Relishing It

A few weeks back I wrote about brioche — that delicious buttery French bread.  I used half of the dough to make one of my favorite recipes, these sticky buns.   Here’s the thing, in that roll recipe I said you could use half of the dough recipe for rolls, while the other could be made into a fantastic bread.  Full disclosure, that bread loaf rarely stays in it’s original form at my house.  The reason is…bostock.  It’s simple, yet amazing.  Ordinary (though it’s anything but) brioche bread is transformed into a slightly sweet, almond-y treat that begs you to linger over a cup of coffee.  Its exterior is crisp, with a soft, filling body.  Bostock has become my pastry of choice when seeking out sweets at area bakeries.  Now, with the brioche bread recipe, I  make it at home and serve it with strong push-press French coffee.

While you can make as little of the loaf of brioche into bostock as you like, I suggest making the entire thing– you’ll end up craving it after you’ve had a piece or two.  The covered almond cream keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The Recipe: Bostock

Use a loaf of brioche from this recipe.

Almond Cream:

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup ground blanched almonds (I usually don’t blanch mine)

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 large egg

2 teaspoons dark rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Make the Cream Using a Food Processor:  Put the butter and sugar in the food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and satiny.  Add the ground almonds and continue to process until well blended.  Add the flour and cornstarch and process to blend, then add the egg.  Process for about 15 seconds more, or until the almond cream is homogeneous.  Add the rum or vanilla and pulse just to blend.

To Assemble the Bostock: Cut a slice of brioche to 1/2  to  3/4- inch thick.  Spread the bread with about 3 tablespoons almond cream, leaving a little border bare, and scatter over some sliced almonds, blanched or not.  Put the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and bake at 350°F until the almond cream is puffed and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve the bostock warm or at room temperature.

Source:  Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from my home to yours

You are going to love this little breakfast treat and you’ll find yourself baking and freezing an extra loaf of bread so you can have these gems whenever you want.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  As always — drop me a comment, I love hearing from you!

Laurie

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