Summer berries and Autumn fruits: blueberry and almond brioche loaf recipe

It's easy to prepare the first stage the night before and then simply assemble the loaf and leave it to rise the next morning.

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Annie Rigg11 July 2017

Serves 6–8

Ingredients
*125ml full-fat milk, plus extra for brushing
*40g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced
*250g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
*5g fast-action/easy-blend dried yeast
*25g caster sugar, plus 1–2 tablespoons for sprinkling
*a large pinch of salt
*1 medium egg, lightly beaten
*sunflower oil, for greasing
​*200g blueberries
*1 medium egg white

For the frangipane
*​125g ground almonds
*75g unsalted butter, softened
*75g caster sugar
*2 medium eggs
*25g plain flour
*finely grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*a pinch of salt

Method

1. Warm the milk until it’s just a shade warmer than hand hot, add the butter and stir until melted. Thoroughly combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt with a balloon whisk, before tipping everything into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook – this dough is quite soft and sticky, so it’s easier to mix using a machine than by hand.

2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm milk mixture. Add the beaten egg, mix well and knead on a medium speed for 5 minutes until silky smooth and elastic.

3. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled large mixing bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave in a warm, draught-free place for 11/2–2 hours or until doubled in size. Alternatively, prove overnight in the fridge.

4. Meanwhile, whizz all the frangipane ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

5. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and knead the dough for 30 seconds to knock out any air pockets. On a large sheet of baking parchment, roll the dough out into a rectangle 40 x 30cm and with one of the shorter sides closest to you. Mentally divide the dough into thirds from left to right and spread the frangipane into a neat, vertical rectangle in the middle third, leaving a 2–3cm border at the top and bottom. Scatter the blueberries evenly over the frangipane. Take a sharp knife and, starting on the right-hand third, cut the dough into 12 strips running slightly diagonally down from the edge of the filling outwards, leaving a 2–3cm rectangle top and bottom.

6. Repeat on the left-hand side, ensuring that the strips are equal in number and width to those on the right-hand side. Brush the dough with a little milk and fold the top and bottom rectangles over to seal. Starting with the strip on the top left-hand side, fold it over to encase the filling, followed by the top right-hand strip. Repeat all the way down the loaf, overlapping each strip as you go.

7. Slide the loaf, still on the parchment, onto a large baking tray, loosely cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes–1 hour or until almost doubled in size again.

8. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Beat the egg white until foamy, gently brush over the bread and scatter with caster sugar. Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170.C/gas mark 3 and cook for a further 10–15 minutes or until golden brown and well risen. You may need to turn the tray around in the oven halfway through baking to ensure that the loaf browns evenly.

9. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

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Taken from Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits by Annie Rigg, published by Kyle Books, photography by Tara Fisher