Homemade Brioche and Fig Jam

Hey there!  How is everyone?  Our summer vacation has come to an end which means the kids are back in school.  For me, that means a bit of adjusting and a little sadness.  I really miss my kids during the day when they head back to school.  We spend so much time together during the summer and I enjoy it so much that I really dislike the beginning of another school year.

So today, I decided to do something that always makes me happy because it brings up such special memories with my youngest, who loves to be in the kitchen with me.  When he was younger, he loved to help me bake bread and we had so much fun together in the kitchen. 

Brioche is a favorite of my kids and a bread that is hard to find where I live so several years ago, I learned how to bake it myself with a lot of practice.  I follow Ina Garten's recipe for brioche rolls and just make loaves out of it and let me tell ya, if you have a stand mixer, it isn't hard at all.  It also freezes perfectly so I put a loaf in the freezer for later.

You throw the ingredients into your mixer the night before and after the dough is all kneaded and gooey, put it into a large buttered bowl and stick it in the refrigerator for the night.  The next day, let that sit at room temperature for an hour.  Divide in half, shape each half into a 6" x 8" rectangle and roll up.  Place each one seam side up in two greased loaf pans.

Let them rise for a few hours till doubled in volume.

Then brush with an egg wash, which is one egg and 1 tablespoon of milk mixed together.  It will make the top of the bread golden and beautiful.

My bread was perfectly risen but when I went to brush on the egg wash, I guess I wasn't gentle enough with the pastry brush cause it deflated the bread a bit.  So after it baked, I had flat top bread.  :)  But, it's all good, it still tastes the same.

I took this outside this afternoon for a quiet little snack by myself on this cute little rattan tray with matching cloche.  If you haven't tried this fig jam, you definitely should.  It's so good!  And it went perfectly with the warm brioche.  My kids will be so excited to see this yummy treat when they get home from school today and I will be so happy to see their smiling faces! 

Have a great day!