[10] This “leopard brioche” is a 21st century concept, created by The origin of leopard milk bread (pão de leite com padrão leopard in Portuguese) can be traced back to Patricia Nascimento, a French pastry chef in southern Portugal. Here’s a recipe. Other loaves in this category include galaxy loaves, tiger bread, and patterned shokupan (photo J.P. Toons | Pixabay). Brioche also makes richer French toast and bread pudding.
TO BUTTER OR NOT TO BUTTER
In the culinary world, people debate whether one should butter a slice of already-buttery brioche. Some say, yes, some say no, some say “only if it’s toasted,” because toasting has a drying effect.
If the brioche is fresh out of the oven or still soft at room temperature, it’s already at its peak cake-like state. Adding more fat to that slice, the argument goes, can make the mouthfeel slick rather than light and pillowy.
Then comes the butter argument: sweet versus salted.
In high-end French service, toasted brioche is almost always served with a side of cultured butter, especially when paired with pâté de foie gras.
Commercial brioche often has a lower fat content, closer to 20%-25%, to make it sturdier for sandwiches. Here, adding butter brings it closer to an artisan richness.
However, for Rich Man’s Brioche (even higher fat), adding extra butter is likely overkill; the bread is already essentially a sponge of butter.
Alternatives to Plain Butter
Salted Cultured Butter: The tang of fermentation helps balance the sweetness of the bread. (Our favorite cultured butter is from Vermont Creamery).
Fruit Preserves: A tart raspberry or apricot jam provides the necessary acid to “cut” the richness.
Whipped Honey: Adds a different kind of complexity that complements the yeastiness of the bread.
[11] Regardless of what culinarians think, if you want to butter untoasted brioche, go for it! This is our favorite cultured butter. While we never eat salted butter, this one is worth every grain of salt (photo © Vermont Creamery).
BRIOCHE HISTORY
Brioche has been made in France to at least the 15th century. The word brioche first appeared in print in 1404, although it could have existed hundreds of years before then.
The name likely derives from the Old French word brier, meaning “to knead,” or from broyer, “to grind,” which could reference the kneading or grinding of flour.
While it is believed to have sprung from a traditional Norman recipe, some culinary historians have argued that brioche is probably of Roman origin.
By the 17th century, brioche was a well-established delicacy in France, but quite pricey due to its high butter and egg content and thus particularly enjoyed by the upper class.
Why Is “Let Them Eat Cake” Attributed to Marie Antoinette?
Poor Marie Antoinette (image #7) couldn’t get a break. Like all royal women, she had an arranged marriage to a stranger to secure political alliances. She arrived with daggers pointed at her by the lords and ladies. After she failed to conceive, the king’s ministers sought to find a new queen and send her to a convent. She finally bore four children, including the heir and a spare, only to have the French Revolution cost her her head at age 34.
During the French Revolution, revolutionaries used the phrase as anti-monarchist propaganda, portraying Marie Antoinette as insensitive to the suffering of the poor. Over time, the myth stuck, despite no historical record of her ever saying it.
So who did say it?
The phrase appeared in the autobiography of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (photo #8), “Les Confessions,” written in 1765 and published in 1782‡. The original French quote is:
Enfin je me rappelai le pis-aller d’une grande princesse à qui l’on disait que les paysans manquaient de pain, et qui répondit: Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.
The English translation:
Finally I remembered the last resort [i.e., course of action] of a great princess who, when told that the peasants had no bread, replied: “Let them eat brioche.”
Rousseau did not name the person who supposedly said “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” In “Confessions,” he attributes the phrase to “a great princess” (une grande princesse), but he does not specify who she was.
Who Might Rousseau Have Meant?
Since Rousseau wrote this before Marie Antoinette even arrived in France (in fact, she was between 10 and 14 years old when he wrote the book), historians believe he may have been referring to an earlier royal figure, possibly:
Maria Theresa of Spain (1638–1683), wife of Louis XIV, who was known for her lack of concern over the stuggles of the common people.
Madame Victoire (1733–1799), one of Louis XV’s daughters and sister to the executed Louis XVI, although there’s no evidence she said it.
An anonymous noblewoman—Rousseau may have simply been referencing a generic example of aristocratic indifference.
And who knows…Rousseau could have simply made the phrase up.
[12] Brioche also makes richer French toast and bread pudding. Here’s the recipe for the French toast (photo © La Cuisine de Geraldine).
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*Crumb and paste: The word “paste” refers to the portion of cheese beneath the rind—pretty much the whole cheese. In bread, “crumb” refers to the soft, inner part of a bread loaf—the soft portion inside the crust. Depending on the air pockets within the dough, the crumb can be denser or more airy, coarse or delicate. As bread baking terminology developed in the 18th century, bakers needed a way to distinguish between the soft, airy interior and the crispy crust.
†Eggs In A Basket Recipe: Cut a round hole in the center of two slices of brioche. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the brioche slices and brown on one side; flip over. Crack two eggs and add one to each hole. Cook until the eggs reach desired degree of doneness.
The word “crust” had existed since Roman times, deriving from the Latin crusta, meaning shell or hard outer layer. It entered Old English to describe the hardened outer layer of bread, as well as natural properties that formed a solid surface, like ice or the Earth. At that time, crumb (from Old English cruma) entered from a Germanic word meaning “small piece” that originally referred to broken bits of food, particularly bread.
Essentially, the term split into two meanings: one referring to the texture of the bread (crumb), and the other to the little pieces that result from breaking or cutting it (crumbs).
††The difference between brioche and challah: Both are enriched breads, meaning they contain eggs, fat, and sometimes a bit of sugar. But they differ in ingredients, origin, flavor, and texture:
Brioche originated in France and uses butter as its fat. It can be used in pastry (challah is not). It is often sweeter than challah, softer, more tender, and richer with a fine crumb. It has both sweet and savory uses, from pastries to the uses detailed below. Brioche contains dairy, so is not kosher for eating with meat.
Challah is an Ashkenazi Jewish bread, originating in Central and Eastern Europe, originally to be eaten on the Sabbath and holidays. It is mildly sweet, light, fluffy, and slightly chewy. The fat is oil which is pareve (neither meat nor dairy), so the bread can be eaten with meat per kosher dietary laws). Braiding is a hallmark of traditional Ashkenazi challah, but it is not a requirement.
Both typically use an egg wash, for a shiny, golden crust.
Both can be used for burger buns/sliders/rolls, bread pudding, croutons/breadcrumbs, sandwiches/toast/rolls.
‡Rousseau’s “Confessions,” published posthumously in 1782 but written between 1765 when Marie Antoinette was either a 10 year-old-in Austria or a 15-year-old princess in France (neither a “great princess” nor known to Rousseau—they never met, and the quote was never published elsewhere). The book was released in two volumes, with Volume 1 coming out in 1782 and Volume 2 following in 1789—the year that the French Revolution began. The work was groundbreaking for its time as one of the earliest autobiographies, where Rousseau openly explored his personal life, emotions, and flaws, creating a new genre of self-reflection in literature.
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