Yes, that is Dorie’s brioche recipe you see up there.  No, it’s not Mary, the Food Librarian’s pick of Banana Bundt Cake, but I had to leave town to take care of a sick relative, and I’m posting things that I made before I unexpectedly had to travel.  Thank you, Laurie, for giving us a summer break on the rules.

I had some of Dorie’s brioche dough stashed in the Time Machine, also known as my freezer.  I thawed it in the freezer refrigerator overnight, then rolled it into a rectangle, filled it with cinnamon, and baked it in a pie plate that I’d coated with brown sugar, butter, and walnuts.

Diet food, you see.  I am on the Dorie high-butter diet.

This time, I just improvised the recipe; before, when I made these, I followed it exactly.  The dough had been in the freezer for about five months, and while it had not lost any flavor, it did not rise as much as fresh dough, or brioche that had been frozen for a shorter period of time.  Bottom line:  next time, I’m going to use up frozen brioche dough within two to three months.

Now, if you go to the blogroll, you can see what people did with the banana bundt cake recipe!  I love seeing the creativity and funny stories that everyone has each week.  It keeps me laughing.

And be sure to check out Susan’s weekly roundup of all things yeasty, YeastSpotting.  It is one of the bright spots of my week, particularly when I’m stressed out, as I have been lately.  Thanks, Susan!

I’m back, a few pounds heavier and jet-lagged, but happy after visiting family and friends (and doing a little business) in Hawaii. The picture above is a view from Wailea on Maui. All the houses you see in the photo are expensive. Really, really expensive. The next photo, also taken in the Wailea/Makena area, is of a house that hosted the Dalai Lama earlier this year. The front gate is absolutely amazing:

A closer shot:

I know, I know, it’s a tough job but somebody had to do it.