This is the easiest brioche recipe I have ever encountered, yet the result is delicious.

6 eggs
75 ml sugar
1 tsp salt
25 g fresh yeast
300 g unsalted butter
500 g flour

Well in advance, cut the butter in small cubes and bring to room temperature for it to soften. Whip together the eggs, add the crumbled yeast, sugar and salt. Whip until everything is well blended and the yeast has completely dissolved.

Add the flour and the soft butter. Mix until a smooth dough forms. It will be soft and sticky. Transfer the dough into a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. You may also prepare the brioche dough early in the morning, put it in refrigerator for the day and bake the brioches on the same evening.

On the next day, pour or scrape the dough from the bowl on a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead the dough to make it pliable. Do not knead for too long, so that the dough will not become too soft and sticky.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle about ½ cm thick. Try to use as little extra flour as possible. Roll up the dough, like in making a jelly roll, starting with the longer side. Cut the roll up in 3 cm wide slices. Place the slices with the cut side down in the cups of lightly buttered muffin pans.

Cover the brioches with plastic or a towel and let rise until almost doubled in size. Bake at 275 °C for about 5 - 8 minutes, depending on your oven. Watch the brioches every second during baking, they burn very easily. As soon as they are golden brown on top, take them out of the oven.

Serve the brioches while still warm, for example with jam or fresh fruit, Brie or Camembert cheese, butter and café au lait.

Although best eaten when newly baked, these brioches are also suitable for freezing. Warm frozen brioches in cool oven (under 100 °C) in heatproof, tightly closed plastic bag. Serve immediately.
Makes about 20 small brioches.

Recipe source: chef/photographer Marcel Hägglund, MTV3/Huomenta Suomi, 1999.