Some time ago, my Russian speaking friends were praising Hans Ovando’s brioche with camembert, olives, and bacon. I’ve been thinking about trying this idea with my favorite brioche recipe and local ingredients for a few years. I couldn’t fit it into my schedule until last December request for brioche class. I suggested making a Sweet Snowflake brioche, for it’s the season. My guests suggested making a savory aka “соленую” salted brioche as it is known in Russian. We made both. The savory brioche turned out to be so good, all of us made it several times after the class for family meals and to gift our friends!
Note, the recipe below is not a professional chef Ovando’s recipe. I used his idea of adding bacon, green olives, and soft camembert-like cheese. But the dough for brioche is one of my favorite, relatively simple recipes I share with home cooks who come to my classes. (Those who are interested in the original recipe, can purchase an online video class with chef Ovando.)