Orange Anise Sugared Easter Brioche (Mouna)

Making brioche for Easter morning is a dear French tradition that I follow religiously every year – even in Canada (although you’ll know that I am partial to brioche all year round). And for this year’s Easter holiday, I am excited to be sharing with you my recipe for this Orange and Anise Sugared Easter Brioche, also known as a “Mouna”.

This plump and fragrant Mouna brioche hails from the Pied-Noir (“black-foot” in French) and Oran Cuisine, from Algeria. If you don’t know, Pied-Noirs was the name given to the Europeans (mostly of French origin) who lived in Algeria during French rule. In 1962, after Algeria was granted independence, many of them returned to France – bringing back with them their Algerian culture and cooking traditions.

Photo 1. Anise seed infusing in the milk/ Photo 2. Dough before the first rise/ Photo 3. Dough after the first rise

So you’ll understand how, like many Algerian recipes, this Mouna brioche is widely popular on both sides of the Mediterranean sea: in Algeria and in the South of France, where Algerian immigrants and descendants settled. You’ll find the Mouna in bakery stalls around Easter time, and you’ll recognize it by its golden dome shape, covered with pearl sugar and traditionally scored with a cross.

And it is also a great tradition to make yours at home – which is exactly what I’d like to inspire you to do today! Now I know that making brioche at home, if you’ve never done it before, can sound intimidating. But I guarantee it is nothing a beginner can’t do. It is the kind of recipe that is easier than what you might think – although granted, slightly more advanced than a simple cake. But it is SO rewarding. Make sure your read the cooking notes to help guide you, or leave a comment if you have a question.

This is a generous brioche made with eggs and a fair amount of butter (for the French influence) and flavored with citrus zest and juice, orange blossom and green aniseed (for the Algerian influence). It is plump and so fragrant, with a great melt-in-your-mouth factor. This recipe makes for a large brioche that will be enough to satisfy 8 people. It makes for a perfect breakfast or brunch, enjoyed plain or with some butter, jam and honey.

The perfect treat to your Easter breakfast table – or any morning, really!

Cooking notes:

• The equipment – Because the making of a brioche dough involves kneading, you can use a stand mixer with a hook attachment. But you can also make it by hand – like I do – although be prepared to use a little elbow grease.
• The instant yeast – Always keep your instant yeast in the freezer (I keep it in a small sealed Tupperware) and use as required for recipes. If you’re looking for a good instant yeast, I love to use Saf Instant Yeast. 
• Be patient – The two dough-rising periods (2 hours + at least 1 hour) are crucial and can’t be skipped nor rushed. Also, make sure you are letting your dough rise in a draft-free environment and at room temperature.
• The butter – this recipe includes melted butter; although make sure it is cooled down to room temperature before you combine it into the dough.
• The eggs – Take the eggs out of the fridge 1 hour beforehand; they need to be at room temperature when you include them in the dough.
• The citrus – because we are using the zest and juice, make sure you get organic citrus fruits (where the skin will be pesticide free).
• Baking – Never open the oven door when you bake a brioche (during the first 30 minutes) or it will fall flat.

Orange and Anise Sugared Easter Brioche (Mouna)

Print Recipe

Serves: 1 large brioche Prep Time: 3h30minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 9 voted )

Ingredients

¾ cup (180ml) milk (whole or 2%).
1 ½ tsp anise seeds
2 tbsp (17g) instant yeast (such as Saf Instant Yeast)
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (95g) unsalted butter, melted (and cooled down to room temperature)
¾ cup (150g) sugar
½ lemon zest
½ orange zest
4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp orange juice (about 1 medium orange)
1 tbsp (13ml) orange blossom (or vanilla extract)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk (for the egg wash)
2-3 tbsp pearl sugar (or coarsely chopped sugar cubes)

Instructions

Step 1 – In a small saucepan, warm up the milk with the anise seeds. Turn off the heat as soon as the milk simmers and let infuse for about 20 minutes, until the milk has cooled to lukewarm temperature. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and the instant yeast, and set aside.

Step 2 – In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer with a paddle attachment) combine the sugar, lemon zest and orange zest. Rub the mixture with your fingers so the zest releases moisture and the sugar becomes lumpy. Stir in the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the orange juice and orange blossom (or vanilla extract ). Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well between each addition. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Slowly pour in the milk (with sugar and yeast) and mix until combined. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until homogeneous. The dough should be quite thick and slightly sticky, but still manageable (if too sticky, slowly sprinkle with extra flour and keep kneading). Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for 2h. The dough should triple in size.

Step 3 – When the dough has tripled in size, punch it to deflate it. Shape it into a ball and gently place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let rise at room temperature for 1h. The dough should double in size.

Step 4 – Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C) with a rack in the middle. Whisk together in a small bowl the egg yolk and milk, and brush this egg wash generously all over the brioche. Sprinkle with pearl sugar (or coarsely chopped sugar cubes). With a very sharp knife or razor blade, cut a cross pattern on the top of the brioche.

Bake for 40 minutes, until golden-brown.

Enjoy warm or cool. Best enjoyed within 2 days (keep in a bread box or wrapped in a cloth).

If you try this Orange Anise Sugared Easter Brioche (Mouna) recipe let me know!  Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram. Bon Appétit!

A recipe inspired from Journal des Femmes & Marie Claire

Shop for this recipe (click the photos): 

Instant Yeast

Coarse Pearl Sugar