Ingredients
1/2 oz fresh (cake) yeast or 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
9 large eggs, divided
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Preparation
Rub yeast into flour in a bowl. Stir in sugar and salt. Fold in 8 eggs with scraper, rotating bowl, until liquid is absorbed and a wet, sticky dough forms. Scrape dough out onto an unfloured surface. (Dough will be a sticky mess. Don’t be tempted to add additional flour. Spread dough out on work surface and place butter over dough. Fold dough over butter to enclose, Transfer dough to a floured clean surface. Form into a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured bowl and cover with a kitchen towel Let rise until doubled, about 8 hours. Preheat oven to 400ºF with rack in middle. Butter brioche molds. put in a brioche mold. let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until tripled, about 2 1/2 hours. brush loaf all over with some of egg wash. Bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
