Gibassier Sweet Buns

Eva, author of Bake-Street, returns to the blog to bring us a delicious recipe for sweet breads you will love. They are called Gibassier, a type of bread with a texture between brioche dough and roscón de Reyes. Can you resist?

The gibassier has been quite a discovery for me and I had wanted to make it for a long time. The origin of its name is not very clear; it is believed it may have been taken from the summit El Gibas of the Luberon mountain. This type of sweet bread is traditional in Provence, it is a dough flavored with anise, candied orange and orange blossom water.

Its exterior appearance may remind us of the traditional fougasse (a variety of savory bread also from Provence to which aromatic herbs, cheese, olives… are often added). The version we are going to make is much more tender; I would say it’s a mix between brioche and roscón de Reyes (in flavor and texture).

Acacia wood MasterClass cutting board

It is very common for gibassier to be confused with the “pompe à l'huile”, another variety of bread with a very similar appearance that resembles a sweet focaccia and is commonly given as a gift at Christmas.

Searching for information about gibassier, you find different opinions and versions. Some are drier, more similar to a cookie, for example the one made in Lourmarin.

I think this softer version of gibassier may be a mix of both, taking the tenderness of the pompe à l'huile and the ingredients, aromas and final appearance of the gibassier.

The final result is wonderful, a very tender and incredibly aromatic bread which, right out of the oven, we will brush with ghee or melted butter, whichever you prefer, and sprinkle with extra fine white sugar. A true delicacy!

The moment you will fall for it will be while they are baking… the aroma that will fill the kitchen is simply wonderful.

INGREDIENTS (for 10-12 Gibassier)

FOR THE PREFERMENT:

• 180 g bread flour
• 110 g whole milk
• a pinch of dry baker's yeast (1/8 teaspoon)

FOR THE FINAL DOUGH:

• 300 g strong flour
• 100 g bread flour
• 110 g egg at room temperature
• 100 g white sugar
• 65 g olive oil 0.4
• 70 g butter at room temperature
• 38 g orange blossom water
• 25 g water
• 7 g dry baker's yeast
• 7 g salt
• 6 g anise seeds
• 70 g candied orange

FOR THE CANDIED ORANGE:

• 2 firm eating oranges
• 1 liter water
• 350 g white sugar

FOR BRUSHING:

• 1 beaten egg + 2 tablespoons milk
• 100 g ghee approx.
• extra fine white sugar*

* Extra fine white sugar is the same as table white sugar but with a finer grain. If you don't have it you can grind some regular sugar to reduce its coarseness.

FOR THE GHEE:

• 115 g unsalted butter

RECIPE PREPARATION

THE NIGHT BEFORE

1. Wash the oranges and dry. Using a sharp knife cut into thin slices, set aside.
2. In a large pot add enough water to cover the oranges, place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
3. Drain the water, carefully to avoid steam burns, cover again with fresh water and repeat the same process. Do this a total of 3 times. This process will help remove the bitterness from the peel.
4. Drain all the water from the last boil and add the liter of water along with the 350 g of sugar. Place over medium heat and cook until a semi-thick syrup forms.
5. Remove from heat, take out the oranges using tongs. You can let them cool on a rack or on a tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Once they are cool, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

2) Prepare the preferment:

1. In a medium bowl add the milk together with the yeast and the flour.
2. Mix to combine the ingredients. Transfer to a work surface and knead until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
3. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 12-14 hours.

Olive wood flour spoon, T&G wooden board, Tokyo Design porcelain bowl and Masterclass acacia round wooden board

THE NEXT DAY:

Prepare the dough:

The preferment we made the night before will have tripled in volume. The fermentation time may vary a little depending on the temperature in your home.

1. Sift the flour together with the yeast. Set aside.
2. In a bowl add the water, the egg, the oil and the orange blossom water and whisk until combined.
3. In a large bowl add the chopped preferment along with the liquid mixture.
4. With the help of hand whisks mix to dissolve the preferment. Beat trying to dissolve it as much as possible; this will help prevent lumps in the dough when adding the flour.
5. Incorporate the flour little by little, mixing as you go.
6. Once all the flour has been added, add the salt and the sugar. Add the sugar in two batches, waiting to fully integrate the first before adding the second.
7. Knead until the gluten is medium developed.
8. Add the butter in three installments. Knead very well until each addition is fully incorporated into the dough before adding the next.
9. Once all the butter is incorporated, continue kneading using the French kneading method for about 10 minutes. Take one or two rests, covering the dough, to make this step easier.
10. Add the anise and the candied orange in small pieces. Knead gently, so as not to damage the gluten network, for a couple of minutes.
11. Lightly grease a container, shape the dough into a ball and place it inside. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume. In my case it took 5 hours (this will depend on ambient temperature).

Shape the gibassier:

1. Line 3 baking trays with parchment paper, set aside.
2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide into pieces of 95-100 g each.
3. Round into balls and shape slightly elongated. Cover with a cotton cloth and let rest for 20 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax.
4. With the help of a rolling pin slightly flatten the pieces.
5. Make three cuts inside the dough and four cuts on the edge. If you notice, each inner cut lies halfway between two outer cuts.
6. Place on the baking trays, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume. In my case it took almost 3 hours.

Prepare the ghee:

1. In a saucepan add the unsalted butter and leave over low-medium heat uncovered. Do not increase the temperature.
2. You will see the milk solids separate and small yellow beads fall to the bottom.
3. Keep over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan.
4. As the water in the butter evaporates, the solids will begin to take on a light golden color.
5. At this point remove from heat and set aside. The residual heat of the pan will finish toasting the solids without burning them (otherwise they would give a bad taste), leaving a slight nutty aroma.

Bake the gibassier:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC with top and bottom heat.
2. Brush the gibassier with the beaten egg with milk and place in the middle of the oven.
3. Bake for 20-23 minutes. They should take a light golden color. To know if they are done, poke with a digital thermometer, it should read 88-90ºC.
4. Remove, brush with the ghee and sprinkle with extra fine sugar.

To store them it is ideal to keep them, once completely cooled, in a large zip-type bag or sealed with a clip. They will remain in perfect condition for 3-4 days, don’t worry, they won’t last that long.

These gibassier will be perfect for breakfast, snack or nibbling between meals… They are a real delight and a great sweet option to prepare at Christmas and surprise the family.

We hope to see yours!