Substitute for brioche

[Soupandstew]

On Thanksgiving I want to try a Martha Stewart recipe for Roasted Parsnip Bread Pudding that calls for a loaf of brioche. I only know of one store in my area that sometimes has brioche and, when I called, they said they might not make it this week because of the demand for other breads at Thanksgiving.

What do you suggest I sub if I can't get brioche? I know that brioche is very rich but the recipe calls for a lot of eggs and heavy cream so I might be able to use something a little less rich without compromising the flavor.

[applecrisp]

I'm not familiar with the recipe, but I think challah bread is a good sub for brioche, although not as rich. And, makes great french toast if you have any bread leftover.

But no help if you can't get challah bread.

[amarante]

Challah would work as it is also a rich egg bread. I don't know if Challah is more accessible than brioche. My local supermarket sells it but they actually get it from a bakery in the neighborhood. I see you are in Houston so I suspect there are enough Jews to warrant some delis which often have bakeries and would stock Challah - or maybe a Jewish area would have a good "Jewish" bakery?

Absent either brioche or challah, some kind of bread that is dense, rich and a little bit sweet but not a "sweet bread" or coffee cake type of bread. I've included recipes for brioche and challah so you can see the similarities.

I don't know of bread that is similar in taste and texture.

Challah is one of the most important Jewish foods. A yeast bread enriched with eggs and oil, it is similar to French brioche, and it is the special loaf for the Sabbath and for many other important meals and occasions

Jewish Challah Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

Classic Brioche Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

[charley]

Whole Foods typically sells challah. I've never looked for brioche there, but they may carry it too. You might also check with Trader Joe's.

[amarante]

Trader Joes doesn't have Challah - and I shop a TJ in the heart of the Russian Jewish community - save yourself the shlep there.

[heavy hedonist]

a plain babka would work okay, too, if challah is difficult to find. not quite as rich, but in the same line.

[Soupandstew]

Yahoo, I found brioche at WF! Thanks to everyone for the substitution ideas. I've never tasted brioche or challah so I was really at a loss. If the recipe works out I'll post it. Really, what can go wrong with bread, eggs, cream and roasted parsnips?

Yes, because of our large Jewish population, we have a lot of stores and restaurants catering to their needs. One of our favorite stops for breakfast and lunch has a sign posted "not everything on the menu is kosher - ask!". It's the only place I can get eggs scrambled with onions and lox (Nova, $1 extra) with a choice of 15 different bagels. My personal fav is sun-dried tomato but jalapeno bagels play really well around here too. On the weekends it's a 30 minute wait for a table.

Happy TD everyone,

Pat

[tbb113]

Yes, because of our large Jewish population, we have a lot of stores and restaurants catering to their needs. One of our favorite stops for breakfast and lunch has a sign posted "not everything on the menu is kosher - ask!". It's the only place I can get eggs scrambled with onions and lox (Nova, $1 extra) with a choice of 15 different bagels. My personal fav is sun-dried tomato but jalapeno bagels play really well around here too. On the weekends it's a 30 minute wait for a table.

Happy TD everyone,

Pat

Houston must have really changed in the last 35 years. My mother tells the story of our neighbor who we introduced to "Jewish Soul Food". They got transferred to Houston in the late 1970's and she went looking for bagels. All she could find were plain bagels in the delis there.

[nubchai]

I made a bread pudding last Christmas and used Challah. It worked out well. I do live near Chicago and it was pretty easy to find.

Sandy

[Sheila in MD]

Trader Joes doesn't have Challah - and I shop a TJ in the heart of the Russian Jewish community - save yourself the shlep there.

Wow...my TJ's does carry Challah although I have only noticed it there recently. This is in Columbia, MD! I know they do carry different products in different places.

Sheila in MD

[amarante]

Wow...my TJ's does carry Challah although I have only noticed it there recently. This is in Columbia, MD! I know they do carry different products in different places.

Sheila in MD

Live and learn as I was in TJ today and lo and behold they did have some Challah loaves.

In my defense I am about a mile from Diamond Bakery and the supermarket down the block from me stocks Challah from Diamond Bakery if I am too lazy to do a separate trip for the Challah.

Also - and I buy quite a bit at TJ and have been buying there some my friend took me to one of the original stores in Pasadena in 1981, the quality of their bread products is not that good.

At least in Los Angeles, they used to sell a good variety of La Brea Bakery bread products. They then switched the label but it was still La Brea Bakery quality. A few years back they switched and the stuff is pretty mediocre. I can get the really high quality La Brea bakery items at my local supermarket.

I would imagine that it's the same whatever region you live in terms of regional specialty bread/pastry items. None of the supermarkets or TJ have particularly good cornbread but I bet a lot of supermarkets in the South have good quality cornbread.

Diamond Bakery - Mid-City West - Los Angeles, CA