• 480 grams whole eggs (if nine eggs doesn’t quite get you there, it’s okay to use 10)
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 21 grams salt
• 700 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

Start by mixing the sponge. Mix 120 grams of bread flour, 120 grams of milk (or buttermilk!), and 12 grams instant yeast into a smooth dough. Allow this to rest for 20 minutes, or until the sponge shows good growth.

Now mix the dough: to the sponge, add the remaining 880 grams of bread flour, plus the eggs, salt, and sugar. Mix this dough until full gluten development has been achieved.

Now comes the fun part, the final build. Divide the butter into roughly 6 equal portions; add the first portion, and mix until the dough has absorbed the butter. It should be noted that the dough may appear to separate when the butter is added: this is normal. Mix until the dough comes becomes cohesive again, and add the next portion. The dough may appear to separate again, but with patient mixing, will again become cohesive. Continue in this manner, allowing the dough to incorporate the butter in small portions, until all the butter is incorporated, and the dough is smooth.

Smooth may not be the best word: it’s more like ultra smooth. Allow the brioche to double in size before shaping. Typically, and I recommend this, the brioche will be allowed to chill in the refrigerator from several hours to overnight before it is shaped, proofed, and baked.