Brioche recipe: the authentic Sicilian brioche.
Bake it and dip in pistachio, coffee or almond granita.
WHAT ARE SICILIAN BRIOCHES?
In Sicily, brioche aren’t simply breakfast pastries.
They’re part of one of the island’s most beloved rituals: granita e brioche.
During the warmer months, you’ll see people sitting at cafés with a glass of almond, coffee, lemon, or pistachio granita and a soft brioche with its characteristic tuppo (“little bun”) on top. Some tear off pieces and dip them into the granita. Others fill the brioche with gelato and enjoy it as an afternoon treat.
It’s one of those simple pleasures that make a Sicilian summer unforgettable.
HOW TO MAKE SICILIAN BRIOCHES
Sicilian brioche requires a little patience, but very little technique.
The dough is enriched with butter, eggs and milk, then left to rise slowly before being shaped into the traditional form with its small tuppo on top.
Bake them until lightly golden and enjoy them warm or at room temperature.
If you’re serving them the Sicilian way, pair them with a homemade granita—or simply split them open and fill them with your favourite gelato.
Sicilian brioche
The authentic Sicilian brioche recipe.
Ingredients
- 8.8 oz Manitoba flour (or a substitute) 250 gr or 1+1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons
- 3.4 oz milk 100 gr or 1/2 cup
- 1.4 oz sugar + a few tablespoons 40 gr or 2 tablespoons
- 1.7 oz butter, room temperature 50 gr
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 eggs
- 0.2 oz dried active yeast 5 gr or 1/2 cube of fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
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Slightly heat the milk in a saucepan - a little over room temperature -, add the yeast, and mix.
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In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and salt, and incorporate.
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Add the butter and start kneading.
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Crack in one egg and knead until totally absorbed.
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Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let it rise for two hours in a warm spot. If it's Winter, place the bowl inside the oven with the light on and a kettle with boiling water next to it, this will help.
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Take back the dough and divide it into six pieces. Tear off a small amount from each. Form two balls by working the dough with your hands: a big one and a tiny one, called "tuppo". It will be a sticky dough, so work it on a floured surface and add some flour to the dough if needed, but as little as you can.
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Display the big balls, equally distanced, on an oven sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the small balls on their top and press a little to fix them.
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Let the brioches rise for two hours, covered with a cloth (inside the oven if it's Winter).
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Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C).
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Mix the remaining egg with two tablespoons of milk. Brush the brioches' surface with the egg mixture.
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Bake them for fifteen to seventeen minutes, until golden brown.
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You can have them hot or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
You have twenty-four hours to devour them, or you can freeze them before baking them and throw them in the oven for less than half an hour, as previously said, until fìgolden brown.
Enjoy your tasty Italian brioche!
Claudia