First step was to create a sponge:
After adding additional flour it would be time to slowly mix in the butter. In the BBA there are three variations of Brioche. Rich Man’s, Middle Class, and Poor Man’s Brioche. I decided to go with the Middle Class variation, partially because I’d be mixing the butter in by hand (instead of having a stand mixer). It took a fair amount of time to mix in a half pound of butter into the dough above. Once that was done I spread out the dough on a sheet pan and let it do a cold fermentation overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day it was time to proof the dough. Because of all the butter in the dough, I’d do the shaping as soon as I removed the dough from the refrigerator. As I don’t have any brioche tins, I improvised with a muffin pan.
After letting the rolls proof and brushing them with an egg wash, it was time for them to go in the oven. They ended up with a “muffin bottom,” but still tasted great.
Of course, I had to take Nicole’s advice and make breakfast sandwiches with them in the morning!