EGG BREAD SUSANNE...DAME SUSANNE

Although this dough is similar to brioche dough, it is shaped into a cylinder and baked on a baking sheet. This recipe first appeared in 1651 in a book called Le Cuisinier Francois, written by Francois-Pierre de la Varenne, head cook to the Marquis d"Uxelles. Unfortunately, there is no record of the identity of the lady after whom the bread was named.

To make one 16 inch cylindrical loaf.

4 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
2 packages active dry yeast, or two 3/5 oz. {18 g) cakes fresh yeast, crumbled
6 Tbsp. tepid milk
6 egg yolks, beaten
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
21 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 egg for glaze

Pour 1 cup of the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Place the yeast and half of the milk in the well.

Using your fingers tips, quickly mix the yeast and milk together; then gradually work in the flour. Add a little more milk, if necessary, to soften the mixture. Put this yeast sponge into a bowl and let it rise for one hour in a warm place.

Place the rest of the flour on the work surface. Make a well in the center and fill it with the egg yolks and two of the eggs. Add the salt and mix well. Heat the rest of the milk with the butter until the butter has melted. Gradually incorporate the milk and butter into the flour and eggs, mixing well. Knead the dough until it is smooth and soft. Then work the yeast sponge into the egg dough, and knead them together thoroughly for 10 minutes.

Shape the dough into a high loaf about 16 inches long and place the loaf on a buttered baking sheet. Let the loaf rise in a warm place for about one and a half hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.

Glaze the top of the loaf with the beaten egg. Using a sharp knife or a razor blade, make several deep cuts in the top of the loaf; the incisions should be fairly long and curve around to the sides. Bake the loaf in a preheated 350 F. oven for about one hour, or until it sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom.

Celine Vence and Robert J. Courtine
The Grand Masters of French Cuisine.