Nigella's Brioches

Asked by zora.aisling. Answered on 14th October 2012

Full question

I have finally gotten hold of a copy of Forever Summer, and am really looking forward to trying the brioche recipe (p 246). However, the measurement for the yeast is "1 sachet" - how much is this in teaspoons or grams? I want to be sure as the yeast I buy comes in 8g sachets, but I've also had large jars of yeast (no sachet). Thanks heaps!

Our answer

The "1 sachet" of easy-blend dried yeast in the Brioches recipe in Forever Summer is the standard 7g/1/4 oz sachet that is sold in most UK and US supermarkets. This equates to around 15g/1/2 ounce regular dried active yeast granules, or if you prefer to use fresh yeast then you will need about 30g/1 ounce.

We would particularly mention that the recipe uses the "easy blend" type of yeast, sometimes known as "instant" yeast or "bread machine" yeast. These are very fine granules which are designed to be mixed into the dough ingredients without dissolving in water first. Regular dried active yeast granules need to be dissolved first in a little warm water and sugar and left for a short period so that the yeast can activate, before being added to the dough ingredients. So do check the packaging of your yeast for directions of use. If you need to use the regular type of dried yeast (or are using fresh yeast) then you may need to warm the orange juice a little and use this to dissolve the yeast before adding it to the dry ingredients.

The brioche buns would be a good accompaniment to Nigella's No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream (from Nigellissima and also on her website, see link below)

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/ONE-STEP-NO-CHURN-COFFEE-ICE-CREAM-5550