Skyr Braided Brioche

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 150 g plain skyr, 0 % fat
• 40 ml lukewarm semi-skimmed milk
• 2 eggs (1 for the dough, 1 for the egg wash)
• 20 g softened unsalted butter
• 30 g caster sugar
• 1 sachet dried yeast (5 g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp fine salt + 1 pinch for the egg wash

🍴 Utensils

• Large mixing bowl
• Kitchen scales
• Baking tray + baking paper
• Clean tea towel
• Pastry brush
• Wire rack

📖 Steps

1. In a bowl, mix the lukewarm milk (just warm to the touch, never hot), the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar taken from the 30 g. Leave to stand for 10 min, until a thin foam forms on the surface: this is the sign that the yeast is active.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt. Make a well and pour in the skyr, 1 beaten egg, the vanilla and the yeasted milk. Mix with a spatula, then knead by hand for 10 min, until you have a smooth, supple dough that is barely sticky.
3. Add the softened butter in small pieces and knead for another 3 to 5 min, until it is completely absorbed. If the dough sticks to your hands, keep kneading without adding flour: it gradually firms up, and too much flour would make a dry brioche.
4. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hr 30 min in a warm place (about 25 °C, for example in the switched-off oven with the light on), until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Knock back the dough by pressing it down with your fist, then divide it into 3 equal pieces of about 200 g, weighing them. Roll each piece under your palms into an even rope about 35 cm long.
6. Lay the 3 ropes side by side on the baking tray lined with baking paper and pinch the top ends together to seal. Plait loosely by alternately crossing an outer rope over the middle one, then pinch the end and tuck it underneath. Leave to rise for 45 min under the tea towel.
7. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional). Beat the second egg with a pinch of salt and gently brush it all over the braid, without squashing the dough or letting the egg pool on the tray.
8. Bake for 25 min, until the brioche is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. If it browns too quickly, cover it with a sheet of baking paper after 15 min. Leave to cool for at least 15 min on a wire rack before slicing.