Is making brioche dough relaxing, or is it a pain? Do you ever start doing something, only to lose interest in the middle of it?

Making brioche dough is perfect for that. Because right when you want to take a break, the recipe gives you one, telling you to put everything away and call it a day.

You store the dough in the fridge until the next day. It gives you something to look forward, and it gives the dough a chance to relax and turn into this beautiful manageable piece of dough.

So today, to celebrate the warmer spring weather, I thought it would be fun to make ice cream sandwiches, only I decided to make little buns out of the brioche dough, instead of using wafers or cookies. They remind me of little cream puffs, only better!

They taste great on their own, but if you are feeling really decadent, try serving them with some raspberry coulis, creme anglaise, hot chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and/or maraschino cherries! The possibilities are endless! I wonder if one can coat them in crunchy ice cream batter and deep fry them, like a fried ice cream dessert! Hmmm, that might have to be another post…

Brioche Ice Cream Sandwiches (slightly modified from this epicurious recipe for golden brioche)

ingredients

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)

1/3 cup warm milk

1 Tablespoon + 1 and 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 + 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 2-ounce pieces

1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk

method

Put water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and add a pinch of the sugar and the yeast, stirring gently until the yeast is all wet and starts to bloom. Wait about 10 minutes, until foamy.

While yeast is blooming, sift the flours, salt, sugar and milk powder into a bowl and stir with a whisk.

Add to the yeast in the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low with the dough hook. After about a minute, stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue to beat on low for a few minutes, adding eggs, one at a time, and only adding each egg after the previous one has fully been incorporated. Mix on medium for about 3 minutes.

Decrease speed to low and slowly add the butter in 2 ounce increments, adding only after each piece of butter has disappeared into the dough. Continue to beat, increasing to high speed after all the butter has been added, and keep beating until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 8-10 minutes.

Scrape down bowl and form into a ball and put plastic over the top of the bowl tightly, leaving the bowl in a warm place without a draft, letting dough double in size. Punch bowl down and use a rubber spatula to scrap dough into the center of the dough, deflating it. Cover again tightly and place dough in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, punch dough down and portion out dough into 1-ounce pieces. This makes about three and a half dozen (one ounce) pieces. If you don’t feel like making that many pieces, just portion out the amount you want and leave the rest in the fridge, or wrap tightly and freeze for later.

With each one ounce portion, form into a ball by flattening one in one hand while tucking in the edges into the bottom with the other and pinching the bottom, placing the pinched side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Space them apart at least two inches. Cover with a plastic that has been lightly greased or sprayed with a baking spray. Let rest for an hour until doubled in size.

Whisk an egg with 1 Tablespoon milk and using a pastry  brush, gently brush the tops and sides of each bun. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 20-25 minutes. Tops should be golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut horizontally, as you would for small hamburger buns. Use preferred ice cream flavors for making little sandwiches. Enjoy!