Baked Camembert in a Brioche Bread Bowl

Method

Brioche

1. Activate the yeast

   Put the yeast, sugar, lukewarm water and lukewarm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir together and leave for 30 minutes. You should see some bubbles or a light froth forming on the surface, showing the yeast is active.
   30 min timer

2. Make the brioche dough

   Add the flour, egg and salt to the yeast mixture and mix with the dough hook for 2–3 minutes, until the dough has come together. Add the softened butter and continue mixing until you have mixed for about 10 minutes in total. The dough should be smooth, elastic and slightly tacky, starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
   10 min timer

3. First rise

   Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, or until it has at least doubled in size. Use the size of the dough rather than the clock as your guide. Take the Camembert out of the fridge during this rise so it can lose some of its chill.
   60 min timer

Camembert

1. Prepare the Camembert

   Remove all packaging from the Camembert. Cut a shallow diamond pattern across the top with a sharp knife. Slice the garlic very thinly and tuck the slivers into the cuts with small pieces of rosemary. Finish with a little freshly ground black pepper.

Shape

1. Shape the brioche

   Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Place it on baking parchment on a baking tray. Press down firmly in the middle with your fingertips, working outwards to create a hollow the same size as the Camembert. Flatten the dough underneath the cheese so the base is quite thin, around 1cm before the second rise, while keeping considerably more dough around the outside to form a generous raised edge. Place the Camembert in the centre and gently shape the dough so the brioche hugs the sides without covering the top.
   Why this mattersThe 500g Camembert insulates the dough directly underneath it. Keeping the base thin helps it bake through at the same time as the thicker brioche rim.

2. Second rise

   Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm for 30–35 minutes. The brioche should become visibly puffed around the Camembert. Because the cheese is already in place, the dough rises naturally around it and creates the bread bowl shape.
   35 min timer

Bake

1. Heat Charlie and egg wash

   Towards the end of the second rise, bring Charlie to around 180°C using lumpwood charcoal and position a rack around the middle to upper-middle part of the oven. Beat the egg with a good pinch of fine sea salt and brush generously over all the exposed brioche, taking care not to coat the Camembert.
   Why this mattersBrioche contains butter, egg and sugar, so it colours faster than an ordinary loaf. Keeping it a little further from the charcoal lets the radiant heat from the chamber bake the dough more evenly without scorching the base.

2. Bake

   Place the brioche into Charlie and close the door. Bake at approximately 180°C for 28–32 minutes. Check at around 28 minutes rather than repeatedly opening the oven. The brioche should be a rich golden brown and feel firm and baked around the sides, while the Camembert should feel completely soft beneath the rind. If using a probe thermometer, check one of the thickest parts of the brioche rather than the cheese; around 88–92°C is a useful indication that the bread has baked through. Rotate the tray once towards the end only if one side needs more colour.
   30 min timer

Serve

1. Rest and serve the Camembert

   Leave to stand for about 5 minutes. Put the whole brioche in the middle of the table while still warm, cut through the top of the Camembert and scoop out the molten cheese with pieces of brioche torn from around the edge. Serve with ripe figs and folds of Parma ham.
   5 min timer

2. Turn it into a salad bowl

   Once most of the Camembert has disappeared, whisk the lemon juice with the Dijon mustard, then gradually whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Keep the dressing quite sharp. Lightly dress the green leaves and pile them into the empty centre of the brioche. Keep tearing pieces from the sides and eat them with the dressed leaves.