Yeast Affection!

Yesterday, I managed to find some fresh yeast in town and it's got me all excited about all the possible delicacies I could get out of it.

Who gets excited about yeast you might wonder? I do, but only with the fresh type cos I love its texture, its smell and basically I feel a bit like a professional baker when I have some in the house.
As it happens, my great grandfather was a baker so maybe the desire to bake runs in the family! Let's hope I don't inherit other (less savoury) family traits because, in terms of weirdos, alcoholics and other delightful types of people, my family can be thought of as rather 'gifted'. The axe story does spring to mind but now is not the time for this fine tale of French countryside!

So, I went home with my pot of yeast and started looking for potential recipes. I thought bread at first and then of course my gluttony dictated something sweet instead. I looked into making a brioche but again I wasn't completely satisfied with what I found online. Then, I came across a recipe for a tarte de ménage comtois (bit of a mouthful for the non-bilingual type I agree). Basically, it's a bit like a flat brioche with a soft custard centre. It's an old regional recipe from France, which I had never come across during the 21 years I lived there. I decided to give it a try as I love brioche and my husband loves custard. Marriage is all about compromise after all!

The dough was pretty easy to make but needed proving twice so it's not exactly a treat you bake at the last minute.
After the yeast has worked its magic, the dough goes in a flat dish and the centre gets flattened a bit in order to accommodate the custard.

 I brushed the outer ring of the tart with some egg yolk and baked it for about 20 minutes.

The smell coming from the kitchen was absolutely amazing and I was really pleased with the result. The centre was dead soft and the brioche itself was sweet and light.

The fresh yeast has defo delivered! I ate almost half the tart by myself whilst watching Hang'em High last night.
It's still soft today but I am trying to stay clear of it...for now.

 For the dough
250g plain flour
40g caster sugar
1 egg
30g butter
1 tbsp oil
10cl milk
12g fresh yeast
a pinch of salt


For the custard
1 egg
125ml creme fraiche (single cream works too)
50g caster sugar
a bit of vanilla extract

I think I might save the rest of the yeast for the weekend and maybe make some pains au chocolat. Those little bad boys take ages though so I'm not sure yet whether I'll have time or not.
For now I'm gonna enjoy the winter sun that's gracing Gateshead and let Proust take me to Combray!