Brioche Paste

One cake of compressed yeast, a pinch of salt, one and one fourth cupfuls of butter, four cupfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, two tablespoon fuls of warm water, and seven eggs. Dissolve the yeast in the water, adding a little more water if necessary, and rubbing the yeast cake with a spoon until thoroughly dissolved. Stir in enough sifted flour to make a stiff dough, rolling and patting with the hands until thoroughly mixed. Drop this ball of paste into a kettle of warm water and let stand in a moderate temperature until it has a little more than doubled in bulk. (Some recipes for Brioche say that the ball of paste should be light enough to float.) Put the remainder of the four cupfuls of flour into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, salt, and butter, softened but not melted, and four of the eggs, unbeaten. With the hand mix carefully to a paste, beat smooth, and add the rest of the eggs, unbeaten, one at a time. Take the ball of paste, when light, out of the "warm water with a skimmer, and, still using the hand, incorporate it carefully with the egg mixture, folding the two together as lightly as possible. Let rise, in a moderate temperature, until double in bulk. Then turn the paste on a floured board and pat and fold with the hands until smooth in texture and inclined to stay in shape. Let rise once more until very light, then put into the refrigerator and let stand over night.

Brioche Rolls

Roll a large lump of Brioche dough into a thin sheet on a floured board or pastry slab, working lightly and quickly, spread with softened butter, and fold so that the paste will be in three layers. Cut in strips an inch wide and twist, working from the ends, and arrange in circles on a baking-sheet, the ends of the strips pointing inward. The rolls should be very close together in the pan. Beat the yolk of an egg, dilute it with as much milk, and brush the rolls with the mixture. Let them rise a few minutes, then bake about half an hour in a moderate oven. A little sugar and water may be spread over the tops if desired.

Brioche Buns

Shape the chilled paste into small balls, and put a bit of citron or a few raisins on the top of each one. Let rise a few moments and bake half an hour in a moderate oven.

Brioche Breakfast Cake

Butter a round cake-tin which has a tube in the centre, fill it half full of chilled Brioche paste, and let rise till the pan is two thirds full. Bake in a moderate oven and turn out. It should be torn apart with the fingers - not cut.

Bath Buns

Dissolve a cake of yeast in two cupfuls of warm water. Add enough flour to make a moderately stiff sponge, let rise about two hours. Cream together one half cupful each of butter and sugar, add one cupful of lukewarm milk, a pinch of salt, and two eggs, well beaten. Mix with the sponge, let rise an hour longer, then knead, shape into buns, arrange close together in a baking-pan, and let rise till very light. Bake in a moderate oven.

"Bath Bunny, Currant Bunny, sang a comic song, Bath Bunny, Currant Bunny, sang it loud and long ; When his friends had told him that he gave them all a pain, Bath Bunny, Currant Bunny, sang it twice again."

Louis Wain.