Buttery

Hotel Kitano’s breakfast brioche

It took my breath away when we put our foot inside the hotel room in 2010. The European style Kitano Hotel in Kobe Japan - one of my fave cities -  is absolutely gorgeous!  It is a rare occasion that we stay in that caliber of hotel when we travel around Japan. Most of hotels and inns charge by person not by room so calculate by whatever set room charge times the number of guests. It’s ridiculous old system if you ask me but they are not asking my opinion!

Though it was way over our price point, I really ‘Really’ wanted to stay there. I called the hotel directly because they were not on Cheap-hotel.com obviously. When I negotiated the price from nearly $500 to about $270 per person with breakfast, I had an another dilemma-how am I going to tell my husband about this extravaganza? Yep! There is TV in the bathroom.

Well, I didn’t. The hotel delivered him a statement in the morning after breakfast. My husband did a  double-take on it then handed over his credit card without uttering a word. Honey, do you know that their breakfast is the world’s best?  I’m not kidding! Critics (who are they anyway?) call their breakfast the ‘number one breakfast in the world’ yet my husband was not saying anything still. I know I know, who can claim that their breakfast is the world’s best,right? Unless they tried every breakfast in the world? Ha ha…..Mmmmm, his silence is killing me. I took home this souvenir.

This brioche is one of many delectables served on delicate, fine china plates. Impeccable mannered waitress explained every course with finesse. Spread flavored butter on it to enhance the experience. It was magical!  You could have the same breakfast without staying the hotel for $60 per person too, then you can honestly say that you had  ‘the best in the world breakfast’.

Ingredients for brioche. Makes 1, 8-1/2 X 4-1/4 or 2, 3-1/4 X 5-1/2 loaf pans

Special Equipment-Bread maker

• Bread flour 210g
• Cake flour 50g
• Dry yeast 3g
• Eggs 150g about 2 and 1/2 egg-I recommend to weigh it. Set aside the unused egg. Beat well.
• Unsalted butter 120g cut in cubes
• Heavy cream 25g
• Sugar 18g
• Sanonto 18g *
• Salt 5g

1. In the bread maker pan, put bread flour in first then yeast, cover the yeast with cake flour. Add sugars, salt and butter. Pour in egg and cream from edge of pan. Note; Yeast should not touch salt or liquid at this stage.
2. Choose dough/1st raise setting.
3. When it’s done, put dough in ungreased loaf pan(s). Store in warm place for 2nd raise about 50 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 355 F Brush top of dough with unused egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

* Sanonto “Three warm sugar” is a specialty Japanese sugar. It’s type of brown sugar but the process is different. The sugar gives depth to dish.  Although it is available in Japanese market, you may want to substitute light brown sugar?

The brioche turned out to be gift worthy. It is the perfect size to take to someone nice without overwhelming them. I hope they like it.

 

Other blogger’s recipe

Fellow food blogger and Japanese, Nami has a splendid blog. Her blog attracts thousands of people every day. Her great photos and easy to follow instructions well explain why she is such a successful blogger that I want to be someday…wait! no actually I don’t. I’m so lazy and not detail oriented. I just enjoy leaning by visiting other blogger’s and trying their foods! I made her dish one night and it was great with one hitch. When it’s time to grill, rain started falling. My husband  broiled the ribs instead. Still it was delish!

Care for tea?  A friend stopped by for tea. She brought lemony madeleines she made from scratch. I love it! Our whole family loves it. Our garden is looking good. Fig twins?Gumi tree.Cute, very cute Honey.