Un Brioche e un cappuccino, per favore! Brunch in Bar

Un Brioche e un cappuccino, per favore! I should say my first
Italian sentence or one of the many first expressions I learned
after those vivid and dramatic Italian swear words. My day won't
be completewithout this set of typical Italian breakfast taken
either directlyat the counter or on a table which calls for extra
table charge.
A set like the one above cost normally 2.60Euro(served on the
table)and 2.30Euro hurriedly consumed at the counter. I prefer to
have my B and C set on a table and enjoy it while watching the
traffic of people coming in and going out of the bar, ordering
coffee and brioche.
What would I do when I return to the local nest and won't have
any more brioche for brunch? Maybe I will try to use my
Plan B (Brioche) Baking as souvenir from this summer sojourn.
Here's a version I found today. Who will bake it for me?
Will provide the cappuccino. The found recipe is completed
with ice cream...not too bad an idea for brunch. O Dio!

Reprinted with permission from Gelato!: Italian Ice Creams,
Sorbetti and Granite by Pamela Sheldon Johns. Copyright 2000.
Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.

Here is a delicious eggy breakfast bread, perfect for accompanying
sorbetto on a hot summer morning. A nice variation is to knead
in 1/2 cup raisins soaked in 1/4 cup rum, just before the last rise.
Makes 1 dozen rolls

Brioche

Ingredients
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm milk (105 degrees to 115 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white
Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Stir in
1 tablespoon of the 1/2 cup sugar and the olive oil. Set aside
until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Whisk the egg yolks into the yeast mixture until well blended.
Whisk in 1 cup of the flour, the rest of the 1/2 cup sugar, and
the salt. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place
for 1 hour.
Whisk in the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, switching to
a wooden spoon when necessary, until too stiff to stir. Turn the
dough onto a floured work suface and knead until smooth, about
5 minutes, adding more flour 1 tablespoon at a time as necessary
if the dough is sticky.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough to
coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in
a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 12 portions, shaping each into a ball. Place
each ball in a muffin cup and let rise in a warm place until doubled,
about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk the egg
white and sugar just until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Bake the rolls for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from
the oven and brush with the egg white mixture while still warm.
Let cool in the pan.
To serve, slice in half and fill with a scoop of sorbetto.

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Fri Aug 20 2010

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/brioche-recipe/index.html