Brioche Siciliana con Gelato

It's Father's Day in most parts of the world except Italy (and maybe some other countries).  In Italy, it is celebrated every 19th of March for the day of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day) because it is considered as a religious event to celebrate the life of Joseph, the father of Jesus.  But this doesn't stop me from celebrating it in my home since I grew up celebrating it every third Sunday of June in my parents' home.  Father's Day, as well as Mother's Day were important occasions for my parents.  They were the only special days when we can show our appreciation to them, giving them handmade cards and gifts and moving on to more sophisticated store-bought gifts as we got older.  Years have passed when both of them slipped away from us but these special days remain to be celebrated in my heart. 

Father's Day, doubly celebrated in my family, now goes to the appreciation of my husband for being the epitome of how a father should be.  My kids give him hugs and kisses on this day because he already gets all the handmade cards and gifts that they created in school and shouts of love every 19th of March.  I, on the other hand, created this advance Father's Day Sicilian summer breakfast that he loves.  Brioche con gelato is one way of waking up happily to a hot summer in Sicily when he was young and everytime we encounter a bar serving them in Rome (rarely), he will sit down and relish every single bite of this gigantic brioche filled up with gelato.  There's no better way to show appreciation to a father for a job well done.  

Another way of having a cool Sicilian breakfast is with granita and brioche which I made a post about last year dubbed A Sicilian Summer Breakfast: Tris di Granita con Brioche.  I made 3 flavors of granite, namely granita di mirtilli (bilberry granita), granita di mandorle (almond granita) and granita di pistacchio di Bronte (Bronte pistachio granita), all eaten with brioche.  

Happy Father's Day to all the men celebrating fatherhood! 

A Sicilian Summer Breakfast: Tris di Granita con Brioche - See more at: http://www.apronandsneakers.com/2012/05/sicilian-summer-breakfast-tris-di.html#sthash.ATQs52XJ.dpuf

Brioche Siciliana con Gelato

Brioche
Ingredients: Makes 6

• 250 g. manitoba flour 
• 250 g. flour "00" + some for sprinkling
• 3 eggs 
• 1 egg yolk
• 15 g.  fresh baker's yeast (lievito di birra)
• 70 g. sugar
• 175 ml. milk + about a tablespoon for brushing the brioche
• 15 g. honey
• 80 g. softened butter
• 8 g. salt

1. Crumble yeast in a small bowl.  Add a little bit of lukewarm water, about 1/4 cup.   Mix well until yeast melts.  
2. Mix flour, sugar, honey and melted yeast in a bowl.  Mix well.  Add milk.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add salt little at a time.  And lastly, the butter.  Mix until elastic.  
3. Sprinkle flour on wooden board for working on the dough and dust your hands with flour too.  Transfer dough to the board.  Form a ball by getting the dough from the outer part, folding it inwards.  
4. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap.  Leave it in the fridge overnight.
5. The following morning, take it out from the fridge for at least an hour to reach room temperature.
6. Dusting flour on your hands, fold the dough again by getting the outer part, folding it inwards.  
7. Divide the dough to 6 parts (weighing approximately 70 g.) for the brioche and other 6 parts (weighing approximately 10 g.) for the little balls on top. 
8. Shape the little balls.  Set aside.  Shape them to 6 big balls with a little crater in the middle to put the little balls.  
9. Line them up in a baking pan covered with parchment paper.  
10. Cover with a plastic wrap inside the oven with the light on at an average temperature of 30 degrees Celcius to make it rise.  You can also leave it in warm place.  Leave for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the size has doubled.   
11. Whisk egg yolk and the remaining milk, about a tablespoon.
12. Brush this mixture on top of all the brioche.  
13. Put back the brioche in the pre-heated oven at 190 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes or until they have attained a rich golden color.

- See more at: http://www.apronandsneakers.com/2012/05/sicilian-summer-breakfast-tris-di.html#sthash.ATQs52XJ.dpuf

Ingredients:
Makes 6

• 250 g. manitoba flour 
• 250 g. flour "00" + some for sprinkling
• 3 eggs 
• 1 egg yolk
• 15 g.  fresh baker's yeast (lievito di birra)
• 70 g. sugar
• 175 ml. milk + about a tablespoon for brushing the brioche
• 15 g. honey
• 80 g. softened butter
• 8 g. salt
• 2 - 3 flavors of gelato

Directions:

1. Crumble yeast in a small bowl.  Add a little bit of lukewarm water, about 1/4 cup.   Mix well until yeast melts.  
2. Mix flour, sugar, honey and melted yeast in a bowl.  Mix well.  Add milk.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add salt little at a time.  And lastly, the butter.  Mix until elastic.  
3. Sprinkle flour on wooden board for working on the dough and dust your hands with flour too.  Transfer dough to the board.  Form a ball by getting the dough from the outer part, folding it inwards.  
4. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap.  Leave it in the fridge overnight.
5. The following morning, take it out from the fridge for at least an hour to reach room temperature.
6. Dusting flour on your hands, fold the dough again by getting the outer part, folding it inwards.  
7. Divide the dough to 6 parts (weighing approximately 70 g.) for the brioche and other 6 parts (weighing approximately 10 g.) for the little balls on top. 
8. Shape the little balls.  Set aside.  Shape them to 6 big balls with a little crater in the middle to put the little balls.  
9. Line them up in a baking pan covered with parchment paper.  
10. Cover with a plastic wrap inside the oven with the light on at an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius to make it rise.  You can also leave it in warm place.  Leave for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours until the size has doubled.   
11. Whisk egg yolk and the remaining milk, about a tablespoon.
12. Brush this mixture on top of all the brioche.  
13. Put back the brioche in the pre-heated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or until they have attained a rich golden color.  Take them out of the oven and let them cool. 
14. Slice the brioche in the middle and fill them up with any flavor of gelato.  Serve immediately.