Name: Flaky brownie brioche
Prep time: 13 h 13 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 16 h 43 min
Yield: 2 brioches
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 500 g flour; 15 g yeast; 10 g salt; 20 g brown sugar; 325 g egg; 100 g fermented viennoiserie dough; 60 g brown sugar; 20 g powdered cocoa; 200 g butter; 250 g dark chocolate; 120 g butter; 50 g brown sugar; 200 g pecan nuts; 50 g Pearl sugar; 20 g beaten egg

Step by step recipe

Step 1 - ⌛ 5 min.

Prepare the chocolate brioche dough

Put into a food-mixer bowl: 500 g flour, 15 g yeast, 10 g salt, 20 g brown sugar and 325 g egg.

Step 2 - ⌛ 15 min.

Knead for 15 minutes.

Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home.

Step 3 - ⌛ 3 min.

Then add 100 g fermented viennoiserie dough, 60 g brown sugar and 20 g powdered cocoa.

Step 4 - ⌛ 5 min.

Knead for a further 5 minutes until well mixed in.

Step 5 - ⌛ 10 min.

While still kneading, add 200 g butter a little at a time.

Step 6 - ⌛ 1 hour

Stop kneading once the butter is fully mixed in.

Cover the dough with plastic film and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Step 7

Prepare the chocolate-butter square

While the dough is resting, melt 250 g dark chocolate with 120 g butter and 50 g brown sugar over a bain-marie.

Step 8 - ⌛ 5 min.

Mix until smooth. Don't worry if you can feel that there are still some sugar crystals undissolved; this will add texture, so worth keeping.

Tkae the mixture off the bain-marie.

Step 9 - ⌛ 3 min.

Stand an 8 inch (20 cm) square frame on a sheet of cooking parchment laid on a baking sheet.

Step 10 - ⌛ 2 min.

Pour the mixture into this mould and leave to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Step 11 - ⌛ 12 hours

After the dough has rested for 1 hour, knock back the dough by lifting and dropping hard back into the bowl.

Cover once more with plastic film and refrigerate overnight.

Step 12 - ⌛ 1 min.

Next day, take the square of chocolate butter out of the fridge and leave at room temperature to soften slightly.

Step 13 - ⌛ 2 min.

Toast the pecan nuts

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Spread 20 g brown sugar on a baking sheet.

Step 14 - ⌛ 15 min.

Toast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Leave to cool.

Step 15 - ⌛ 1 min.

Flake the brioche

Put the brioche dough on a floured work surface.

Step 16 - ⌛ 3 min.

Roll out into a large rectangle, about the same width as the square of chocolate butter.

You can trim the sides to neaten the rectangle and use the trimmings to make the leaven or soured dough for your next batch of brioche.

Step 17 - ⌛ 3 min.

Lay the square of chocolate butter on the dough.

Step 18 - ⌛ 3 min.

Cover the chocolate with the pecan nuts, either whole (as in the photo) or roughly chopped with a knife.

Step 19 - ⌛ 3 min.

Fold the dough over to seal in the chocolate butter, then scatter coarse sugar crystals over and press in with the rolling pin to help them stick.

Step 20 - ⌛ 3 min.

Fold the dough in half over the sugar.

Step 21 - ⌛ 3 min.

Shape the brioche

Roll the dough out once more into a rectangle...

Step 22 - ⌛ 3 min.

...and roll this up.

Step 23 - ⌛ 3 min.

Cut the roll into slices about the same thickness as the depth of your tin or mould, either loaf style...

Step 24

...or special brioche shape.

Step 25 - ⌛ 2 min.

Glaze the top of the brioche.

Step 26 - ⌛ 1 hour 30 min.

Leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Before baking, you can scatter a little more coarse sugar over the top if you wish.

Step 27 - ⌛ 40 min.

Bake the brioche

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C) and bake the brioche for about 40 minutes.

Step 28

Turn out while hot and leave to cool on a wire rack.

	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats	Calories	Energy
Per 100 g	7 g RDI=10 %	41 g RDI=16 %	27 g RDI=37 %	437 kcal RDI=22 %	1,831 kJ RDI=22 %
Per brioches	66 g RDI=101 %	400 g RDI=151 %	264 g RDI=362 %	4,242 kcal RDI=212 %	17,762 kJ RDI=212 %
Whole recipe	131 g RDI=202 %	800 g RDI=302 %	529 g RDI=725 %	8,485 kcal RDI=424 %	35,524 kJ RDI=424 %