Re: Way,WAY off topic diatribe -was : Paying to present

[Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>]

There's more to the history.  It's another example of how natural events
make history.  The main difference between brioche and bread is the type
of wheat.  Bread is made from hi gluten wheat flour, while brioche, lo,
cake flour.  The year before the revolution the winter was longer and
destroyed the early (bread wheat) crop.  The late crop (low gluten,
cake) survived, so was available.  I suppose the bakers could have made
a, not very satisfactory, bread from the available cake flour,  I
suspect even so, there wouldn't have been enuff to satisfy need.
Because of the lo gluten more time is spent in expanding the dough.
Most recipes require 3 X and use an enriched dough (eggs and cream).
The original brioche used brie.  [Invented in the Brie region of
France.]  By Marie's time the Brie was replaced by butter and eggs, and
often sweetener.  Therefore, Brioche is a cake and, I'm rather certain,
much more expensive than a simple salt, flour, water, and yeast bread.

There are now many types of brioche bearing such names as brioche bread,
brioche cake, and even challah.

Brioche bread is baked in bread tins or on a sheet, brioche cake in
brioche tins (muffin).

History:


http://letsbake.frostbitten.org/bk110/bk110day6.html


http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_334.html



http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_marie_antoinette.htm

bc

John Clement wrote:

> > =20
> > [But I say only: Let them eat cake
>
> Remember that this comment attributed to Marie Antoinette is very mis=
> quoted.
> She actually said "Let them eat brioche".  Brioche is a type of sweet=
> bread
> which does not be come stale for a long time.  In contrast the baguet=
> te must
> be eaten immediately.  The bakers were not baking baguette, but there=
> was
> not a shortage of brioche.  Yes, it was a bit snotty, but not as much=
> as the
> misquoted version.
>
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX