How to make
Dissolve the yeast in the slightly warmed milk along with a little flour and a spoonful of sugar. Cover the prepared thin mixture with a towel and let it activate in a warm place (from 5 to 10 minutes).
In a blender, grind the sugar with the orange peel (only the orange part) You should get a fine orange sugar, the goal is to better develop the citrus flavor.
Sift the flour into the bowl of a mixer or food processor and beat three eggs into it, pour the cointreau, orange sugar and yeast. Turn on the kneading program for 3 minutes.
Without interrupting the kneading process, after the third minute, add the hazelnut flour (if you wish, you can save some of it for sprinkling at the end) and add the soft butter piece by piece until it is perfectly absorbed by the dough. This process will take you about 4-5 minutes.
Remove the beaters from the appliance and leave the soft dough in the bowl to rise for 1 hour in a warm place covered with cling film and a towel.
Using a spatula, pour the dough onto a generously floured surface, sprinkle with more flour and knead for about a minute or two. Then give the brioche the shape you want, you don't need to go to great lengths to make complicated shapes of the dough because it is too soft and sticky and would be difficult to manipulate. In this case, the taste and texture of the end result is more important.
Put the brioche in a baking pan (9″ ~ 24 cm diameter), greased or covered with baking paper. Leave it to rise again for 1 hour or a little more. The room should be warm and draft-free.
Spread the risen brioche with the fourth beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and hazelnut flour, if you have saved any.
Place in a 390°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 360°F (180°C) and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!
