- 1 large, fresh or smoked, pure pork sausage, weighing about 1¾ pounds (800 g)
- 1 egg, beaten
- Dijon mustard
- 3 cups flour, unsifted (450 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 packages dry yeast (7 g each)
- ½ cup warmed milk (110 ml)
- 3 eggs, well beaten
- 12 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into bits (175 g)
- Prepare the brioche dough a day ahead. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warmed milk. When frothy, add to the flour mixture with the eggs. Mix into a dough with a wooden spoon and gradually work in the butter. Cover and leave to rise for 2 hours. Punch down, cover and leave overnight on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.
- To cook the sausage, slit the skin here and there to prevent it splitting and place it in a pot of cold water. Bring slowly to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and drain on a cloth, then carefully remove the skin with a sharp knife.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out the brioche dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle large enough to enclose the sausage. Place on a greased baking sheet and brush the edges of the pastry with water. Wrap the sausage in the dough, overlapping the long sides and then folding the ends over. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and bake for 1 hour, until the pastry is golden.
- Transfer the cooked brioche to a plate and serve it in slices about ¾ inch thick, with Dijon mustard.