Saucisson brioché

Mix and knead the brioche. Mix 250 g flour, yeast, sugar, salt, 150 g egg and 50 ml milk until no dry flour remains, then knead while adding the 125 g soft butter gradually until the dough is smooth, elastic and glossy. Use stand mixer with dough hook. Allow 15 minutes. The dough is smooth, elastic and glossy, and stretches thinly without immediately tearing. Gradual butter incorporation lets the gluten structure form before enrichment fully coats it. Keep raw egg refrigerated until mixing.

First proof. Cover the dough and let it rest while it rises at a moderate room temperature. Use mixing bowl. Allow 75 minutes passive rest. The dough has expanded to roughly twice its starting volume and feels aerated. A full first proof gives the enriched dough enough gas and extensibility for wrapping. Keep the proofing area below 24 °C.

Poach and cool the saucisson. While the dough proofs, place the saucisson in barely simmering water and cook for 30 minutes, then lift it out, confirm 71 °C, cool for 30 minutes, peel and dry it thoroughly. Use large saucepan, rack, thermometer. Keep to gentle simmer. Allow 30 minutes cooking plus 30 minutes cooling concurrent with the first proof. The sausage centre reaches 71 °C, and after cooling its surface is dry enough for flour to cling. Cooling and drying prevent steam and surface moisture from creating a gummy tunnel inside the brioche. After cooling, refrigerate the cooked sausage if the dough is not ready; cumulative room-temperature exposure must remain under 2 hours.

Wrap the sausage. Knock back the dough, roll it to an even rectangle, dust the cooled dry sausage lightly with the 10 g flour, enclose it completely and place seam-side down in a buttered or lined 23 × 10 cm loaf tin. Use rolling pin, 23 × 10 cm loaf tin. Allow 15 minutes. The sausage is centred and fully enclosed by an even layer of dough with the seam sealed underneath. An even dough envelope promotes a regular slice and limits empty gaps. Use the cooked, cooled sausage rather than warm meat.

Final proof. Cover the loaf loosely and let it rest while it rises again at no more than 24 °C. Use loaf tin. Keep to room temperature. Allow 30 minutes passive rest. The brioche looks visibly puffy and a light fingertip press springs back slowly. A short final proof gives the wrapped loaf volume without holding cooked meat warm for too long. Keep this final proof to 30 minutes and within the cumulative two-hour room-temperature limit for the cooked sausage.

Glaze and bake. Brush with the 50 g beaten egg and bake at 180 °C until the brioche is deeply golden and fully set around the sausage. Use oven, pastry brush, loaf tin, thermometer. Keep to 180 °C oven. Allow 35 minutes. The crust is deep golden, the brioche at the side of the sausage is set rather than gummy and the loaf centre is at least 74 °C. The 74 °C centre criterion safely reheats the previously cooked meat while the crumb finishes baking. Steam escapes when the loaf is cut; check the centre temperature before removing from the oven.

Rest before slicing. Move the loaf to a rack and rest it before cutting into eight thick slices. Use wire rack, serrated knife. Allow 20 minutes passive rest. The crumb has settled enough to slice cleanly without compressing around the sausage. A short rest sets the enriched crumb and reduces tearing. Do not leave the meat-filled loaf at room temperature for extended holding.