Bubble-Top Brioches

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons active yeast dry (measured from two)
• 2.8 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 large eggs with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze) beaten to blend
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 0.3 cup warm milk whole (110°F to 115°F)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 12 tablespoons butter unsalted room temperature ()
• 0.3 cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• blender
• plastic wrap
• aluminum foil
• muffin liners
• muffin tray

Directions

1. Combine 1/4 cup warm water and warmmilk in bowl of heavy-duty mixer fittedwith paddle attachment.
2. Sprinkle yeastover and stir to moisten evenly.
3. Letstand until yeast dissolves, stirringoccasionally, about 8 minutes.
4. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture.Blend at medium-low speed until shaggylumps form, scraping down sides of bowloccasionally, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add eggs,1 at a time, beating until blended aftereach addition. Beat in sugar. Increasemixer speed to medium; beat untildough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
6. Reduce speed to low.
7. Add butter,1 tablespoon at a time, beating untilblended after each addition, about 4minutes (dough will be soft and silky).Increase speed to medium-high and beatuntil dough pulls away from sides of bowland climbs paddle, 8 to 9 minutes.
8. Lightly butter large bowl. Scrape doughinto bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
9. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area untilalmost doubled in volume, about 1 hour15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
10. Gently deflate dough by lifting aroundedges, then letting dough fall back intobowl, turning bowl and repeating as needed.Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap andchill, deflating dough in same way every30 minutes until dough stops rising, about2 hours. Chill overnight. (At this point,use the dough to make 12 brioches, or 6brioches and 1 tart, or 2 tarts.)
11. Butter 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffincups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; cuteach piece into thirds.
12. Roll each small piecebetween palms into ball.
13. Place 3 balls ineach prepared cup (dough will fill cup).
14. Place muffin pan in warm draft-freearea; lay sheet of waxed paper over.
15. Letdough rise until light and almost doubled(dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above toprim of muffin cups), 50 to 60 minutes.
16. Position rack in center of oven andpreheat to 400°F.
17. Place muffin pan onrimmed baking sheet. Gently brush eggglaze over risen dough, being careful thatglaze does not drip between dough and pan(which can prevent full expansion in oven).
18. Bake brioches until golden brown,covering with foil if browning too quickly,about 20 minutes.
19. Transfer pan to rack.Cool 10 minutes.
20. Remove brioches frompan.
21. Serve warm or at room temperature.
22. Bon Appétit