Enriched Dough

An enriched dough contains fat, eggs, milk, sugar or any combination of the four, in addition to the basic flour, water, salt and yeast of a lean bread. Brioche, challah, panettone, babka and the chocolate orange couronne are all enriched. The additions give a soft, pillowy crumb, a golden colour and a rich flavour, but they also slow gluten development and yeast activity. Enriched doughs therefore take longer to knead, longer to prove, and reward patience. They benefit from a warm proving environment and a careful eye, as their high sugar content can make them brown quickly and burn at the edges.