Il Cucinologo
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Chocolate Brioche Bread

17/11/2023

I will be happy to share with you a delicious recipe for chocolate brioche bread. It is a recipe that requires a bit of patience during the rising phases but the result is a soft and tasty sweet bread, perfect for breakfasts and snacks.

Ingredients

  • 500 g Manitoba flour
  • 100 g sugar
  • 200 ml lukewarm milk
  • 100 g soft butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 25 g fresh brewer’s yeast or 7 g dry brewer’s yeast
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
  • 150 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
  • 1 egg yolk for brushing
  • Powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk along with a teaspoon of sugar taken from the total.
  2. Add about half of the flour to the milk and yeast mixture and begin kneading until you obtain a homogeneous mixture. Let this sort of “pre-dough” rest covered with a damp cloth in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until the volume doubles.
  3. When the pre-dough is ready, add the remaining sugar, the remaining flour, the eggs, the soft butter cut into pieces, a pinch of salt and the grated lemon zest (if you decide to use it). Knead all the ingredients until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
  4. Once you have obtained a homogeneous dough, gently incorporate the chocolate chips, trying to distribute them evenly throughout the dough.
  5. Let the dough rise in the same warm place, covered with a damp cloth, for another 2 hours or until the volume doubles.
  6. After rising, take the dough and shape it into rolls or braids, or place it in a loaf pan, depending on the shape you prefer.
  7. Brush the surface with a beaten egg yolk to give the brioche bread a nice golden color during baking.
  8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes or until golden and fully cooked.
  9. Once baked, let the brioche bread cool on a wire rack before dusting with powdered sugar, if desired.

Trivia

Brioche bread is versatile and lends itself to multiple variations. You can also customize it by adding essences or flavors such as vanilla to the dough or replacing the chocolate chips with candied fruit or pastry cream. In addition, this sweet bread has French origins but is also very popular in Italy, where it is served both as a sweet and in a savory version.