In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the flour, sugar, egg, salt and 3/4 of the milk.

Start kneading on low speed (speed 1 on a KitchenAid). Gradually add the remaining milk to form a soft dough that is not sticky. Knead for about 12 minutes.

Add the butter gradually, a little at a time, while continuing to knead. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

Continue kneading for another 12 minutes on speed 2, until you get a smooth, supple and well combined dough that wraps around the hook. If you stretch a small piece of dough to form a thin sheet, it should not tear.

If this is not perfectly achieved, it is not a problem, as we are not aiming for a very stretchy crumb like a bakery style brioche. You can try a different flour next time.

Add the raisins and pearl sugar, then knead for a few seconds to distribute them evenly through the dough. If they are difficult to incorporate, finish mixing by hand on a work surface. Cut the dough with a bench scraper and stack the pieces on top of each other until the pearl sugar and raisins are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl or back into the mixer bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, then a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a draft free place.

In cold weather, place the dough in a turned off oven with a bowl of hot water set on the bottom of the oven.

Let the dough rise until doubled in size, which can take up to 3 hours depending on the room temperature.

Gently deflate the dough on a work surface. Shape it into a long log, then divide it into 100 g pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. You can also make 2 or 3 larger cougnous if you prefer a family size version.

The goal is to create a well defined pinch to form the two ends, leaving the middle as the body. You can see this in the photo below. I am using one hand in the picture because I was holding the camera with the other.

Place the shaped cougnous on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper, spacing them well apart. I placed 6 cougnous per baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, then a kitchen towel.

Let them rise for 45 minutes, until nicely puffed.

Prepare the egg wash by beating one egg with a pinch of salt. Gently brush the cougnous with a pastry brush, being careful not to deflate them.

Remove from the oven and transfer the cougnous to a wire rack. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them cool completely before storing. They are delicious warm, at room temperature or cold, especially served with a cup of hot chocolate.