No. 3233

Crown of Brioche

Couronne de Brioche

Put two pounds of brioche paste (No. 130) that has been sufficiently raised and hardened on ice on a floured table, form it into a ball and lay it on a round baking sheet covered with paper; flatten it slightly with the hands and make a hole in the center, spreading out the paste so that it forms into a large ring; place it on a baking dish, equalize, egg and gash a round inside of the crown with the tip of a knife, raising the dough; push into a well-heated oven and bake for thirty-five minutes. These crowns can be made of a smaller size, two ounces each, to be served for breakfast.

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For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer assumes you already have his brioche paste (No. 130) chilled and ready; everything here is shaping and baking. The instruction that matters is the chilling — cold, firm dough is what lets you open a ring that holds its shape.

Two pounds of pasteThat is the finished weight of dough, not flour. A rich brioche made with about 500 g flour, 5-6 eggs and 250 g butter comes out at roughly two pounds or a little more, enough for one large crown.
"Hardened on ice"After the first rise, the dough went into the icebox to firm the butter. Refrigerate overnight; a warm brioche dough cannot be opened into a ring without slumping and weeping butter.
"Well-heated oven"Ranhofer gives no number; for a large enriched loaf this is usually taken as somewhere around 375-400F. Any hotter and the egg-washed crust sets and colors before the crumb is through; if it darkens early, tent it with foil.
Thirty-five minutesRight for a single large crown. The small two-ounce ones need roughly 12-15 minutes. Internal temperature of about 190F is a surer test than color.
Egg and gash"Egg" is egg wash — a whole egg beaten with a spoonful of milk or water. The gash is a shallow cut around the inner edge, lifted slightly so the dough opens decoratively as it springs.
The holeMake it larger than looks right, at least 4-5 inches across. Proofing and oven spring close a ring dramatically, and a crown that has healed shut in the middle bakes unevenly.
Baking sheet, paper, baking dishRanhofer shapes on a papered sheet and then says "place it on a baking dish"; the text is redundant here, and the sheet may simply be set on or into a second pan. Parchment on a heavy sheet pan is all that is needed now.
Final proofThe recipe skips it, but a chilled shaped crown wants 1-2 hours at room temperature until visibly puffed before it is egged and baked.
YieldOne large crown serves 10-12, cut in wedges or pulled apart; the two-ounce version makes about sixteen breakfast rolls.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer, chef of Delmonico's, filed this among the large cakes for entremets — the sweet course — and it is one of a run of brioche shapes in The Epicurean (1894): the crown, the brioche with a head, and the small breakfast forms, all drawn from the same master paste at No. 130. The ring shape is old French bakery practice, and it is often said that a hollow center helps a very rich dough bake through, though that is a rationalisation rather than a documented reason; the same shape appears in the couronne of bread and the crowns of choux and savarin. The name is simply "crown," and the gash raised around the inner edge is there to make the finished loaf look like one. That Ranhofer troubles to note the two-ounce version "to be served for breakfast" is a reminder that his book was written for a restaurant kitchen.