If you follow At Home with Vicki Bensinger by now you know I love to cook. However, I’ve never considered myself to be much of a bread baker, although, I love bread.
About a year ago I had lunch with some friends at a mall nearby, and afterwards stopped into Anthropologie to look around. If you’ve never been in that store they carry primarily women’s clothes, but also have a hodge podge of other fun items for your home, such as, unusual dishes, soaps, fragrances, candles, kitchen tools, and cookbooks. The cookbooks they carry are always unique, inspirational and typically end up on the best sellers list.
One cookbook in particular caught my eye that day because of its cover photo. I rummaged through the book and debated whether to purchase it or not – I have oodles already! I left the store without it, but kept thinking how much I wanted to make what was on the cover of that cookbook. I went into Barnes & Noble and saw it, and got on Amazon considering whether to purchase it or not. Then finally I couldn’t help myself and just had to tackle the Fresh Blueberry Brioche that was so beautifully presented on the cover of HUCKLEBERRY – Stories, Secrets, and Recipes From Our Kitchen, by Zoe Nathan, baker and restaurant owner with her husband Josh Loeb and Lauren Almerinda. The photos which are stunning are photographed by Matt Armendariz.
This just goes to show, if you have stunning photography in a cookbook, it definitely helps sell the book – I’m living proof.
The Fresh Blueberry Brioche takes 2 days to prepare, although you could feasibly do this in a day if you start early in the morning.
Since I’m not an expert at bread baking I was careful to read the instructions many times over, and then again. I made sure I had all my ingredients out, and measured ahead of time (mise en place) to insure that the mixing and blending would go smooth, and it did! This is key!!!!
Allow plenty of time when making this recipe. It really isn’t difficult, but there are quite a few steps that are critical in the outcome of the brioche. While reading the recipe below, be sure to check the notes I’ve made in italics. They were areas that I questioned whether I had done something wrong, only to see everything turn out perfectly.
I will make this Fresh Blueberry Brioche again and again, and as I perfect it I’m sure I will tweek it my own way. I can’t wait to gift these loaves to family and friends for the upcoming holidays – it’s that good!
I was so jazzed at how beautiful this turned out, but my husband couldn’t quite understand – since he’s not a foodie. When I asked him if he could recall how he felt after putting together his remote control airplane, and he said “yes,” I said, “that’s how I feel about this bread”. He totally understood then. It’s all about creating and the outcome.
We enjoyed the Fresh Blueberry Brioche, and then shared it with our neighbors to spread the love and carbs around!
I know you’ll enjoy this. If you find you have urgent questions when preparing it, don’t hesitate to contact me – I’m always happy to help.
Now to tackle the other stunning recipes in HUCKLEBERRY – I can’t wait!
This bread is spectacular inside & out! A must for everyone to make!
This keeps, wrapped well, at room temperature, for up to 3 days, but who are we kidding, it will be lucky to survive 3 minutes out of the oven.
HUCKLEBERRY - Zoe Nathan, with Josh Loeb and Laurel Almerinda