Step by step recipe

Stage 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.

Stage 2

15 min.

Knead for 15 minutes.

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

Stage 3

3 min.

Then add 100 g Soured dough viennoise, 60 g brown sugar and 20 g powdered cocoa.

Stage 4

5 min.

Knead for a further 5 minutes until well mixed in.

Stage 5

10 min.

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

Stage 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.

Stage 7

Prepare the chocolate-butter square

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

Stage 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.

Stage 9

3 min.

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

Stage 10

2 min.

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

Stage 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.

Stage 12

1 min.

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

Stage 13

2 min.

Toast the pecan nuts

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Spread 20 g brown sugar on a baking sheet.

Stage 14

15 min.

Toast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Leave to cool.

Stage 15

1 min.

Flake the brioche

Put the brioche dough on a floured work surface.

Stage 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.

Stage 17

3 min.

Lay the square of chocolate butter on the dough.

Stage 18

3 min.

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

Stage 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.

Stage 20

3 min.

Fold the dough in half over the sugar.

Stage 21

3 min.

Shape the brioche

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

Stage 22

3 min.

...and roll this up.

Stage 23

3 min.

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

Stage 24

...or special brioche shape.

Stage 25

2 min.

Glaze the top of the brioche.

Stage 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.

Stage 27

40 min.

Bake the brioche

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

Stage 28

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

Remarks

Nutritional information

How much will it cost?

• For 2 brioches : 10.72 €
• Per brioches : 5.36 €

Change currency:

Post your comment or question

You are welcome, if you wish, to comment on this recipe: why you like it or not, what you have changed, what results it gave, point out a mistake or omission, etc. You can also ask a question. I answer all questions (in a broken English, sorry) unless someone else does it before me.
Please feel free to say what you think, I'm always very interested in your opinion. Your comment will appear on line with the recipe, so please write in standard readable English, not SIM or only in CAPITALS, otherwise your comment may be rejected.

Please look at advice for submitting a comment or image (what you should or should not do). By the way, don't type your e-mail address in the comment, otherwise you might be spammed.