15h • 🍞 Recipes
Wild Herb Brioche
Gaelic Celtic Bread Challenge
A ritual bread year, one loaf each month
One loaf for each turning of the year, using modern methods to honor ancient ways. Each bake is inspired by:
- An Irish mythological deity, spirit, or persona
- A solar or lunar threshold
- The agricultural and hearth traditions that shaped Irish foodways
Bread is where grain, fire, water, and time meet, and that meeting lies at the heart of the Celtic year.
My June bake honors:
Áine and the Summer Solstice
Midsummer marks the solar climax of the year, the longest day, when the sun stands at its peak strength before beginning its slow decline.
This bake reflects three core themes:
- Solar Power: A rich, golden dough shaped into a unifying form.
- Protection: Rosemary and thyme, long associated with safeguarding the home and spirit, are bloomed in the tangzhong, carrying their oils into every crumb.
- Abundance: Milk, butter, and eggs reflect the fullness of early summer, when the land gives freely and the herd is strong.
Áine’s Midsummer Hearth Loaf
(Wild Herb Brioche)
Formula: Scaled to fit a 9 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch Cast Iron loaf pan
Total dough: 800 g
Total flour: 320 g
Hydration: 69% (including eggs)
- 100% AP Flour (320 g)
- 38% Milk (122 g)
- 50% Butter (160 g)
- 14% Sugar (45 g)
- 42% Egg (135 g)
- 2% Instant yeast (6 g)
- 2% salt (6 g)
- 0.6% Rosemary: (2 g)
- 0.8% Lemon Thyme: (3 g)
METHOD: Using a planetary mixer and a Brod & Taylor proofing box @ 26°C (78°F)
- Tangzhong: Whisk 25g flour, 75g milk, and the herbs in a pan over medium heat until a thick paste forms at 150°F. Cover and cool to room temp.
- Make dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the tangzhong, the rest of the cold milk, and cold eggs. Add the rest of the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix on speed 1 until ingredients are combined, then on speed 2 for 10 minutes.
- Emulsify: On speed 2, drop soft (20–22°C/68–71.5°F) butter cubes in gradually, over about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, giving the dough a chance to mix most of the butter in.
- Mixing Part 2: Mix on speed 2 for 15-20 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until it passes a windowpane test.
- Proofing: Cover and let rise to a 60% increase (1-1.5 hours).
- Shaping: Divide into 3 equal portions, roll into balls, and place on a parchment paper-lined pan; cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, reshape each piece into a ball and place in a well-greased 9x5 pan
- Final Rise: Cover and proof until the dough is roughly 1 inch above the pan rim (2-2.5 hrs).
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with herbs.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes and at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes with a foil cover.
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Wild Herb Brioche
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