Chocolate brioche buns

If you've tried brioche before, you are no doubt already converted, but if you haven't, you're in for a treat. Brioche is bread meets cake, and in these glossy buns, it comes with the addition of chocolate... There's not a wrong or right time of day to eat brioche. It's really any time, whether it's breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner. You get what I'm saying? This is an anytime bun and when you make your batch of 10, they won't last very long.

Chocolate brioche buns. Credit: The Chocolate Queen

• makes

  10

• prep

  50 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Brioche dough

• 250 g baker’s flour
• 25 g caster sugar
• 6 g salt
• 12 g instant dry yeast
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 50 g water, room temperature
• 125 g unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed (see Note)
• pinch ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 125 g good quality milk couverture chocolate, roughly chopped
• vegetable oil spray

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp full cream milk

Rising time: 4 hours total at room temperature and overnight, refrigerated.

Instructions

1. Place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix for approximately 1 minute.
2. In a separate bowl, place the eggs and water, then whisk to combine. Stream the egg mixture into the flour while mixing on low-medium speed.
3. Add a generous pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, mix to incorporate, and ensure there are no dry ingredients remaining on the bottom of the bowl. Continue to mix on medium speed for 10 minutes.
4. Mix for a further 20 minutes, while gradually adding the butter. Once the butter has been added, continue mixing for the remainder of the 20 minutes.
5. Lastly, add the chocolate and mix to incorporate.
6. Transfer the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to prove at room temperature for 30 minutes.
7. Place into the refrigerator overnight.
8. Lightly spray your workbench, scales and hands with vegetable oil spray, then roll the dough into 70 g balls. Place the buns onto a lined baking tray, ensuring space in between. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 3.5-4 hours.
9. For the egg wash:  Place the egg and milk into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until required.
10. To bake, heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced).
11. Brush the egg wash over the brioche buns. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 13 minutes, until golden brown in colour.

 

Note

It is best to leave the butter out at room temperature overnight

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.