You can always top your brioche with a generous lashing of butter or jam for a touch more decadence. Place the dough in a clean medium size bowl, cover with cling film and let rise in a warm room for about 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. To shape the brioche, pinch off a hazelnut-sized ball of dough from each portion and roll into a smooth, neat ball. Shape the rest of the portion into a neat ball and gently drop into the muffin tray. Flour your index finger and push it into the centre of the ball of dough in the tray then place the smaller ball over this hole. Repeat with the remaining portions. Slip the tray into a large plastic bag, slightly inflate then leave to rise until the dough has doubled in size - 1 hour in a warm room or overnight in the fridge. The brioche is hard or dense: can happen if the dough is under or over proofed, or if the dough wasn't kneaded for long enough (so the gluten did not develop enough). To know that the dough has been kneaded for long enough, do a windowpane test.

Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add salt and remaining 1 ¾ cups (18 grams) flour, and beat at medium speed until a smooth and elastic dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl, 8 to 10 minutes. Photo 7: Cover the bowl with a tea / kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and place it in a warm spot. Let it proof for 1 to 1,5 hours or until it has doubled in size (it could take longer if the ambient temperature is too cold). Make the chocolate filling. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until light and creamy. Beat in the sugar until light and fluffy and then add remaining filling ingredients and mix well. Cover your chocolate brioche and leave to prove for another 30 to 45 minutes or until the rolls have risen again. Break up the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl with the milk. Rest the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and leave until melted, stirring occasionally - do not allow the bowl to touch the water. Remove from the heat, stir gently and leave to cool until needed.French in all aspects, these chocolate chip brioche buns are a kids’favorite after school or a lovely family treat to enjoy for a cozy brunch or breakfast in the weekend. Much easier to prepare than chocolate croissants, they involve just a few basic ingredients, to which I added some orange flower water for extra taste. If you don’t have any, you could use juice and zest of a freshly squeezed orange, making sure you keep the same proportions.

Milk: use Full Cream / Whole Milk for the best flavour and texture. The milk needs to be lukewarm to help the yeast develop. Make sure it is not too hot though or it might kill the yeast. I received my Kitchen Aid this week and I already have tons of recipes I want to create with my new friend. To be really honest with you, after I left mine behind, I was not sure anymore that a Kitchen Aid was absolutely necessary to my baking recipes. Lately however, I have been working with more delicate recipes that are obviously way easier if you use a stand mixer. It prevents from creating a mess while kneading the dough on your counter top and insure the right texture to your bakings.Photo 13: Gently roll the dough with the rolling pin again. It could get a bit messy as some of the chocolate might escape from the dough - that's normal. Roll the dough into a 30 x 40 cm rectangle (approx) (12 x 15 inch). Milk. Brioche dough uses milk instead of water. The proteins in milk help contribute to the browning process of the dough. In addition to the eggs and butter, milk is another ingredient that enhances the flavor of the bread (aka "enriched dough"). Pitch is a delicious, soft brioche roll with a generous amount of dark chocolate chips. They are individually wrapped making them great for lunch boxes, picnics, car journeys and much more! Photo 11: Fold one third of the dough (either the right or the left side from the longer side of the rectangle) towards the centre. The dough will be quite soft so be careful when pulling it over.

Brioche is an enriched yeasted dough. In other words, compared to bread that's only made with flour, water, yeast, and salt (a lean dough), this enriched dough has additional ingredients consisting of sugar, eggs, milk, and butter. It produces a rich and buttery bread that is still soft and tender. To enhance this already delicious dough, I have added a layer of slightly sweetened chocolate and rolled the dough into individual pastries that can be served for breakfast or as dessert. It's a beautiful presentation that's especially nice to serve for the holidays. The exact time for this stage will depend on the temperature of the room. If working in a cold room, it could take much longer that 1,5 hours.

How to shape Swiss brioches?

Sprinkle fresh yeast in a small bowl and stir with one or two tablespoons lukewarm milk and a little bit of sugar too. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Milk: use Full Cream Milk (Whole Milk) for the best flavour and texture. Non-Dairy/Plant-based milk will work as well, but I don't recommend using a skim-milk. Brush the Brioche with an Egg Wash (one egg pre-whisked), then cover the loaf pan and let the dough rise again for about 30 to 45 minutes.