A Home-Reared Chef! Cook by Instinct, Recipe #22!
For this recipe I used my very own Sweet Brown-Sugar Sourdough Starter to achieve the quality of bread I was hoping to get, light and tender. Success! Though the dough for these buns is somewhat sticky/tacky when first put together, it is not difficult to work with, and I believe these buns are worth the time (demanding long rising times!) and effort. These Eggnog Brioche buns are just wonderful—mildly sweet and very fragrant of vanilla—perfect with a cup of tea or coffee … or a glass of cold milk.
I created these most delicious sweet buns for my family, for this end-of-the-year’s holidays (I was feeling very creative!). It is a twist from a recipe we have been making every December for nearly twenty-four years now. It began with Sunset’s Teddy Bear Bread recipe of December 1986. Our kids, now adults and married, still look forward to making these breads—shaping their teddy bears in unique and funny ways. I have no doubt that they will still want to make the Teddy Bear Breads this year—they’ll never let me off the hook! But for now, I’ve wet their appetites with new bread. Even my son who doesn’t like any bread with fruit loved it! That was a thrill for me to see him enjoying my bread.
So follow these simple steps, and you’ll sink your teeth into vanilla scented, sweet brown-sugar sourdough, rich and buttery, cranberries and raisins studded Eggnog Buns!
Note 1: See my recipe “Amish Cinnamon Friendship Bread,” published on Divine Caroline, November 2009, for the sourdough starter recipe—ten-days cycle to a ready starter.
Prep Time: (about) 30 to 35 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: First rising 6 hours, Second rising 1–1/2 hrs (total rising times)
Cook Time: (about) 30 to 35 minutes
Serves: 16 large buns
Ingredients:
1 package dry yeast
1 cup (good quality) eggnog, warmed (not hot)
1 cup Brown-Sugar Sourdough Starter (see note 1)
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup brown-sugar
1/2 cup (1 cube) salted butter, room temperature
3 extra-large eggs
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 tablespoon vanilla
6 cups all-purpose (organic) flour, more as needed (1/4 cup at a time)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raisins
Glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Directions:
1. Into a large mixing bowl put the yeast, warm eggnog (the eggnog should feel just warm to the touch but not hot) and sourdough and gently mix together. Wait about 5 minutes, giving the yeast time to come to life.
2. (Using the dough hook attachment) Add the butter, eggs and egg yolks, marmalade, brown-sugar, vanilla, and 2 cups flour, and on the lowest setting mix until the flour has almost all incorporated. Continue adding flour 2 cups at a time. Add the cranberries and raisings and increase speed to about medium (two notches on the KitchenAid) and mix until all flour and fruit are well incorporated. Dough might still be just slightly tacky to the touch, this is alright.
3. Turn this soft dough out onto a large greased bowl, and cover with plastic. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and let it rise until about doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 3 to 3–1/2 hours. Be patient; sweet breads take longer to rise.
4. After the first rising, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half and each half in half … until you have 16 pieces. On a lightly-floured surface (you may need to lightly flour your hands as well), shape these pieces into round balls with your hands. Place these balls equally spaced apart on a floured piece of parchment on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow rising again until almost doubled in size.
NOTE: Meanwhile (now into the second rising), when the bread has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
