Brioche With Chocolate Centres Recipes

Steps:

• Place flour and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
• Place warm milk, vanilla and sugar in a seperate bowl and mix until combined.
• Add milk mixture and egg yolks to flour and beat on medium speed until dough is a smooth ball.
• Continue beating, adding butter, a little at a time, until it is all incorporated and well beaten.
• Alternatively, mix the flour mixture and the yeast mixture in a bowl until a soft dough forms.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until combined.
• Cover dough and set aside for 1 1/2- 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until it is soft and elastic, then divide it into 8 equal pieces.
• Flatten dough slightly in the palm of your hand.
• Place a piece of chocolate in the middle of dough and fold over excess dough to enclose.
• Place brioche in greased and floured HIGH muffin moulds or Brioche tins, cover and set aside for 1 hour or until it is well risen.
• Bake in preheated 350F (160C) oven for 15-20 minutes or until brioche are golden brown.
• Serve warm with a strong coffee.

Steps:

• Mix the warm milk & yeast in a bowl. Leave to stand for a few minutes.
• Sift the 1oz of flour into the milk & yeast mix, add the 1 tsp of sugar & mix well. Leave to stand in a warm place for 10 mins or until frothy (will look a little like mousse!).
• While the starter is standing, sift the flour & salt into a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla sugar then rub in the butter. ( rub in method - rub the butter into the flour to create 'bread crumbs' - like you do with short crust pastry)).
• When the starter is frothy, whisk in the 2 eggs. When the eggs are fully incorporated, pour the mixture into mixing bowl & stir the ingredients until they come together to form a ball.
• Remove the ball of dough & knead on a lightly floured surface for a minute or until no longer sticky.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured dish or tray, cover & let rest in a warm place for around 90 minutes or until roughly doubled in size.
• When doubled in size, knead the dough again for another minute - just to knock the air out a bit.
• Dust a work surface with flour then divide the dough into 12 equal pieces ( cut dough into quarters then cut each quarter into thirds). Place a square of chocloate in the centre of each piece of dough then form into a ball.
• Lightly grease a baking tin then place the balls inside - 3 in the middle of the tin & 9 around the edges - make sure there are spaces in between.
• Place in a preheated oven at 230 c (450 F) for around 18 minutes. Start checking the brioche at 15 minutes, remove from oven when pale gold all over.
• Remove from tin & allow to cool.Divide the icing sugar into 2 bowls. Add the cocoa powder to one & add a tiny bit of hot water at a time to each, until you have a thick icing that you drizzle over the brioche. Slowly drizzle the icing over the brioch until it is almost covered.
• Tear off a piece when you want & enjoy!

Steps:

• Butter a large bowl; set aside. Stir together warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Put 4 cups flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add yeast mixture; mix on medium speed until combined. Add 8 eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition; mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. Replace paddle with dough hook. Mix on medium speed 2 minutes.
• Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Mix until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 10 minutes. If dough is very sticky and wet, add up to 1/2 cup flour (only the bottom quarter of the dough should stick to the bowl); mix until combined. Transfer dough to buttered bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours).
• Butter two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans; set aside. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half into a 7-by-15-inch rectangle. Sprinkle chocolate over rectangles. Starting from a short side, tightly roll each into a log; pinch seam to seal. Place each log, seam down, in a buttered pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel; let rise at room temperature until dough reaches rim of pans and no longer feels cool, about 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly beat remaining egg; brush tops of loaves with egg. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until tops are deep golden brown, about 35 minutes (cover with foil after 20 minutes if browning too quickly). Run a knife around edges of pans to loosen, and turn out onto a wire rack; let cool completely.