Dividing and Shaping: Refer to the illustrations for a visual description of the shaping process. This traditional shape (which translates to “big head”) is formed using 2 balls of dough, in this case 1 ball weighs 9 ounces and the second weighs 3 ounces (these weights are for a mold that is 6¼ inches in diameter at the opening, with 14 flutes). Round the balls tightly and allow them to relax for 2 or 3 minutes. Take the larger ball and place it into the mold, with seams down. Using both thumbs, hollow out the center, bringing the thumbs down to the very bottom of the dough, leaving just a thin film of dough at the bottom (refer to illustrations A through D). Now take the 3-ounce ball, turn it onto its side, and using the flat part of your hand, taper it to a cone shape; the seam side of the ball should become the point of the cone, and the smooth side is the rounded part. Insert the cone into the hollowed out larger piece, with the round side up (illustrations E and F). Now begins the process of adhering the head (smaller piece) of the dough to the body (larger piece). Keep flour close by, and be sure the first two fingers on your shaping hand remain dry the entire time. For right-handed bakers, use your left thumb to pull the head of the brioche towards the left—this exposes the “neck” on the right side of the dough. Plunge the floured index and middle fingers of your right hand at about a 30-degree angle into the dough, at the junction where the head meets the body of the dough. Dive down until your fingers can feel the metal at the bottom of the mold (illustration G). Remove the fingers, rotate the dough about one-sixth of a turn, and repeat. Continue in this manner until the head is securely fastened to the body (illustration H). You will in all likelihood make two or three complete circuits before the head is adequately affixed. Note the following: dry fingers are imperative so they don’t stick to either the head or the body; each plunging of the fingers should go all the way to the bottom of the body of the dough so that there is a clear distinction between the head and the body, and each plunging should remove a little of the dough from the body—not the head, and with each stroke the head becomes more and more integrated into the body; it is important that the fingers enter the dough at an angle—if you insert them vertically, too much of the body will diminish and the proportion between head and body will be imbalanced.